Spartans Start New Year By Hosting Penn State

Games 9-10: Penn State (3-5, 1-5-0-0-0-0) vs. Michigan State (3-3-2, 2-3-1-2-0-0 B1G)
Dates | Times: Sunday, Jan. 3 | 3 p.m. // Monday, Jan. 4 | 3 p.m.
Location: East Lansing, Mich. | Munn Ice Arena
Web Stream: BTN +
Radio: TCF Bank Spartan Media Network | MSUSpartans.com & MSU Spartans app | Local: WJIM 1240-AM
Game Notes: Michigan State | Penn State | Big Ten

On The Fly…

• Michigan State begins the new calendar year by hosting Penn State on Sunday and Monday at Munn Ice Arena … The two-game set will be the first of 10 contests for the Spartans during the first month of the new year.

• It's the first time the Spartans will play 10 games in the month of January since the 2005-06 season.

• The Spartans' 13-day break was the shortest of any Big Ten team, six days shorter than the next closest team (Penn State).

• The Spartans rank 12th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in goals against per game at 2.25.

• In erasing all eight Notre Dame power plays in the previous series, MSU raised its penalty kill percentage to .848, which is 12th in the country and second in the Big Ten.

• Junior goaltender Drew DeRidder ranks second in the Big Ten in both GAA at 1.96 and save percentage at .940, which is also fifth best nationally among goaltenders that have played at least five games.

• DeRidder was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week on Dec. 23 after making 89 total saves and posting a .957 save percentage in helping MSU go 1-0-1 at Notre Dame.

• Senior defenseman Tommy Miller was named the Big Ten Second Star after his game-winning goal and assist on the tying goal in the 4-3 OT win at Notre Dame on Dec. 20.

• Both Dennis Cesana (1-2--3) and Mitchell Lewandowski (1-2--3) bring team season-high three game point streaks into Sunday's game … Tommy Apap has scored a goal in each of the last two games.

• Graduate transfer Charlie Combs leads all Spartans with three goals … He's tied with Josh Nodler (6a) for the team lead with six points each.

• Combs, who scored in the 4-3 win at Notre Dame, has had a point in six of the Spartans' eight games, including five of the last six.

• Tommy Miller ranks third in the Big Ten with 29 blocked shots and leads the league with 3.62 blocks per game average.

• The line of juniors Mitchell Mattson, Adam Goodsir and freshman Kyle Haskins has been productive so far this year as the trio has combined for 10 points (4g, 6a).

About Penn State
The Nittany Lions bring a three-game winning streak into the series, having defeated Arizona State twice in OT (3-2, 5-4) in their last games before the break (Dec. 11, 13) … Prior to that, PSU earned its first win of the year with a 9-5 victory at home over Michigan … Senior Alex Limoges leads Penn State in goals (5) and points (9) … Penn State ranks third in the nation in shots on goal per game at 41.25 … PSU is operating at .259 (7-for-27) on the power play and .708 (17-of-24) on the penalty kill … In goal, junior Oskar Autio has made five starts and owns a 3.80 GAA and .864 save percentage, while freshman Liam Souliere has a 4.36 GAA and .860 save percentage in three starts.

v PSU matchup

The Series
The two teams have split the season series the last two seasons, with each team going .500 at home and on the road … Mitchell Lewandowski is the Spartans' active leader in points against PSU with a 4-5—-9 scoring line, which includes two game-winning goals … PSU leads the all-time series 11-15-4, while MSU leads in East Lansing, 8-7-1.

From the Notre Dame Series
MSU improved to 2-0 in overtime this year with the 4-3 win on Dec. 30 … Tommy Apap scored in both games – his first goals of the year … The finale marked the first time this season a Spartan recorded multiple points as Tommy Miller (1-1--2), Nicolas Müller (0-2--2) and Josh Nodler (0-2--2) all did so … Drew DeRidder had the fourth and fifth 40-plus save games of his career, making 47 and 42, respectively … MSU is now unbeaten in its last six meetings with Notre Dame (3-0-3).

Stingy Defensively
A year after posting the program's best goals against average (2.44) in five seasons, MSU is again proving to be stout defensively. MSU's 2.25 goals against per game average is 12th nationally and second in the Big Ten. The one goal allowed through the first two games was the fewest surrendered by the Spartans in the opening two contests of the season since 2005-06 when MSU topped Wayne State, 5-1, and North Dakota, 3-0, respectively.

