Neil’s Notebook: Spartans Looking Forward to High-Stakes Clash at Notre Dame

By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Michigan State has at least one victory against every team in the Big Ten this season except one – Notre Dame.

After losing three games and tying one against the Fighting Irish, the Spartans feel they're due to have some success against the No. 15/16-ranked team in the nation.

MSU will get a chance for its first win over Notre Dame this weekend in the most important part of the college hockey season – the playoffs. But the Spartans will need to beat the Irish two times to keep their season alive.

For sure, it's a huge challenge, but the way the highly competitive Big Ten is this year, with only seven points separating second-place Notre Dame and seventh-place MSU, lower-seeded teams have a good chance to advance.

"We finished the season really strong. If you look at our record since Christmas time, we're right there with everybody else,'' MSU senior left wing and assistant captain Brennan Sanford said. "If we play our game, I think we can beat anybody in the Big Ten for sure.''

The Spartans (12-17-5 overall, 8-12-4-2 Big Ten) and Irish (18-13-3, 11-11-2-2) collide in a first-round, best-of-three series at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and if necessary, at 7 p.m. Sunday, at Lefty Smith Rink at Compton Family Arena.

"We're excited. It's a new season and we're looking to extend it as long as possible,'' Spartans' captain and junior center Sam Saliba said. "I like our energy this week in practice. Everyone has a job to do, a part to play in it, and if we do it well, I know we can do something special.''

In the first series between the two teams this season, Notre Dame won two close games at Munn Arena in November - 3-1 with a late, empty-net goal and 2-1 in the second game. In late January, Irish dominated the Spartans 6-3 in the series opener, but MSU played well in a 1-1 tie in the second game, with Notre Dame winning the shootout for the extra point in the Big Ten standings.

"In three of the games we've played, two were basically by one goal and the last one was a tie,'' Saliba said. "We've played them eight times in the last two years and I'd say four or five have been decided by a goal.''

Both the Irish and Spartans are coming off splits in their last regular-season series. Notre Dame topped Penn State 5-4 in overtime and lost to the Nittany Lions 3-2 in the second game. MSU lost 5-1 at No. 7 Ohio State and then rebounded for a 3-2 victory.

"You go in and beat a top 10 team in the country in Ohio State so we know we can beat anybody in this league,'' Saliba said. "We know we can do the same with Notre Dame. It's about making sure we're prepared and our attention to detail.

"A common theme in games with them is that there's a stretch in the game that we'll have a lapse and get away from what we're supposed to do. We know how they play and what works for us, and it's battling and sticking to detail.''

After leaving the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and playing in Hockey East for four seasons, Notre Dame joined the Big Ten last season, and ran away with the regular-season title with a 17-6-1 record. The Irish also won the league's playoff championship and then made it to the Frozen Four, losing in the title game to Minnesota Duluth, 2-1.

This season was an up-and-down year for the Irish, but they still managed to finish in second place on the last weekend of the season.

"They're a great-coached team and they know how to win. You can see it when you play them,'' Saliba said. "I said last season that they're a team that we eventually want to be, because of how hard they play, because they play the right way and ultimately know how to win.''

Coach Danton Cole believes his team has improved since playing Notre Dame six weeks ago and is ready for the postseason.

"We've been playing playoff hockey in my mind since right after the Great Lakes Invitational,'' he said. "That's good training to go through. Getting a win against a top 10 team in the country was probably good for us more psychologically.

"A lot of our games in the second half have been playoff-types, and Saturday's certainly was. And over the last two years, we've had some tight, hard-fought games with Notre Dame, and it usually comes down to one or two plays, which is what happens in the playoffs.

"Mentally and physically, we're in good shape. We're doing a lot of things well.''

Since the start of 2019, Michigan State has compiled a record of 6-7-3 in Big Ten play. Notre Dame is 6-8-2 over the same stretch.

