Michigan State University Athletics
Neil’s Notebook: Spartans Seek Continued Improvement in Second Half of B1G Play
1/16/2020 10:47:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
MADISON, Wis. – Without question, Michigan State is the most improved team in the Big Ten this season, and one of the most improved in the nation.
The Spartans were picked to finish seventh (last) in the conference in the 2019-20 Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll. Wisconsin was picked third, behind Penn State and Notre Dame, and started the season ranked No. 16 in the U.S. College Hockey Online Poll.
Wisconsin, with 12 NHL draft picks on the roster, climbed as high as No. 6 in late October in both the USCHO poll and USA Today/USA Hockey rankings.
At the moment MSU is tied for second place with a 7-4-1-0 Big Ten record and with 22 points, two behind first-place Penn State. Wisconsin is at the bottom of the league in seventh place – 3-8-1-1 in the Big Ten, with 11 points and two in back of sixth-place Michigan.
As the Spartans (11-10-1 overall) and Badgers (8-11-1) prepare to meet in a two-game series this weekend, MSU heads into the second half of the Big Ten season eager to continue to surprise, play at a highly competitive level and eventually lock up a home ice playoff berth.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, is focused on taking advantage of a wealth of highly skilled freshmen and sophomores and working to get its game in sync, get on a roll, move up in the standings and have more fun than it did over the last three months.
The No. 20 Spartans and Badgers go head-to-head for the third and fourth times this season at 9 p.m. ET Friday (ESPNU) and 8 p.m. ET Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Six weeks ago, Michigan State swept Wisconsin, 3-0 and 5-4 in overtime at Munn Arena. The Spartans dominated the first game, with goalie John Lethemon making 41 saves to earn the shutout. The Badgers were better in the series finale and carried a 3-1 lead into the third period.
But MSU scored three straight goals to take a 4-3 lead before Wisconsin tied it with 21 seconds left. The Spartans completed the sweep when Patrick Khodorenko scored from the left circle 2:30 into overtime for a 5-4 victory and series sweep.
"Our compete in that series was outstanding. Every area of the game, we were on it,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "We had confidence through (the second game), even when we were up 4-3 and gave up a late goal. But we were able to come back and win it in overtime. You need to be able to do that.
"Bad things happen in games. Sometimes you mess up, other times it's just the way the puck bounces. But you have to be able to react. Over that weekend, we handled adversity and success very well.''
Since that weekend, the Spartans are 3-3, with a split against Arizona State, a loss to Michigan Tech and win over Ferris State in the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit, and a split vs. Minnesota last weekend.
Wisconsin has played only two games since facing MSU. The Badgers split a home series with Ohio State last weekend, losing 4-2 and winning 5-2, ending a four-game losing streak.
"You get lucky sometimes. I know (Wisconsin heralded freshman Cole) Caufield hit a couple posts but overall, I thought we defended well and neutralized their transition,'' Cole said of the series with the Badgers.
"It'll be harder there on the big ice but we're going to have to be aware of it. That's a big part of the game when you play Wisconsin. You have to figure out a way to slow down their transition, and play in their end more than they're in yours.''
The rink at the Kohl Center is 97 feet wide, three feet short of an Olympic-size surface. But it's still 12 feet wider than most standing arenas, including Munn Arena, which is 85 feet wide.
The Badgers were picked high in the polls because of a solid group of juniors and sophomores returning and a highly regarded freshman class. It includes four NHL draft picks, including first-rounders and elite-level forwards Caufield and Alex Turcotte, and another forward, Dylan Holloway, who's expected to a first-round draft selection in the NHL Entry Draft in June.
But Wisconsin has struggled to find the right chemistry and the first half of the season was disappointing. The Badgers, the second-youngest team in college hockey, got off to a 3-1 start, including a sweep of defending NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth.
Since mid-November when the Badgers were 6-5-0, they've won 2 games, lost 6 and tied 1.
Things finally fell into place last Saturday when the Badgers erupted for four straight goals in the second period against Ohio State and cruised to a 5-2 victory over the No. 9 Buckeyes.
"They have a lot of young and skilled players. They play fast and they play with a lot of skill,'' MSU junior defenseman Tommy Miller said. "But I think we'll play well against them. We have to slow them down and manage some of their skill.
