Photo by: Ric Kruszynski
Neil’s Notebook: Spartans Strong in All Facets in OT Win at OSU
11/29/2020 8:54:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
Michigan State had a solid offensive game on Saturday with 45 shots on goal. The Spartans' defense was good too, allowing only 20 shots on goalie Drew DeRidder.
Special teams had a good night. MSU's power play was 1-for-5, moved the puck around well and applied pressure. Penalty-killing units didn't allow a goal during two full power plays and one brief extra-man situation.
Despite all those positives and dominating play for most of the first 60 minutes, Michigan State needed a perfect shot by sophomore forward Nicolas Müller in overtime to claim a 3-2 victory over No. 10/10 Ohio State at Value City Arena in Columbus.
In their Big Ten opener, the Spartans outshot the Buckeyes, 45-20, and played a strong third period until the final minute when OSU, with goalie Tommy Nappier lifted for a sixth attacker, tied the game 2-2 with 26.8 seconds left on a goal from the inside edge of the left circle by freshman Travis Treloar.
But MSU stayed composed and made big plays in overtime – first by goalie Drew DeRidder, making a crucial save and covering a loose puck, and then by Muller, who beat Nappier with a quick wrist shot from the left circle with 1:24 left in the 3-on-3 OT.
Coach Danton Cole liked the way his team played in most all of the key areas – defense, goaltending, offense, special teams – and because a lot of players – veterans and newcomers – contributed.
"We did a really nice job (defensively). We didn't give them a lot of second chances, or even a lot of shots,'' Cole said. "The guys covered really well. Ohio State does come with a lot of speed on the rush. I liked everyone. The guys were on it.''
Michigan State (2-0-1 overall, 1-0-0-1-0-0 Big Ten) goes for a sweep of the Big Ten series when it faces the Buckeyes (0-3-0, 0-3-0-0-1-0) at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Value City Arena.
The Spartans took control in the second period when they overcame a 1-0 deficit with two goals within 5 minutes and 47 seconds – by senior forward Charlie Combs, a grad transfer, and junior forward Adam Goodsir – to take a 2-1 lead.
Combs scored on a power play from the left circle after taking a pass from Josh Nodler at 10:21 to tie it, 1-1. A few minutes later, Mitchell Mattson came up with a loose puck along the right boards in the OSU zone and turned and fired toward the net. The puck came right to Goodsir at the edge of the crease and he quickly shot the puck past Nappier at 16:08.
MSU outshot the Buckeyes 20-6 in the second period.
The Spartans had several quality chances early in the third period but failed to convert and boost their lead to more than one goal.
Ohio State had two great chances to tie the game in the third period – both on quick break-ins by freshman Joe Dunlap. But DeRidder responded with two huge saves to keep his team in the lead.
Michigan State missed a great opportunity to put the game out of reach with a five-minute power play starting at 13:02, after OSU defenseman Layton Ahac was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for contact-to-the-head roughing. The Spartans seemed tentative, didn't threaten and that set the stage for the final two minutes.
Just when it seemed like MSU would hold on, Ohio State capitalized when freshman defenseman Evan McIntyre, from the right circle, found Treloar open in the left circle. Treloar beat DeRidder with a one-timer to the left corner at 19:33, forcing overtime.
"We just got twisted on our coverage just a little bit,'' Cole said of the tying goal. "Our guys – we have to go through those things to learn. We'll make that play the next time. It wasn't hard coverage. We just stopped and they made a nice play so give them credit.
"Lots of times, I'm more interested in how guys react to stuff when things go wrong. But we were fine. We had (27) seconds left and had a couple of chances and then got it done in overtime – a great shot by Müller."
It was Müller's first goal of the season and his second point, after earning an assist on Mitchell Lewandowski's goal late in the third period of MSU's 2-0 win over Arizona State last Friday at Munn Arena.
Müller, a 6-foot, 182-pounder from Arisdorf, Switzerland, had three goals and five assists for eight points last season as a freshman.
MSU's victory was its first against Nappier, Ohio State's standout senior goaltender, who entered the series with a 5-0 record against the Spartans, including three shutouts. He was 3-0 vs. MSU last season and 2-0 as a sophomore.
"You have to get traffic in front and get some second chances. You just keep funneling (pucks) to the net and sometimes something comes out of it,'' Cole said of the challenge of facing the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Nappier.
"We spent a lot of time in practice this week trying to generate pucks to the net, and bang rebounds and it paid off for us.''
SOLID IN GOAL: In three starts, junior goaltender Drew DeRidder has given up only two goals. On Saturday against the Buckeyes, he was challenged more than he was in last week's 1-1 tie and 2-0 victory over Arizona State.