B1G Star Sweep
After a 1-1 tie and 4-3 OT win at Notre Dame, Dec. 19-20, the Spartans swept the Big Ten weekly honors - Drew DeRidder was named the first star; defenseman Tommy Miller was named the second star; and forward Tommy Apap was selected as the third star. DeRidder, who made a total of 89 saves over the two games, garnered his second weekly conference honor of the season. Miller's two points, including the game-winning goal on Dec. 20, earned him his first career weekly recognition. Apap's two-goal weekend also helped him get his first career weekly award from the league.

Owning The Dot
Michigan State continues to be one of the top teams in the nation in the faceoff circle as the Spartans' .573 winning percentage leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the country - first among teams that have played more than three games. Tommy Apap is 99-69 in the dot and his .589 winning percentage ranks fourth in the league. Apap is one of three Spartan centers in the top six in the league as freshman Kristof Papp ranks second at .636 (35-20) and Josh Nodler is sixth at .586 (85-60).

A Busy Month
The Spartans have 20 games on the schedule in the new calendar year. The month of January includes 10 contests, which is the most for the program in the month since 2005-06 when MSU also played 10 games.

Get Them on the Ice in OT
Sophomore Nico Müller and senior Tommy Miller have been involved in both OT goals for the Spartans this season. Miller set up Müller's OT-winner from the MSU end at Ohio State on Nov. 28, while Müller returned the favor, also in the Spartans' end, at Notre Dame on Dec. 20.

Penalty Kill Trending Up
The Spartan penalty kill got back on track at Notre Dame, erasing all eight Irish power plays – four in each game. Not only did the Spartans extinguish every power play, they also killed a 5-minute major penalty in both games. MSU erased 2:50 of a major penalty in the opener, then the following night, 4:55 of another major penalty. Additionally, MSU was shorthanded for the final 1:46 of overtime in the 1-1 tie.

The Spartans' .848 penalty kill percentage is second best in the Big Ten and ranks 12th in the nation.

DeRidder Starts Strong
Junior goaltender Drew DeRidder, who was voted to the All-Big Ten Freshman team two seasons ago, has gotten 2020-21 off to a solid start. His current .940 save percentage and 1.96 GAA both rank second in the Big Ten, and fifth and eighth, respectively, in the nation among goalies that have played at least five games.

DeRidder started the year by turning away 52 of 53 shots in going 1-0-1 vs. Arizona State. His 30 saves, which included 16 in the final period, of the 2-0 win on Nov. 20 earned him his first collegiate shutout and was subsequently named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week.

DeRidder has made 30 or more saves in five games, including each of the last four. His 47 saves in a 1-1 tie at Notre Dame on Dec. 19 were a season high and five shy of his career high from his rookie season.

Pucks on Net
Head coach Danton Cole stressed the importance early this year of getting more shots and the Spartans have received the message. Through eight games, MSU ranks 10th nationally in shots per game at 32.63. For the first time since the CCHA Playoffs in March 2008, MSU recorded at least 40 shots on goal in three straight games: 40 in their 2-0 win over ASU on Nov. 20; 45 on goal in the 3-2 OT win at OSU on Nov. 28; then 44 in a 4-2 loss to the Buckeyes the following night. By comparison, MSU had over 40 shots on goal in two games in 2019-20.

MSU has recorded no fewer than 11 shots on goal in the third period of six of eight games and has outshot its opponent in the final stanza of all six.

Mattson, Goodsir and Haskins Making an Impact
The line of juniors Mitchell Mattson and Adam Goodsir along with freshman Kyle Haskins has been one of the Spartans' most effective so far this season. Through playing together through the first eight games, the trio has combined for 10 points. Mattson, who had one assist through 36 games in his first two seasons, is tied for second on the team lead in goals (2). Goodsir, who had four assists last year, also has three points, including a goal and assist. Haskins scored his first career goal vs. Minnesota on Dec. 4 and is tied for fifth on the team with four points.

100% Graduation Rate
According to data released by the NCAA in late November, Michigan State student-athletes posted all-time highs for Graduation Success Rate (GSR), Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) and single-year Federal Graduation Rate for the 2010-11 to 2013-14 freshman cohorts for the multi-year rates and 2013-14 for the single-year rate. The Spartan hockey team contributed significantly to that success, posting a perfect 100% GSR and FGR. Overall, Michigan State student-athletes posted a GSR of 92% and a FGR of 79% - both all-time highs.

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Players Mentioned

Dennis Cesana

Charlie Combs

Adam Goodsir

Kyle Haskins

Mitchell Lewandowski

Tommy Miller

Josh Nodler

Kristof Papp