"The D-corps is pretty good and I have some friends back there and some with the guys up front.''
Miller played on the U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-18 team in 2016-17 with Wisconsin defenseman Tyler Inamoto and forward Sean Dhooghe and still keeps in touch.
"I do keep up with (Inamoto) – Snap Chat and texts here and there,'' Miller said. "I talked to him after the Saturday game here. Sean Dhooghe, too. It's fun playing against (former teammates) and see where we are personally at the time.''
Miller has two goals and five assists for seven points in 22 games. His first goal of the season came against the Badgers in the first game of the series in early December. Miller scored midway through the first period to give MSU a 1-0 lead, and it turned out to be the winning goal in the Spartans' 3-0 victory.
"We're expecting a big push-back (from Wisconsin) after the success we had against them earlier this season,'' Miller said. "I think we're ready for it and we know how we have to play against them. We know our systems work well.''
Left wing Logan Lambdin agrees with Miller.
"They're a really skilled team and we just have to continue to play the way we have been playing. It's be physical and get pucks behind them,'' he said. "We have to focus on the simple plays, finishing hits and shooting pucks. The more pucks we put on their goalie the better.
"It's basically quieting down the skill they have and being physical. When we have the puck, they can't play with that skill.''
The Badgers are five games below .500 in the Big Ten and three overall so they'll should be playing with great desperation to turn their season around.
"They're dangerous. Those were two exciting games and they obviously went our way so we like them a lot,'' Cole said. "They've got some got some guys who can really get up and down the ice. They'll transition quick and their defensemen are involved in that – Wyatt Kalynuk and K'Andre Miller.
"You have to be aware because they're going to come at you in waves. They have talent and can make some plays. It always makes for an interesting game against them.''
THE MSU-BADGERS RIVALRY: The Spartans hold a 58-55-4 edge in the series which started with a 9-2 MSU win on Dec. 11, 1964. Michigan State won the first nine meetings with the Badgers, which was in the early stages of building their program.
Last season, the Badgers went 2-1-1 against MSU, sweeping their home series and losing and tying at Munn Arena. This season, the Spartans are 2-0 vs. Wisconsin after sweeping a series, 3-0, 5-4 in overtime, on Dec. 6-7 at Munn Arena.
Over the last six seasons, Michigan State holds an 11-10-1 edge over Wisconsin. The last time the Spartans dominated was during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons when they went 6-2 vs. the Badgers. A year later – in 2016-17, Wisconsin won all four games.
MSU coach Danton Cole is 5-4-1 against the Badgers. Coach Tony Granato of Wisconsin is 8-5-1 vs. the Spartans.
SCOUTING THE BADGERS: Freshman right wing Cole Caufield leads the team in scoring with a Big Ten-leading 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points, which is fourth in the conference in overall scoring.
Junior left wing Linus Weissbach is second with three goals and a team-high 14 assists for 17 points, one ahead of freshman center Alex Turcotte (6-10-16) and junior defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk (5-11-16).
Sophomore forward Roman Ahcan is second in goals with eight and has 15 points. Standout defenseman K'Andre Miller has six goals and six assists for 12 points.
Turcotte went seven games without a point before picking up an assist last Saturday against Ohio State. Turcotte's grandfather, Real, played for Amo Bessone at Michigan State from 1959-63.
Caufield, Turcotte and Miller played two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program, and were selected in the first round of NHL Entry Drafts.
Turcotte was picked by the Los Angeles Kings fourth overall in the 2019 NHL draft. Caufield was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens 15th overall, also in the 2019 draft. Miller was drafted 22nd overall by the New York Rangers in 2018.
Caufield, Turcotte, Miller and defenseman Ty Emberson all played for the U.S. National Team in the World Junior Championships in late December and early January in the Czech Republic.
Sophomore goalie Daniel Lebedeff (6-1, 200), who's from Finland, has started 17 games and has a 7-10-0 record, a 3.35 goals-against average and a .895 saves percentage. Backup Jack Berry (6-1, 177) has played in six games, started three, and is 1-1-1 with a 3.05 GAA and a .908 saves percentage.