DeRidder made clutch saves on a pair of OSU breakaways and was quick and alert to repel a few shots from around the net. He thwarted a couple of good OSU chances in overtime.
"Drew was outstanding. He made a couple of real nice saves. He got to the backdoor on one and got his leg on another,'' Cole said. "With 3-on-3 overtime, it always seems like the pucks are coming from odd angles. It's easier to make cross-ice passes so you have to be quick and moving.''
DeRidder was quick, he moved well and, like the Spartans, he's undefeated in three games.
OVERTIME IS FUN … WHEN YOU WIN: Michigan State played in five overtime games last season and came away with a 2-1-1 record. The Spartans edged Wisconsin, 5-4, in OT at Munn Arena on Dec. 7, and, a week later, topped Arizona State, 1-0, also at Munn Arena, on Dec. 15.
MSU tied Notre Dame twice in overtime – 1-1 at Munn Arena on Nov. 22, and 1-1 on the road on Feb. 29, the last week of the regular season.
The Spartans lost to Penn State, 2-1 in OT, at Munn Arena on Jan. 25.
The last time Michigan State got the best of Ohio State in overtime was on March 21, 1998, in the CCHA Championship game at Joe Louis Arena. Shawn Horcoff's goal gave the Spartans a 3-2 victory and the league title.
THE STAT REPORT: For the second game in a row, Michigan State had 40 or more shots on goal. After scoring two goals on 40 shots in their 2-0 victory over Arizona State last Friday, the Spartans followed with 45 shots on Saturday in their 3-2 overtime victory.
"It's been a while since we've done that. We're generating a lot of shots and doing some good things,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "I liked our legs and heads today, so it was a fun game on the road.''
Charlie Combs, a graduate-transfer from Bemidji State, led the way with seven shots on net, including his first goal as a Spartan. Combs tied the game 1-1 when he took a pass from Josh Nodler, and from the inside edge of the left circle, he beat OSU goalie Tommy Nappier at 10:21 of the second period.
Combs' line with center Nodler and freshman right wing A.J. Hodges combined for 15 shots on goal. Hodges had five and Nodler three.
Nicolas Müller, who scored the winning goal in overtime, had five shots on net, while Mitchell Lewandowski chipped in with four. Junior Adam Goodsir, who scored MSU's second goal, had three shots.
"I like our depth and everyone was getting chances and nobody cares who gets them,'' Cole said. "For Charlie to get on the board – he's had some good chances through the first three games.
"Goodsir, Mattson and (Kyle) Haskins did a real nice job and created a lot of pressure. They've given us good minutes and they're scoring goals. That's good for them and good for us.
"I thought (freshman) Kristof Papp's line (with Lewandowski and Müller) had a good night. Lewie was really working and didn't get rewarded with anything but he will if he plays like that.''
Cole also liked the work from MSU's reliable checking unit which has senior Tommy Apap centering senior Brody Stevens and sophomore Joshua Jagger.
"The do a lot of heavy lifting,'' the Spartans coach said. "They do a great job killing penalties, checking the other teams' top lines and spend a lot of time taking draws in our own end. When they play well, we have a good chance to win. They're very important for us.''
IN THE BIG TEN: Notre Dame went on the road and pulled off a sweep of No. 4/3 Michigan, 3-2 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday, in Ann Arbor. In both victories, the Irish (2-2-0 overall, 2-2-0-0-0-0 Big Ten) never trailed the high-scoring Wolverines (4-2-0, 3-2-0-1-0-0).
On Friday, Notre Dame built a 3-0 lead with one goal in the first period and two in the second. U-M scored late in the middle period and early in the third, but the Irish held on for their first win of the season.
On Saturday, all three goals were scored in the last three minutes of the final period. Notre Dame took a 1-0 lead on defenseman Spencer Stastney's goal at 17:46 and went up 2-0 when Alex Steeves scored into an empty net at 18:29.
Michigan got back in the game on defenseman Jacob Truscott's goal with 44 seconds left, but the Irish held on to sweep Michigan at Yost Arena for the second straight season. Notre Dame has won six of its last eight games in Ann Arbor.
In non-conference play, and the crazy game of the night, Arizona State broke a 2-2 tie with three unanswered goals in the second period and went on to upset No. 14/15 Wisconsin, 8-5, on Saturday in Madison.
ASU went up 6-2 early in the third period before Wisconsin got back into the game with three straight goals to make it 6-5 with five minutes left. But Arizona State scored a shorthanded goal and an empty-netter to close out the win.
In the Sun Devils' first four games, they scored just two goals – one each vs. Michigan and MSU.