Here are the records of the five other Big Ten teams since Jan. 1:

Ohio State, 9-5-1 (with 4 of its losses since Feb. 14); Minnesota, 8-8 in the Big Ten, 10-8 overall; Penn State, 8-8; Michigan, 7-6-1 in the Big Ten, 7-7-1 overall; Wisconsin, 5-7-2 Big Ten, 5-9-2 overall.

Notre Dame is known as a difficult team to score on because of its emphasis on strong defensive zone coverage, stellar goaltending and patience on offense. The Irish are notorious for waiting for their opponent to make a mistake and then pouncing on a turnover or winning a battle for a loose puck and putting it in the net.

As their record shows, the Irish can be beaten – they went 2-5-2 from Jan. 5-Feb. 2 – but teams have to play smart, be opportunistic and limit mistakes to come away with victories.

"There's a lot of things you have to do well and probably the most important thing is playing a complete game,'' Cole said. "They're a patient team but they transition really well, and if you take chances and don't take care of business and be consistent with the puck through the neutral zone and on zone entries, it's going the other way an awful lot.

"That's one of the biggest things we have to be really good at this weekend.''

Of course, for the Spartans to keep playing next weekend, they'll need strong defensive zone play, stellar goaltending, solid special teams play and a good offensive push by the KHL line – Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski.

MSU has scored six goals in four games vs. Notre Dame and the KHL unit has four goals and six assists for 10 points. Khodorenko (2-2) has four points and Hirose (2-1) and Lewandowski (0-3) have three points.

For sure, the Irish will pay special attention to the KHL unit with their top checking unit working to contain the highest-scoring line in the nation.

"There's some things you can do but I think a little bit of it is on them,'' Cole said of trying to get good matchups for Khodorenko, Hirose and Lewandowski. "When they play forceful and understand there's not going to be a lot of room between the blue lines, they're just going to have to grind it out.

"That doesn't necessarily hurt their game. They're outstanding forecheckers and they get more offensive zone play from forechecking than they do off the rush. I know we remember their goals off the rush but a lot comes from the other way.

"For them, it's understanding and being consistent with that and taking what the game gives you. They're going to have to fight their way through it, and they have for two years.''

One of the challenges facing the Spartans on offense is getting forwards open in the high scoring areas and getting the puck to them. In MSU's 6-3 loss to Notre Dame on Jan. 25, the Spartans had a season-high 52 shots on goal. There were some good chances but many of the shots were from the perimeter.

"The one game at Notre Dame, we had a lot of shots but they kept us to the outside and locked down the middle of the ice,'' Sanford said. "We have to work on getting to the middle and making some plays. At the same time, we realize, it could be low-scoring games and we have to start by playing good defense and work up and play good on offense.

"You want to play with a little desperation, but you also have to have a little patience and poise because you can't win the game with one shift.''

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THE MSU-ND RIVALRY: The Spartans lead the series 62-49-12 in games in three different leagues – the Western Collegiate Hockey Association from 1971-72 to 1980-81, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association from 1981-82 to 1982-83 and then again in the CCHA from 1992-93 to 2012-13, and in the Big Ten the last two seasons, after the Irish joined in 2017-18. Over the last two years, Notre holds a 6-1-1 edge, going 3-1 last year and 3-0-1 in 2018-19.

MSU and Notre Dame have never played in a first-round WCHA or CCHA playoff series, but have met two times in the CCHA Championship and twice in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans defeated the Irish 4-1 in the 1982 CCHA championship game at Joe Louis Arena. The teams met again in the CCHA semifinals in Detroit in 2000, with MSU winning 4-0.

MSU and Notre Dame met in back-to-back NCAA regional title games in 2007 and 2008. The Spartans upset the Irish, 2-1, in 2007 in Grand Rapids to advance to the Frozen Four, which MSU won with victories over Maine and Boston College. In 2008, the teams ended up the NCAA West Regional in Colorado Springs, and after the Spartans beat Colorado College, 3-1, and the Irish upset New Hampshire, 7-3, Notre Dame knocked off MSU, 3-1, to earn the Irish's first appearance in the Frozen Four. Notre Dame lost to Boston College, 4-1, in the 2008 championship game.