Berry, a senior from Holly, Mich., played last Saturday in Wisconsin's 5-2 win over Ohio State, and there's a good chance he might start against the Spartans on Friday. Berry, 23, is a former junior hockey teammate with MSU's No. 3 goalie, Spencer Wright, with the New Jersey Titans of the North American Hockey League in 2015-16.
Wisconsin is averaging 3.15 goals per game to rank second on offense in the Big Ten and 18th in the nation. The Badgers are allowing 3.40 goals against – seventh in the conference and 49th among 60 NCAA Division I teams. Their power play is converting on 19.5 percent of their chances (3rd Big Ten, 22nd national,) while their penalty kill is at 78.6 percent (6th, 46th).
Tony Granato, a former standout Badger forward who played 13 seasons in the NHL, is in his fourth year as Wisconsin's coach. He has a 56-63-11 record with the Badgers and in his college career. Granato also spent 2 ½ years as the head coach of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche and 11 ½ years as a NHL assistant with Colorado, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.
THE ROAD AHEAD: Michigan State has 12 games left in which to put itself in position in the Big Ten to earn a home playoff berth, and to finish in the top 15 or higher in the PairWise Rankings to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The Spartans have five home games, six road contests and one game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit against Michigan.
The road challenges begin this weekend against Wisconsin. MSU plays at Minnesota, Feb. 7-8, and closes the season at Notre Dame, Feb. 28-29.
"The way we need to play on the road doesn't change a whole lot. The biggest issue for us on the road is not how we play but just match-up wise and trying to get that as close as we can,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "We're pretty comfortable with our matchups.
"Road hockey and playoff hockey are basically the same things. We've been talking about it – that our playoffs have started and everybody is jockeying for position in the Big Ten. You saw it last weekend. It didn't matter where anyone was – Ohio State split, we split and Michigan sweeps at Notre Dame. Just weird things happening.
"The way we have to play, it has to be consistent, it has to be focused. It has to be a lot of sheer will.''
The Spartans are 4-5 on the road. They've won at Northern Michigan, Colorado College, Penn State and Michigan. They've lost at NMU, CC, Penn State and twice at Ohio State.
As for the NCAAs, Cole says the storyline is the Spartans have to keep getting better, win games and improve their record.
"We can't afford to be the same team we are right now at the end of the year,'' he said. "We have to get better every game, every weekend, because everyone else is cranking it up.''
STATS, STATS AND MORE STATS: Michigan State enters the weekend No. 16 in the PairWise Rankings, which mimic the NCAA formula for selecting eight at-large teams to the 16-team NCAA Tournament field. The playoff champions of the six conferences earn automatic bids to the tournament.
Here's how the six other Big Ten teams stand in the PWR:
Penn State No. 5; Ohio State No. 7; Minnesota No. 27; Wisconsin No. 30, Michigan No. 31…
MSU's Patrick Khodorenko had a goal and two assists in last Friday's 4-1 win over Minnesota, and is now the third-leading scorer in overall games in the Big Ten. He has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points. He trails Penn State's Nate Sucese (8-19-27) by four points and the Nittany Lions' Evan Barratt (7-8-25) by two points. Khodorenko's 11 goals rank tied for second to Wisconsin's Cole Caufield's 13. Sam Sternschein of Penn State also has 11 goals.
In Big Ten games, Khodorenko is tied for second in scoring with 12 points – eight goals and four assists in 12 games. He's tied with PSU's Alex Limoges (6-6-12) and Sucese (5-7-12) and the Badgers' Caufield (6-6-12)…
MSU's Mitchell Lewandowski is tied for 11th in Big Ten overall scoring with 17 points – seven goals and 10 assists. In conference play, Lewandowski has five goals and five assists for 10 points and is in a six-way tie for sixth place…
Spartans sophomore Dennis Cesana is third among defensemen scoring in the Big Ten. He has four goals and 10 assists for 14 points, five points behind Penn State's Cole Hults' league-leading 19 (4-15). Wisconsin's Wyatt Kalynuk is second with 16 points (5-11)…
MSU senior goalie John Lethemon, who's allowed two or fewer goals in four of the last five games, has the best saves percentage in the Big Ten at .939, which ranks No. 4 nationally. Lethemon's 1.96 goals-against average is third in the Big Ten and 10th in the nation…
Michigan State has the best penalty killing percentage in Big Ten play at 90.7 percent. In overall games, Penn State is No. 1 at 86.2 percent and the Spartans rank fifth (82.2)…
Providence sophomore forward Jack Dugan is the leading scorer in the nation with seven goals and 34 assists for 39 points. Teammate Tyce Thompson is second with 35 points (17-18). Thompson and Northern Michigan's Griffin Loughran are the top goal-scorers with 17 apiece…
North Dakota is the No. 1 offensive team, averaging 4.19 goals per game. Penn State and Harvard are tied for second in the nation at 4.00. Minnesota State is the stingiest defensive team with a team goals-against average of 1.33. Ohio State and Michigan are first in the Big Ten and tied for fifth nationally with a 2.05 GAA.