The Badgers (4-3-0, 4-2-0-0-1-0) and Arizona State (1-3-1) meet in the series finale at 5 p.m. Sunday.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
Michigan State had a solid offensive game on Saturday with 45 shots on goal. The Spartans' defense was good too, allowing only 20 shots on goalie Drew DeRidder.
Special teams had a good night. MSU's power play was 1-for-5, moved the puck around well and applied pressure. Penalty-killing units didn't allow a goal during two full power plays and one brief extra-man situation.
Despite all those positives and dominating play for most of the first 60 minutes, Michigan State needed a perfect shot by sophomore forward Nicolas Müller in overtime to claim a 3-2 victory over No. 10/10 Ohio State at Value City Arena in Columbus.
In their Big Ten opener, the Spartans outshot the Buckeyes, 45-20, and played a strong third period until the final minute when OSU, with goalie Tommy Nappier lifted for a sixth attacker, tied the game 2-2 with 26.8 seconds left on a goal from the inside edge of the left circle by freshman Travis Treloar.
But MSU stayed composed and made big plays in overtime – first by goalie Drew DeRidder, making a crucial save and covering a loose puck, and then by Muller, who beat Nappier with a quick wrist shot from the left circle with 1:24 left in the 3-on-3 OT.
Coach Danton Cole liked the way his team played in most all of the key areas – defense, goaltending, offense, special teams – and because a lot of players – veterans and newcomers – contributed.
"We did a really nice job (defensively). We didn't give them a lot of second chances, or even a lot of shots,'' Cole said. "The guys covered really well. Ohio State does come with a lot of speed on the rush. I liked everyone. The guys were on it.''
Michigan State (2-0-1 overall, 1-0-0-1-0-0 Big Ten) goes for a sweep of the Big Ten series when it faces the Buckeyes (0-3-0, 0-3-0-0-1-0) at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Value City Arena.
The Spartans took control in the second period when they overcame a 1-0 deficit with two goals within 5 minutes and 47 seconds – by senior forward Charlie Combs, a grad transfer, and junior forward Adam Goodsir – to take a 2-1 lead.
Combs scored on a power play from the left circle after taking a pass from Josh Nodler at 10:21 to tie it, 1-1. A few minutes later, Mitchell Mattson came up with a loose puck along the right boards in the OSU zone and turned and fired toward the net. The puck came right to Goodsir at the edge of the crease and he quickly shot the puck past Nappier at 16:08.
MSU outshot the Buckeyes 20-6 in the second period.
The Spartans had several quality chances early in the third period but failed to convert and boost their lead to more than one goal.
Ohio State had two great chances to tie the game in the third period – both on quick break-ins by freshman Joe Dunlap. But DeRidder responded with two huge saves to keep his team in the lead.
Michigan State missed a great opportunity to put the game out of reach with a five-minute power play starting at 13:02, after OSU defenseman Layton Ahac was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for contact-to-the-head roughing. The Spartans seemed tentative, didn't threaten and that set the stage for the final two minutes.
Just when it seemed like MSU would hold on, Ohio State capitalized when freshman defenseman Evan McIntyre, from the right circle, found Treloar open in the left circle. Treloar beat DeRidder with a one-timer to the left corner at 19:33, forcing overtime.
"We just got twisted on our coverage just a little bit,'' Cole said of the tying goal. "Our guys – we have to go through those things to learn. We'll make that play the next time. It wasn't hard coverage. We just stopped and they made a nice play so give them credit.
"Lots of times, I'm more interested in how guys react to stuff when things go wrong. But we were fine. We had (27) seconds left and had a couple of chances and then got it done in overtime – a great shot by Müller."
It was Müller's first goal of the season and his second point, after earning an assist on Mitchell Lewandowski's goal late in the third period of MSU's 2-0 win over Arizona State last Friday at Munn Arena.
Müller, a 6-foot, 182-pounder from Arisdorf, Switzerland, had three goals and five assists for eight points last season as a freshman.
MSU's victory was its first against Nappier, Ohio State's standout senior goaltender, who entered the series with a 5-0 record against the Spartans, including three shutouts. He was 3-0 vs. MSU last season and 2-0 as a sophomore.
"You have to get traffic in front and get some second chances. You just keep funneling (pucks) to the net and sometimes something comes out of it,'' Cole said of the challenge of facing the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Nappier.
"We spent a lot of time in practice this week trying to generate pucks to the net, and bang rebounds and it paid off for us.''
SOLID IN GOAL: In three starts, junior goaltender Drew DeRidder has given up only two goals. On Saturday against the Buckeyes, he was challenged more than he was in last week's 1-1 tie and 2-0 victory over Arizona State.