SCOUTING THE IRISH: Since winning and tying the Spartans on Jan. 25-26, Notre Dame is 4-5 with two losses at Ohio State, one win over Michigan and three straight series splits against Wisconsin at home, Minnesota on the road and last weekend at home vs. Penn State.

Notre Dame has four players with 10 goals or more but its top scorer is senior defenseman Bobby Nardella, who has seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points. Senior forward Dylan Malmquist is second with 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points, followed by juniors Cal Burke (11-15-26) and Andrew Peeke (3-17-20). Freshman Michael Graham has 11 goals and 19 points while sophomore Colin Theisen (10-8) and junior Cam Morrison (8-10) have 18 points apiece.

The Irish have 10 seniors and juniors in the lineup but also play seven freshmen.

Cale Morris isn't having the outstanding season he had as a sophomore, when he was named the nation's best goaltender and was a First-Team NCAA West All-American and Hobey Baker finalist. Still, Morris has been solid with a 2.38 goals-against average (2^nd, Big Ten; 30^th NCAA) and a .925 saves percentage (2^nd Big Ten, 2^nd NCAA).

Notre Dame is coached by Jeff Jackson, a 1978 MSU graduate, who has a 20-year career coaching record of 496-242-82. He's 314-190-57 in 14 seasons at Notre Dame, leading the Irish to nine trips to the NCAA Tournament and four to the Frozen Four. Jackson has won three NCAA championships – two as the head coach at Lake Superior State and one as an assistant with the Lakers.

THE STAT MATCHUPS: Notre Dame is averaging 2.97 goals-per game (6^th Big Ten, 24^th NCAA), while MSU is close behind at 2.91 (7^th, 27^th). The power-play comparison is even closer with the Spartans converting on 23.5 percent of their chances (3^rd, 10^th), while the Irish are at 23.2 (4^th, 11^th).

Defensively, Notre Dame has a clear advantage with a 2.41 goals-against average (2^nd, 16^th), while Michigan State is allowing 3.5 goals a game (6^th, 53^rd). The Irish are skating off 80.6 percent of opponents' power plays (3^rd, 33^rd). The Spartans are at 76.4 percent (6^th, 53^rd).

Notre Dame is the least penalized team in the league, averaging only 7.3 minutes per game. MSU is averaging 11.9 minutes (5^th, 37^th).

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UPTICK IN BALANCE: The Spartans have scored 17 goals in their last six games – two games each vs. Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State - and 12 of those goals have come from players not named Taro Hirose, Patrick Khodorenko and Mitchell Lewandowski.

They've come from the likes of Austin Kamer (2 goals), Adam Goodsir (2), Sam Saliba, Tommy Apap, Brennan Sanford, Brody Stevens, Cody Milan, Wojciech Stachowiak and defensemen Tommy Miller and Jerad Rosburg.

MSU still needs the KHL line to make an impact in each game but secondary scoring takes some pressure off the top offensive weapons and enhances the team's chances of winning.
The line of Apap, Sanford and Stevens have not only been solid defensively, as usual, in recent weeks but it's also been good in the offensive zone. The trio has chipped in with three goals and two assists and created a few other quality chances over the last six games.

"They've been really good in the second half. That's a bigger and heavier line, and it can be like a field position line, like in football where they're playing downhill and wearing the other team's defense down,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "It's consuming, checking their forwards and making them play in their own zone, and they've done that.

"Brody's play has elevated in the second half. Tommy Apap is doing more things, and Brennan Sanford has quietly put together a good second half. He's starting to make some plays. That line has an identity.

"When you have a role and understand your role, you do a lot better as an athlete. They've done a great job for us.''

Cole also likes the way the recently formed unit of Saliba, Milan and Logan Lambdin has made an impact.

"We made a switch where we put three older guys together and they've done a decent job for us, as well,'' he said. "In the second half, we're scoring over three goals a game and that would put us 14^th or 15^th in the country over that span.

