Spartans Ready to Begin 2020-21 Season on Thursday vs. Arizona State

Games 1-2: Arizona State (0-2) at Michigan State (0-0, 0-0 B1G)
Dates | Times: Thursday, Nov. 19 | 6 p.m. // Friday, Nov. 20 | 6 p.m.
Location: East Lansing, Mich. | Munn Ice Arena
TV: BTN (Thursday)
Web Stream: Thursday - FoxSportsGo.com & FOX Sports app // Friday - BTNPlus.com & BTN + app
Radio: TCF Bank Spartan Media Network | MSUSpartans.com & MSU Spartans app | Local: WJIM 1240-AM
Game Notes: Michigan State | Arizona State

* Munn Ice Arena is closed to all fans until further notice *

On The Fly…
• Michigan State begins its 80th season of hockey by hosting Arizona State Nov. 19-20 at Munn Ice Arena.

• Under head coach Danton Cole, MSU is 2-1 in season openers, having defeated Northern Michigan in the opening game in each of the last two seasons.

• Michigan State is welcoming 10 newcomers, including nine freshmen and one graduate transfer … It's the Spartans largest group of newcomers under Danton Cole and largest since they had 11 (all freshmen) in 2016-17.

• This season marks the latest the Spartans have started a season since 1969-70 when they opened the year on Nov. 23 with an 8-3 win over North Dakota.

• While the Spartans lost 43% of their scoring with the departure of last year's senior class, they do return two of their top-three point producers in junior defenseman Dennis Cesana (7-15--22) and senior forward Mitchell Lewandowski (8-12--20) … Cesana (second team) and Lewandowski (honorable mention) are the Spartans' returning All-Big Ten selections from last year.

• Mitchell Lewandowski ranks in the top 10 among NCAA active career leaders in a trio of categories, including: second in goals with 43; tied for first in game-winning goals with 10; and ninth in points with 88.

• Graduate transfer forward Charlie Combs put up a total of 36 goals in his three seasons at Bemidji State, which is the 10th highest career total among all players in the NCAA entering the season.

• Cesana and Lewandowski were both voted by the league's head coaches to the Preseason All-Big Ten Teams ... Cesana was voted to the first team, while Lewandowski was selected to the second team.

• Cesana is one of four returning defensemen for the Spartans, all of which played in at least 35 games last season.

• Four Spartans will be wearing letters this season, led by seniors Tommy Apap and Tommy Miller, who were both elected captains ... Dennis Cesana and Mitchell Lewandowski were chosen as the team's assistant captains.

• Michigan State's 15 wins in 2019-20 were the most by the program since 2014-15, while the Spartans also continued their progress in Big Ten play in finishing just six points out of first place … MSU has increased its Big Ten win totals (6 in 2017-18; 8 in 2018-19; 11 in 2019-20) and point totals (21 in 2017-18; 30 in 2018-19; 35 in 2019-20) in each of Danton Cole's three seasons.

About The Sun Devils
Arizona State has partnered with the Big Ten to play each of the seven conference teams four times in 2020-21, with all 28 games coming on the road … ASU opened its season last weekend at No. 12 Michigan, falling 8-1 and 3-0 … Senior forwards James Sanchez (10-30--40) and Johnny Walker (20-18--38) combined for 78 points last season … Walker is active NCAA leader in career goals with 60 … ASU ended 2019-20 ninth in the nation goals per game at 3.36 and was 29th in goals against per game at 2.69.

Last Year Against ASU
The two teams met Dec. 14-15 in East Lansing … No. 16 ASU scored twice in the opening period of game one and carried a 3-1 lead into the third period … No. 18 MSU rallied to tie the game, scoring twice in less than five minutes, but Johnny Walker's goal with 5:40 to play broke the tie … Game two was 0-0 through 60 minutes, but Mitchell Lewandowski's backhander 3:17 into OT gave MSU the win.

