Neil’s Notebook: More Than Bragging Rights on the Line This Weekend

By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com

ANN ARBOR – As always, bragging rights are on the line. But the Michigan State-Michigan series this weekend is more than just about the intense rivalry.

There's more on the line than just "Take that! We won, you lost, ha, ha, ha!"

With four weekends left in the regular season, the Spartans and Wolverines have their sights on a high finish in the Big Ten, and the reward of earning home ice for the first round of the conference playoffs.

In order to lock down a home series at Munn Arena or Yost Arena, the two rivals need to be in first place, second place or third or fourth when the season ends on March 2.

First place? Well, that seems to out of sight with Ohio State 11 points ahead of Michigan State and Michigan. The No. 3-ranked Buckeyes have won five in a row and are 9-1-3 in their last 13 games and showing no signs of a collapse.

But second, third and fourth are in play, and this weekend's games will have an impact on each team's fate in the final standings, and where they're playing on March 8, when the playoffs begin.

At the moment, the teams are tied for fourth place with 24 points apiece, one point behind third-place Minnesota and three in back of second-place Minnesota.

Still, there's still plenty of "We hate them, they hate us" and "It's such a great feeling to beat those guys and it's the worst feeling to lose to them,'' coming out of both camps, because after all, it's Michigan State vs. Michigan.

The Spartans (10-13-5 overall, 6-8-4-2 Big Ten) and the Wolverines (10-11-6, 6-7-4-2) meet at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor and at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the annual "Duel in the D" at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

"We have six games left and we're tied with Michigan, so they're all huge games coming up,'' MSU junior captain and center Sam Saliba said. "We have to go into every weekend and gather points, and the goal is to get home ice in the first round.''

After this weekend, the Spartans have four games remaining – a home series against Penn State, Feb. 15-16, and after a week off, they close the season with two games at Ohio State, March 1-2.

Michigan will have five games left – one game at Notre Dame next Tuesday, and after a bye week, the Wolverines are home for two games against Ohio State, Feb. 22-23, and wrap up the season with a series at Wisconsin, March 1-2.

Both teams have picked up points in each off the last four or five weekends that they've played. Michigan State is 4-3-3 in its last 10 Big Ten games. Michigan is 4-3 in Big Ten play and 4-4 overall since the start of 2019.

"There's a lot of things going on this weekend. There's some hardware to be won and a lot of Big Ten points on the line,'' junior left wing Taro Hirose said. "Right now, we're going through a good stretch. We're playing some good hockey and getting points every weekend.

"We've been sort of playing playoff style hockey the last couple of weeks, and were looking to the same every weekend no matter who we're playing against.''

For sure, playing against Michigan stirs the emotions and with playoff implications at stake, the combination makes this weekend's battles more important than in matchups in the last several seasons.

"There's always extra excitement when you play Michigan. The history of the programs and the rivalry make it special,'' Saliba said. "It's the passion. It's more than a hockey game. Everybody on the ice can feel it. Everybody in the building, too. You get chills talking about it. There's always an intense feeling to the games.''

MSU and U-M have met three times this season with the Spartans holding a 1-0-1 edge. The Spartans won 4-3 at Munn Arena on Nov. 30, and the teams tied 1-1 in Ann Arbor on Dec. 1, with MSU winning the shootout 1-0 to earn the extra point in the Big Ten standings.

The third meeting took place in the third-place game in the Great Lakes Invitational at Little Caesars Arena and that game also ended in a tie – this time 2-2. But no shootout was played because it was not a conference game.

"The games are always going to be close and no matter how heated the games get, there's always going to be penalties,'' Hirose said. "They lost (Josh) Norris (for the season with an injury) but other guys are stepping up. They still have guys that can score. They're always dangerous.

"If we play the way we can and the way we did at times last weekend (against Wisconsin), I think it'll go well for us.''

Yost Arena is considered one of the toughest places for a visiting team to play. Yet most opposing players love the atmosphere and challenge. The Spartans won two games at Michigan two years ago and are 2-1-1 in their last four visits.

"I think it's awesome playing down there,'' Saliba said. "It's a huge challenge and it's always a fun atmosphere. It's a very lively building.''

Defenseman Quinn Hughes is Michigan's most dangerous player. Hughes, a first-round NHL pick by the Vancouver Canucks, is a great skater, he leads the rush, sets up plays and continues play with his excellent puckhandling skills. He's U-M's top scorer with four goals and 21 assists for 25 points. The Spartans will need to contain Hughes to enhance their chances of winning.