IN THE BIG TEN: First-place Penn State, ranked No. 6 in both polls, plays Michigan at the Pegula Arena in University Park, Pa. on Friday and Saturday. This is the Nittany Lions' (16-6-0, 8-4-0) first Big Ten series since they split with Notre Dame Dec. 13-14 – a 4-2 win and a 3-0 loss.
Penn State has won three straight since the holiday break – a 3-2, 2-0 sweep of Niagara and a 6-2 win over Robert Morris last Saturday. The sixth-place Wolverines (9-11-2, 4-7-1-0) had their best weekend of the season last week with a 3-0, 3-1 sweep at Notre Dame.
The Irish, 2-9-2 in their last 13 games and 1-4-1 in their last six Big Ten games, play at No 9/9 Ohio State (14-6-2, 7-4-1-0), which is tied for second with MSU, on Friday and Saturday. The Buckeyes split last weekend at Wisconsin – a 4-2 victory and 5-2 loss.
Minnesota is off from Big Ten play this weekend. The Gophers will play an exhibition game on Friday against the U.S. Under-18 team in Minneapolis.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
MADISON, Wis. – Without question, Michigan State is the most improved team in the Big Ten this season, and one of the most improved in the nation.
The Spartans were picked to finish seventh (last) in the conference in the 2019-20 Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll. Wisconsin was picked third, behind Penn State and Notre Dame, and started the season ranked No. 16 in the U.S. College Hockey Online Poll.
Wisconsin, with 12 NHL draft picks on the roster, climbed as high as No. 6 in late October in both the USCHO poll and USA Today/USA Hockey rankings.
At the moment MSU is tied for second place with a 7-4-1-0 Big Ten record and with 22 points, two behind first-place Penn State. Wisconsin is at the bottom of the league in seventh place – 3-8-1-1 in the Big Ten, with 11 points and two in back of sixth-place Michigan.
As the Spartans (11-10-1 overall) and Badgers (8-11-1) prepare to meet in a two-game series this weekend, MSU heads into the second half of the Big Ten season eager to continue to surprise, play at a highly competitive level and eventually lock up a home ice playoff berth.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, is focused on taking advantage of a wealth of highly skilled freshmen and sophomores and working to get its game in sync, get on a roll, move up in the standings and have more fun than it did over the last three months.
The No. 20 Spartans and Badgers go head-to-head for the third and fourth times this season at 9 p.m. ET Friday (ESPNU) and 8 p.m. ET Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Six weeks ago, Michigan State swept Wisconsin, 3-0 and 5-4 in overtime at Munn Arena. The Spartans dominated the first game, with goalie John Lethemon making 41 saves to earn the shutout. The Badgers were better in the series finale and carried a 3-1 lead into the third period.
But MSU scored three straight goals to take a 4-3 lead before Wisconsin tied it with 21 seconds left. The Spartans completed the sweep when Patrick Khodorenko scored from the left circle 2:30 into overtime for a 5-4 victory and series sweep.
"Our compete in that series was outstanding. Every area of the game, we were on it,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "We had confidence through (the second game), even when we were up 4-3 and gave up a late goal. But we were able to come back and win it in overtime. You need to be able to do that.
"Bad things happen in games. Sometimes you mess up, other times it's just the way the puck bounces. But you have to be able to react. Over that weekend, we handled adversity and success very well.''