Season Opening Notes
MSU is 2-1 under Danton Cole in season openers, having defeated Northern Michigan in its opening game each of the last two years … MSU is 43-31-5 all time in season-opening games … MSU is opening at home for just the third time since 2010-11 ... The last time MSU began a season without playing an exhibition game was 2005-06 when it met Wayne State (5-1 W) in the Lefty McFadden Invitational in Dayton, Ohio.

New Faces
Michigan State welcomes its largest freshman class (9) and total newcomers (10) in the Danton Cole era. The group includes four defensemen in Aiden Gallacher, Nash Nienhuis, Powell Connor and Cal Dybicz; two goaltenders in Pierce Charleson and Jon Mor; and four forwards in A.J. Hodges, Kristof Papp, Kyle Haskins and grad transfer Charlie Combs (Bemidji State).

Consider This
The Spartans are 19-5-5 when scoring first over the past two seasons … MSU is 14-2-1 when leading after one period over the last two seasons, including 8-1 last year.

Apap and Miller Elected Captains
Seniors Tommy Miller and Tommy Apap will both serve as captains this season, while fellow classmate Mitchell Lewandowski and junior Dennis Cesana were elected assistant captains. For Apap, it is second straight season wearing the 'C,' while it's the first time Miller, Cesana and Lewandowski have been elected to leadership positions.

Apap was voted MSU's most improved player last season after recording career highs in goals (7), assists (5) and points (12). The native of Bloomfield Hills is a force in the faceoff circle as he ranked second in the Big Ten last season in winning percentage (.587), while leading the league in total faceoff wins (389).

Lewandowski Among the NCAA's Active Leaders
Senior Mitchell Lewandowski - a three-time All-Big Ten honorable mention selection - enters the year with 88 career points, which is ninth most among active NCAA players. His 43 goals are second among active NCAA skaters, while graduate transfer Charlie Combs' 36 are the 10th most.

Lewandowski has recorded at least 20 points in each of his first three seasons as a Spartan, which included putting up eight goals and 12 assists last season.

Nodler Takes Part U.S. National Junior Teasm Camp
Sophomore Josh Nodler was one of 39 players that took part in the 2021 U.S. National Junior Team Evaluation Camp in Plymouth, Oct. 8-13. Nodler is now under consideration for a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Dec. 25, 2020, through Jan. 5, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta.

Nodler was named the Spartans rookie of the year last year as the center had eight points (3g, 5a). He was selected in the fifth round by the Calgary Flames in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Josh Nodler

Of Note From 2019-20
• The Spartans' 11 Big Ten wins were tied for second most in the league - just one fewer than regular season champion Penn State - and also matched the program's highest Big Ten win total (2014-15).

• Michigan State's strength of schedule ranked in the top fifth in the nation for the third straight year (fifth in 2019-20; third in 2018-19; fifth in 2017-18).

• MSU had its best average home attendance since 2003-04 as the 5,939 season average ranks sixth in the nation … Munn was sold out six times in 2019-20, including each of the final four games of the season ... MSU had a winning record in Big Ten play at Munn for the second straight year.

• MSU ended the regular season as the Big Ten leader in penalty kill percentage (.873) and faceoff winning percentage (.537), while having ranked second in goals against per game (2.25) and total goals allowed (54).

• The Spartans finished the year allowing 2.44 goals per game – 0.95 below their average from 2018-19 – and the best number by the program since 2014-15.

• MSU had game-winning goals from 11 different players in 2019-20 - the most Spartans with GWGs since 2007-08 (11).

• The Spartans won four games in 2019-20 when trailing in the third period.

Spartans Ready to Begin 2020-21 Season on Thursday vs. Arizona State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dennis Cesana

Pierce Charleson

Charlie Combs

Powell Connor

Cal Dybicz

Aiden Gallacher

Kyle Haskins

A.J. Hodges

Mitchell Lewandowski

Tommy Miller

Jon Mor

Nash Nienhuis

Josh Nodler

Kristof Papp