"He's a dynamic player and we have to close on him quick and try to not allow him to skate – that's his biggest asset,'' Saliba said. "His biggest tool is his ability to move up and down the ice. We have to be aware when he's on the ice and try to disrupt him as much as we can.''

Michigan scored four goals its 4-3 loss and 1-1 tie with MSU in the first series this year and Hughes assisted on all four goals. He didn't play in the GLI third-place game because he was playing with the U.S. World Junior Team in British Columbia.

On the Spartans' visit to Yost Arena, Hirose said his team "defended well and kept the game close'' and frustrated the Wolverines, allowing only one goal.

"Their coach said it was an ugly game and that's how we like to play (against high-scoring teams),'' Hirose said. "We have to slow down their forwards and don't give guys like Hughes any room to make plays. They have a lot of skill in their lineup. We have to take their speed away.''

MSU coach Danton Cole has been aware of the MSU-Michigan rivalry since he was a young boy growing up in Lansing and his mom and dad both Spartan graduates. He eventually played for Michigan State and did rather well against the Wolverines. In four seasons from 1985-89, Cole and his teammates compiled a 14-4 record against Michigan.

"Regardless of the situation, I think it's exciting and there's good battles,'' Cole said. "If you look at the last two seasons, every game was darn close. We had those two games where they won 4-0 and we won 5-0 but they were actually close games.

"But other than those, they've been one-goal games, overtime games and games with an empty netter. It's been a great battle. There's a little more on the line, but the emotion of pressure and pleasure are basically the same. Are you nervous or excited?

"I want my guys in the mind frame that they're exited and they're going to have some pleasure and some fun playing. Friday, that's what they should be looking forward to. They should be confident enough to go out and play a heck of a hockey game.''

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THE RIVALRY: Michigan leads the series 163-135-24. The 28-win difference is largely from the early years of the rivalry when Michigan's program was established and MSU's was in its early stages. The teams played 16 times in the 1920s and early 1930s, with the Wolverines holding a 14-2 edge. The teams didn't play again until the 1950s, when MSU resumed hockey as a varsity sport. From 1950 to 1957, U-M went 27-0-1 against the Spartans to lead the series, 41-2-1. Since the 1957-58 season when Michigan State's program, under coach Amo Bessone became more competitive on a national level, the Spartans hold a 133-122-23 edge. Meanwhile, over the last four seasons, MSU is 5-7-5 against Michigan, 2-2-2 at Munn Arena and 2-2-1 at Yost Arena, 1-1-1 at Joe Louis Arena and 0-2-1 at Little Caesars Arena.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: Michigan has had a bizarre season with only one sweep, two series in which it tied both games and a winless streak that lasted nine games – 0-3-6 - from Nov. 17 to Jan. 5. After the Great Lakes Invitational, in which the Wolverines tied both games, they defeated Notre Dame in the outdoor game at Notre Dame Stadium, 4-2, but then came home and got upset by Merrimack of Hockey East, 4-2.

In its last eight games, Michigan has gone win, lose; win, lose; win, lose; win, lose. Last weekend, the Wolverines split at Minnesota, winning 4-2 and losing the series finale, 4-3. U-M's only sweep of the season was against St. Lawrence, 3-0 and 3-1, at home in late October. Michigan has not lost two games in a row all season, but it has tied two games in row three times.

The Wolverines lost their top forward Josh Norris (9-10-19) for the season in early January with an unspecified injury while playing for the U.S. team in the World Junior Championships in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. They've played 10 games without Norris and are 4-4-2.

Sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes leads U-M in scoring with four goals and 21 assists for 25 points. Forwards Will Lockwood (11-10-21), Jake Slaker (10-10-20) and Nick Pastujov (10-9-19) have combined for 31 goals and 60 points.

"Michigan does a lot of things really well and they attack,'' MSU coach Danton Cole. "Quinn Hughes is dangerous and you have to keep an eye on him. They're obviously missing Josh Norris but they've had guys step up, and they're winning games and moving along.

"Everybody except Ohio State is kind of playing the same. They're scratching and clawing and getting points out of the weekend. Michigan has a lot of speed and they present some challenges for us.''

In goal, junior Hayden Lavigne has played in 16 games, has a 6-6-3 record, a 2.99 goals-against average and a .890 saves percentage. Freshman Strauss Mann has appeared in 14 games, has a 4-5-3 record, a 2.86 GAA and a .896 saves percentage.