Since that weekend, the Spartans are 3-3, with a split against Arizona State, a loss to Michigan Tech and win over Ferris State in the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit, and a split vs. Minnesota last weekend.
Wisconsin has played only two games since facing MSU. The Badgers split a home series with Ohio State last weekend, losing 4-2 and winning 5-2, ending a four-game losing streak.
"You get lucky sometimes. I know (Wisconsin heralded freshman Cole) Caufield hit a couple posts but overall, I thought we defended well and neutralized their transition,'' Cole said of the series with the Badgers.
"It'll be harder there on the big ice but we're going to have to be aware of it. That's a big part of the game when you play Wisconsin. You have to figure out a way to slow down their transition, and play in their end more than they're in yours.''
The rink at the Kohl Center is 97 feet wide, three feet short of an Olympic-size surface. But it's still 12 feet wider than most standing arenas, including Munn Arena, which is 85 feet wide.
The Badgers were picked high in the polls because of a solid group of juniors and sophomores returning and a highly regarded freshman class. It includes four NHL draft picks, including first-rounders and elite-level forwards Caufield and Alex Turcotte, and another forward, Dylan Holloway, who's expected to a first-round draft selection in the NHL Entry Draft in June.
But Wisconsin has struggled to find the right chemistry and the first half of the season was disappointing. The Badgers, the second-youngest team in college hockey, got off to a 3-1 start, including a sweep of defending NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth.
Since mid-November when the Badgers were 6-5-0, they've won 2 games, lost 6 and tied 1.
Things finally fell into place last Saturday when the Badgers erupted for four straight goals in the second period against Ohio State and cruised to a 5-2 victory over the No. 9 Buckeyes.
"They have a lot of young and skilled players. They play fast and they play with a lot of skill,'' MSU junior defenseman Tommy Miller said. "But I think we'll play well against them. We have to slow them down and manage some of their skill.
"The D-corps is pretty good and I have some friends back there and some with the guys up front.''
Miller played on the U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-18 team in 2016-17 with Wisconsin defenseman Tyler Inamoto and forward Sean Dhooghe and still keeps in touch.
"I do keep up with (Inamoto) – Snap Chat and texts here and there,'' Miller said. "I talked to him after the Saturday game here. Sean Dhooghe, too. It's fun playing against (former teammates) and see where we are personally at the time.''
Miller has two goals and five assists for seven points in 22 games. His first goal of the season came against the Badgers in the first game of the series in early December. Miller scored midway through the first period to give MSU a 1-0 lead, and it turned out to be the winning goal in the Spartans' 3-0 victory.
"We're expecting a big push-back (from Wisconsin) after the success we had against them earlier this season,'' Miller said. "I think we're ready for it and we know how we have to play against them. We know our systems work well.''
Left wing Logan Lambdin agrees with Miller.
"They're a really skilled team and we just have to continue to play the way we have been playing. It's be physical and get pucks behind them,'' he said. "We have to focus on the simple plays, finishing hits and shooting pucks. The more pucks we put on their goalie the better.
"It's basically quieting down the skill they have and being physical. When we have the puck, they can't play with that skill.''
The Badgers are five games below .500 in the Big Ten and three overall so they'll should be playing with great desperation to turn their season around.
"They're dangerous. Those were two exciting games and they obviously went our way so we like them a lot,'' Cole said. "They've got some got some guys who can really get up and down the ice. They'll transition quick and their defensemen are involved in that – Wyatt Kalynuk and K'Andre Miller.
"You have to be aware because they're going to come at you in waves. They have talent and can make some plays. It always makes for an interesting game against them.''
THE MSU-BADGERS RIVALRY: The Spartans hold a 58-55-4 edge in the series which started with a 9-2 MSU win on Dec. 11, 1964. Michigan State won the first nine meetings with the Badgers, which was in the early stages of building their program.
Last season, the Badgers went 2-1-1 against MSU, sweeping their home series and losing and tying at Munn Arena. This season, the Spartans are 2-0 vs. Wisconsin after sweeping a series, 3-0, 5-4 in overtime, on Dec. 6-7 at Munn Arena.