DeRidder made clutch saves on a pair of OSU breakaways and was quick and alert to repel a few shots from around the net. He thwarted a couple of good OSU chances in overtime.
"Drew was outstanding. He made a couple of real nice saves. He got to the backdoor on one and got his leg on another,'' Cole said. "With 3-on-3 overtime, it always seems like the pucks are coming from odd angles. It's easier to make cross-ice passes so you have to be quick and moving.''
DeRidder was quick, he moved well and, like the Spartans, he's undefeated in three games.
OVERTIME IS FUN … WHEN YOU WIN: Michigan State played in five overtime games last season and came away with a 2-1-1 record. The Spartans edged Wisconsin, 5-4, in OT at Munn Arena on Dec. 7, and, a week later, topped Arizona State, 1-0, also at Munn Arena, on Dec. 15.
MSU tied Notre Dame twice in overtime – 1-1 at Munn Arena on Nov. 22, and 1-1 on the road on Feb. 29, the last week of the regular season.
The Spartans lost to Penn State, 2-1 in OT, at Munn Arena on Jan. 25.
The last time Michigan State got the best of Ohio State in overtime was on March 21, 1998, in the CCHA Championship game at Joe Louis Arena. Shawn Horcoff's goal gave the Spartans a 3-2 victory and the league title.
THE STAT REPORT: For the second game in a row, Michigan State had 40 or more shots on goal. After scoring two goals on 40 shots in their 2-0 victory over Arizona State last Friday, the Spartans followed with 45 shots on Saturday in their 3-2 overtime victory.
"It's been a while since we've done that. We're generating a lot of shots and doing some good things,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "I liked our legs and heads today, so it was a fun game on the road.''
Charlie Combs, a graduate-transfer from Bemidji State, led the way with seven shots on net, including his first goal as a Spartan. Combs tied the game 1-1 when he took a pass from Josh Nodler, and from the inside edge of the left circle, he beat OSU goalie Tommy Nappier at 10:21 of the second period.
Combs' line with center Nodler and freshman right wing A.J. Hodges combined for 15 shots on goal. Hodges had five and Nodler three.
Nicolas Müller, who scored the winning goal in overtime, had five shots on net, while Mitchell Lewandowski chipped in with four. Junior Adam Goodsir, who scored MSU's second goal, had three shots.
"I like our depth and everyone was getting chances and nobody cares who gets them,'' Cole said. "For Charlie to get on the board – he's had some good chances through the first three games.
"Goodsir, Mattson and (Kyle) Haskins did a real nice job and created a lot of pressure. They've given us good minutes and they're scoring goals. That's good for them and good for us.
"I thought (freshman) Kristof Papp's line (with Lewandowski and Müller) had a good night. Lewie was really working and didn't get rewarded with anything but he will if he plays like that.''
Cole also liked the work from MSU's reliable checking unit which has senior Tommy Apap centering senior Brody Stevens and sophomore Joshua Jagger.
"The do a lot of heavy lifting,'' the Spartans coach said. "They do a great job killing penalties, checking the other teams' top lines and spend a lot of time taking draws in our own end. When they play well, we have a good chance to win. They're very important for us.''
IN THE BIG TEN: Notre Dame went on the road and pulled off a sweep of No. 4/3 Michigan, 3-2 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday, in Ann Arbor. In both victories, the Irish (2-2-0 overall, 2-2-0-0-0-0 Big Ten) never trailed the high-scoring Wolverines (4-2-0, 3-2-0-1-0-0).
On Friday, Notre Dame built a 3-0 lead with one goal in the first period and two in the second. U-M scored late in the middle period and early in the third, but the Irish held on for their first win of the season.
On Saturday, all three goals were scored in the last three minutes of the final period. Notre Dame took a 1-0 lead on defenseman Spencer Stastney's goal at 17:46 and went up 2-0 when Alex Steeves scored into an empty net at 18:29.
Michigan got back in the game on defenseman Jacob Truscott's goal with 44 seconds left, but the Irish held on to sweep Michigan at Yost Arena for the second straight season. Notre Dame has won six of its last eight games in Ann Arbor.
In non-conference play, and the crazy game of the night, Arizona State broke a 2-2 tie with three unanswered goals in the second period and went on to upset No. 14/15 Wisconsin, 8-5, on Saturday in Madison.
ASU went up 6-2 early in the third period before Wisconsin got back into the game with three straight goals to make it 6-5 with five minutes left. But Arizona State scored a shorthanded goal and an empty-netter to close out the win.
In the Sun Devils' first four games, they scored just two goals – one each vs. Michigan and MSU.
The Badgers (4-3-0, 4-2-0-0-1-0) and Arizona State (1-3-1) meet in the series finale at 5 p.m. Sunday.
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