Lavigne played against MSU in U-M's 4-3 loss in East Lansing on Nov. 30, and in the 2-2 tie vs. the Spartans in the GLI third-place game on Dec. 31. Strauss was in goal in the 1-1 tie on Dec. 1 at Yost Arena.

Michigan ranks 5^th in the Big Ten on offense, averaging 3.00 goals per game. Michigan State is 6^th with a 2.93 average. The Spartans have an edge on the power play, converting on 22.5 percent of their chances, which is 4^th in the conference. The Wolverines are seventh at 16.4 percent.

Defensively, U-M is allowing 3.07 goals per game (4^th in Big Ten), while MSU's goals-against average is 3.36 (6^th). The Wolverines penalty killing is at 78.8 percent (No. 4). The Spartans are at 76.1 percent (6^th).

ANOTHER STAR FOR HIROSE: Taro Hirose was named the Big Ten's Second Star after another productive weekend, this time against Wisconsin. Hirose, the nation's leading scorer with 46 points (15-36), had a goal and two assists in last Friday's 4-1 win over the Badgers and scored one goal in Saturday's 2-2 tie.

It's the fourth time Hirose has been one of the conference's weekly stars and his second in the last two weeks.

Minnesota forward Rem Pitlick was the No 1 Star and Ohio State goalie Tommy Nappier was selected as the No. 3 Star. Pitlick had two goals and three assists in a series split with Michigan, while Nappier made 30 saves in a 2-0 victory over Notre Dame last Saturday to complete a series sweep.

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SOLID CONTRIBUTIONS: The Spartans are 4-1-2 in their last seven games and most of the attention has been centered on the KHL line – Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski – and goalies John Lethemon and Drew DeRidder.

But Michigan State is getting strong contributions from lots of other players but they just don't show up on the scoresheet. The Spartans have been better defensively in the last three games, allowing only four goals in their last three games, and some forwards lines have made an impact with strong forechecking and sustaining pressure in the offense zone.

"On defense, Dennis Cesana gets a lot of pub and he should. He has 20 points as a freshman, which is pretty good,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "The other freshmen (defensemen) are doing a great job. The Krygier brothers (Cole and Christian) have really elevated their play. They're not all the way there yet but they really help us when they're playing effective minutes.

"Jerad Rosburg is an underestimated defender, he's wise offensively and brings a good physical element. Tommy Miller, since Christmas, as far as being a not-a-lot-of-points, not-flashy player, has been very physical, he's skating better and his gaps have been great.

"Up front, guys have started to jump in. I think (Sam) Saliba, (Logan) Lambdin and (Cody) Milan have bumped up their game since Christmas. Of all the things in the lineup that have leveled out, it's been (players) elevating their play and giving us more depth up front and more attack.

"And the goalies have been taking turns winning games, and that's fine by me.''

SPARTAN POTPOURRI: Michigan State is the only team in the nation to boast three 30-plus points scorers in linemates Taro Hirose (15-31-46), Patrick Khodorenko (16-17-33) and Mitchell Lewandowski (13-18-31)…

The Spartans' third-leading scorer is freshman Dennis Cesana, who has three goals and 17 assists for 20 points. Cesana has six multi-point games – three three-point games and three two-point games. Cesana has made a big impact on MSU's potent power play, running things from the point and setting up Hirose, Khodorenko, Lewandowski and Cody Milan. MSU's power play ranks No 12 in the nation. Milan is fifth in scoring with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points.

The KHL line is 1-2-3 in scoring against Michigan. Hirose leads the way with five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 13 games. Khodorenko is second with six goals and four assists for 10 points in 13 contests. Lewandowski has played in eight games and has two goals and five assists for seven points…

Freshman goalie Drew DeRidder has played in all three games against Michigan this season. He's 1-0-1 with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .953 saves percentage. Junior John Lethemon is 2-4-2 vs. the Wolverines, with a 2.79 GAA and a .912 saves percentage.

IN THE BIG TEN: First-place and No. 3-ranked Ohio State (17-5-4 overall, 10-3-3-2, 35 points, Big Ten) is at sixth-place Wisconsin (9-12-5, 5-6-5-2, 22 points), and No. 18 Penn State 14-10-2, 6-9-1-1, 20 points), which is in seventh place, plays host to second-place Minnesota (11-12-4, 8-7-3-0, 27 points). Both are Friday-Saturday series.

No. 14 Notre Dame (14-10-3, 7-8-2-1, 27 points), which is in third place, has the weekend off.