Over the last six seasons, Michigan State holds an 11-10-1 edge over Wisconsin. The last time the Spartans dominated was during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons when they went 6-2 vs. the Badgers. A year later – in 2016-17, Wisconsin won all four games.
MSU coach Danton Cole is 5-4-1 against the Badgers. Coach Tony Granato of Wisconsin is 8-5-1 vs. the Spartans.
SCOUTING THE BADGERS: Freshman right wing Cole Caufield leads the team in scoring with a Big Ten-leading 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points, which is fourth in the conference in overall scoring.
Junior left wing Linus Weissbach is second with three goals and a team-high 14 assists for 17 points, one ahead of freshman center Alex Turcotte (6-10-16) and junior defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk (5-11-16).
Sophomore forward Roman Ahcan is second in goals with eight and has 15 points. Standout defenseman K'Andre Miller has six goals and six assists for 12 points.
Turcotte went seven games without a point before picking up an assist last Saturday against Ohio State. Turcotte's grandfather, Real, played for Amo Bessone at Michigan State from 1959-63.
Caufield, Turcotte and Miller played two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program, and were selected in the first round of NHL Entry Drafts.
Turcotte was picked by the Los Angeles Kings fourth overall in the 2019 NHL draft. Caufield was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens 15th overall, also in the 2019 draft. Miller was drafted 22nd overall by the New York Rangers in 2018.
Caufield, Turcotte, Miller and defenseman Ty Emberson all played for the U.S. National Team in the World Junior Championships in late December and early January in the Czech Republic.
Sophomore goalie Daniel Lebedeff (6-1, 200), who's from Finland, has started 17 games and has a 7-10-0 record, a 3.35 goals-against average and a .895 saves percentage. Backup Jack Berry (6-1, 177) has played in six games, started three, and is 1-1-1 with a 3.05 GAA and a .908 saves percentage.
Berry, a senior from Holly, Mich., played last Saturday in Wisconsin's 5-2 win over Ohio State, and there's a good chance he might start against the Spartans on Friday. Berry, 23, is a former junior hockey teammate with MSU's No. 3 goalie, Spencer Wright, with the New Jersey Titans of the North American Hockey League in 2015-16.
Wisconsin is averaging 3.15 goals per game to rank second on offense in the Big Ten and 18th in the nation. The Badgers are allowing 3.40 goals against – seventh in the conference and 49th among 60 NCAA Division I teams. Their power play is converting on 19.5 percent of their chances (3rd Big Ten, 22nd national,) while their penalty kill is at 78.6 percent (6th, 46th).
Tony Granato, a former standout Badger forward who played 13 seasons in the NHL, is in his fourth year as Wisconsin's coach. He has a 56-63-11 record with the Badgers and in his college career. Granato also spent 2 ½ years as the head coach of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche and 11 ½ years as a NHL assistant with Colorado, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.
THE ROAD AHEAD: Michigan State has 12 games left in which to put itself in position in the Big Ten to earn a home playoff berth, and to finish in the top 15 or higher in the PairWise Rankings to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The Spartans have five home games, six road contests and one game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit against Michigan.
The road challenges begin this weekend against Wisconsin. MSU plays at Minnesota, Feb. 7-8, and closes the season at Notre Dame, Feb. 28-29.
"The way we need to play on the road doesn't change a whole lot. The biggest issue for us on the road is not how we play but just match-up wise and trying to get that as close as we can,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "We're pretty comfortable with our matchups.
"Road hockey and playoff hockey are basically the same things. We've been talking about it – that our playoffs have started and everybody is jockeying for position in the Big Ten. You saw it last weekend. It didn't matter where anyone was – Ohio State split, we split and Michigan sweeps at Notre Dame. Just weird things happening.
"The way we have to play, it has to be consistent, it has to be focused. It has to be a lot of sheer will.''
The Spartans are 4-5 on the road. They've won at Northern Michigan, Colorado College, Penn State and Michigan. They've lost at NMU, CC, Penn State and twice at Ohio State.
As for the NCAAs, Cole says the storyline is the Spartans have to keep getting better, win games and improve their record.
"We can't afford to be the same team we are right now at the end of the year,'' he said. "We have to get better every game, every weekend, because everyone else is cranking it up.''