"Khodorenko's line continues to get a lot of attention and they're going to, going forward. The haven't scored as much the last two or three weeks but other guys have picked it up.''

PP, PK NEED TO DELIVER: The difference between winning and losing the playoff series against Notre Dame could come down to the success of Michigan State's power play and penalty killing.

The power play isn't as hot in the last nine games as it was the previous nine contests, but it's still a threat every time MSU has a man advantage. Meanwhile, penalty killing has improved in recent weeks.

Michigan State has scored seven power-play goals in 28 chances in the last nine games. In the previous nine, the Spartans went 10-for 29.

"Our power play is up to 10^th nationally, so we're doing pretty well there,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "I've been happy with it. Even our second unit has given us quality time.''

MSU's penalty killing has struggled to find consistency for a big part of the season, but it's been better over the last nine games. Opponents have scored only five goals in 34 chances, and there's been five games in which the Spartans did not allow a power-play goal.

"Our penalty kill, other than that one slip-up against Penn State, I'd say the last 4-5 series, it's been very good,'' Cole said. "A big part of that is that our goalies have been tough on the penalty kill.''

Key penalty killers include forwards Sam Saliba, Tommy Apap, Brennan Sanford, Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Adam Goodsir and defensemen Jerad Rosburg, Zach Osburn, Tommy Miller, Butrus Ghafari and Dennis Cesana.

"I think we're in a good spot. If there's one area that I had to pick that has to be good, it's penalty killing,'' Cole said. "The correlation to success in the playoffs in the NHL, internationally and in college is pretty high.''

SPARTANS POTPOURRI: Dennis Cesana is No. 1 in the nation in assists among freshmen defensemen with 21. He's also tied for most freshman defensemen points in the Big Ten with 24. Cesana is the highest-scoring MSU D-man since Jeff Petry had 24 points (3-21) in 2007-08… The KHL line of Patrick Khodorenko (18-19-37), Taro Hirose (15-35-50) and Mitchell Lewandowski (16-18-34) is the highest-scoring unit in the nation with 121 points. Hirose continues to lead the nation in scoring with 50 points, and he won the Big Tens scoring title in conference games with 10 goals and 24 assists for 34 points. He's MSU's first league scoring champion since Torey Krug won it in the CCHA in 2011-12… Khodorenko's 18 goals are second in the Big Ten and 10^th nationally, while he's in a five-way tie for third in the nation with nine power-play goals.

The Spartans' 28 power-play goals are their most since 2011-12, when they also scored 28. MSU has scored 99 goals overall, the most since 2011-12.

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IN THE BIG TEN: In addition to the MSU-Notre Dame series, there's two other best-of-three, first round series this weekend. No. 3 seed Minnesota plays host to No. 6 Michigan and No. 4 Penn State is home against No. 5 Wisconsin.

The Gophers went 2-1-1 against the Wolverines in the regular season, tying 2-2 and winning 4-2 in Ann Arbor in December. They split a series Minneapolis last month with Minnesota losing 4-2 and winning 4-3. The Gophers have won three games in a row and five of their last six, including a sweep at first-place Ohio State.

The Wolverines, 1-3-1 in their last five games, had a chance to finish as high as second place with one win last weekend, but lost two overtime games at Wisconsin, 5-4 and 4-3, and ended up tied for fifth with the Badgers. Wisconsin earned the No 5 seed because of the second tiebreaker - head-to-head play. The Badgers went 2-0-2 vs. U-M.

Penn State and Wisconsin played two weeks ago in University Park, Pa., with the Nittany Lions routing the Badgers, 8-2, in the series opener. But Wisconsin rebounded with a strong game in the series finale, winning 7-3. In the season series, the Badgers held a 2-1-1 edge.

Ohio State, with its first-place finish, earned a first-round bye. The Buckeyes will play the lowest surviving first-round seed in a single-game Big Ten semifinal at 3:30 p.m. on March 17 at Value City Arena.