STATS, STATS AND MORE STATS: Michigan State enters the weekend No. 16 in the PairWise Rankings, which mimic the NCAA formula for selecting eight at-large teams to the 16-team NCAA Tournament field. The playoff champions of the six conferences earn automatic bids to the tournament.
Here's how the six other Big Ten teams stand in the PWR:
Penn State No. 5; Ohio State No. 7; Minnesota No. 27; Wisconsin No. 30, Michigan No. 31…
MSU's Patrick Khodorenko had a goal and two assists in last Friday's 4-1 win over Minnesota, and is now the third-leading scorer in overall games in the Big Ten. He has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points. He trails Penn State's Nate Sucese (8-19-27) by four points and the Nittany Lions' Evan Barratt (7-8-25) by two points. Khodorenko's 11 goals rank tied for second to Wisconsin's Cole Caufield's 13. Sam Sternschein of Penn State also has 11 goals.
In Big Ten games, Khodorenko is tied for second in scoring with 12 points – eight goals and four assists in 12 games. He's tied with PSU's Alex Limoges (6-6-12) and Sucese (5-7-12) and the Badgers' Caufield (6-6-12)…
MSU's Mitchell Lewandowski is tied for 11th in Big Ten overall scoring with 17 points – seven goals and 10 assists. In conference play, Lewandowski has five goals and five assists for 10 points and is in a six-way tie for sixth place…
Spartans sophomore Dennis Cesana is third among defensemen scoring in the Big Ten. He has four goals and 10 assists for 14 points, five points behind Penn State's Cole Hults' league-leading 19 (4-15). Wisconsin's Wyatt Kalynuk is second with 16 points (5-11)…
MSU senior goalie John Lethemon, who's allowed two or fewer goals in four of the last five games, has the best saves percentage in the Big Ten at .939, which ranks No. 4 nationally. Lethemon's 1.96 goals-against average is third in the Big Ten and 10th in the nation…
Michigan State has the best penalty killing percentage in Big Ten play at 90.7 percent. In overall games, Penn State is No. 1 at 86.2 percent and the Spartans rank fifth (82.2)…
Providence sophomore forward Jack Dugan is the leading scorer in the nation with seven goals and 34 assists for 39 points. Teammate Tyce Thompson is second with 35 points (17-18). Thompson and Northern Michigan's Griffin Loughran are the top goal-scorers with 17 apiece…
North Dakota is the No. 1 offensive team, averaging 4.19 goals per game. Penn State and Harvard are tied for second in the nation at 4.00. Minnesota State is the stingiest defensive team with a team goals-against average of 1.33. Ohio State and Michigan are first in the Big Ten and tied for fifth nationally with a 2.05 GAA.
IN THE BIG TEN: First-place Penn State, ranked No. 6 in both polls, plays Michigan at the Pegula Arena in University Park, Pa. on Friday and Saturday. This is the Nittany Lions' (16-6-0, 8-4-0) first Big Ten series since they split with Notre Dame Dec. 13-14 – a 4-2 win and a 3-0 loss.
Penn State has won three straight since the holiday break – a 3-2, 2-0 sweep of Niagara and a 6-2 win over Robert Morris last Saturday. The sixth-place Wolverines (9-11-2, 4-7-1-0) had their best weekend of the season last week with a 3-0, 3-1 sweep at Notre Dame.
The Irish, 2-9-2 in their last 13 games and 1-4-1 in their last six Big Ten games, play at No 9/9 Ohio State (14-6-2, 7-4-1-0), which is tied for second with MSU, on Friday and Saturday. The Buckeyes split last weekend at Wisconsin – a 4-2 victory and 5-2 loss.
Minnesota is off from Big Ten play this weekend. The Gophers will play an exhibition game on Friday against the U.S. Under-18 team in Minneapolis.
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/ Men's Ice HockeyAdam Nightingale Postgame Comments | Uconn
Thursday, March 26
Adam Nightingale, Tiernan Shoudy, Porter Martone, Daniell Russell | NCAA Regional
Wednesday, March 25
Adam Nightingale NCAA Tournament Selection Reaction
Sunday, March 22
Adam Nightingale I Hockey Press Conference I March 10, 2026
Tuesday, March 10