Photo by: Matthew Mitchell
Neil’s Notebook: Spartans Upended on Friday; Will Look to Get Even on Monday at LCA
2/15/2020 9:46:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING – Michigan State senior co-captain Sam Saliba got right to the point in assessing the Spartans' 5-1 loss to Michigan on Friday night at Munn Arena.
"I thought that was our worst performance of the season. It's extremely disappointing,'' he said. "I think every guy in the locker room knows it and feels it.''
The Wolverines were the better team in all areas of the first game of the Big Ten two-game series.
They scored two goals in the first period, two in the second, and after the Spartans scored on a power play in the third period – by Saliba - U-M added its fifth goal with eight minutes left.
"You have to give them credit. They played really well,'' Saliba said of the Wolverines, who are 7-1-1 in their last nine games. "But I felt we were flat and lacking of lot of urgency.
"It's pretty disappointing, considering the circumstances.''
The Spartans (14-14-1 overall, 10-7-1-0 Big Ten, 31 points) were chasing the game from early in the first period. Michigan (14-12-3, 9-8-2-1, 30 points) scored twice before the game was nine minutes old.
Jake Slaker scored on a power play with a one-timer from the right circle at 6:07. Defenseman Luke Martin made it 2-0 just 2 minutes and 23 seconds later, with a one-timer from the left circle.
It took only 19 seconds into the second period for U-M to boost its lead to 3-0, as Jacob Hayhurst got free coming down the left wing and went in close and slipped the puck past MSU goalie John Lethemon.
"It's tough giving one there in the first 20 seconds,'' Saliba said. "We had a good mindset after the first period. We knew we didn't play well and we wanted to get back to ground zero and start fresh. And it really hurt giving up that goal.''
The Wolverines, who had trouble scoring in the first half of the season, have scored 18 goals in their last three games.
"I give Michigan credit. They played real well right from the beginning to the end,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "They played faster and smarter than us. We got our butts handed to us tonight. That hasn't happened very often this year.
"It'll be up to us to get ourselves straight for the next two days and be ready Monday night.''
Michigan State will try to salvage a series split when it faces Michigan at 7 p.m. Monday in the annual Duel in the D at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Spartans swept the Wolverines in their first meeting in November – 4-3 at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor and 3-0 at Munn Arena.
U-M got a bit of revenge on Friday, in front of a sellout crowd of 6,796, and now Michigan State is eager to make amends for its poor showing.
The Big Ten standings change with every game and now the Spartans, with 31 points, are tied with Ohio State for third place, but just one point ahead of the Wolverines, who are in fifth place.
Michigan took a 4-0 lead Friday on defenseman Jack Summers' goal from the left point at 12:37 of the middle period.
MSU finally beat Wolverines sophomore goalie Strauss Mann on a power play at 5:11 of the third period. Saliba deflected defenseman Dennis Cesana's pass into the crease past Mann to make it 4-1.
The Spartans went back on the power play 21 seconds later and had some good chances around the net, but failed to trim U-M's lead to two goals. Seven minutes later, Slaker scored his second goal of the night off a rebound.
"They had the jump on us most of the night. Sometimes you get behind and spend a lot of energy trying to get things going. You just make things worse,'' Cole said. "They broke out (of their zone) a lot easier than we did, and they forechecked a lot better, and when you do that, good things happen.''
A week ago, the Spartans got outplayed by Minnesota in the first game of the series, losing 4-1 in Minneapolis. But MSU rebounded in the second game and played an outstanding third period to pull out a 4-2 victory over one of the hottest teams in college hockey.
The Spartans will try to do the same on Monday in Detroit.
"It's a tough one but that's why hockey is great. We have a game Monday and two days to prepare,'' Cole said. "I don't think it's an understanding. It's just applying some things that we want to do, and there are certain things, that at every timeout and between periods, we were trying to do to make it more difficult for them. We couldn't get some of the guys over the hump.
"Our guys care a lot. They're proud guys and that's a tough one for them. We'll show up tomorrow (for practice) and we'll get better. That's the coaches' job in the next two days to make sure we bounce back.''
Michigan outshot MSU, 38-27. Mann made 26 saves but didn't face a lot of dangerous chances. Lethemon made 33 saves, including several quality scoring opportunities that could have made the final score even more one-sided.
"We have to do a better job of getting pucks behind them,'' Saliba said. "Tonight, we were too cute in the neutral zone. They did a good job with their trap. We have to be better with getting pucks below the goal line and going to work to control the puck down there.''
Michigan had five power plays, scored one goal and had 11 shots on goal. Michigan State was 1-for-2 with the man advantage and had five shots on goal.
The Wolverines had seven players with three shots on goal, and every player except defenseman Griffin Luce and goalie Mann had a shot on goal. Saliba led the Spartans with five shots, while defenseman Jerad Rosburg had four and Patrick Khodorenko and Logan Lambdin each had three.
STACHOWIAK LEAVES MSU: Sophomore forward Wojciech Stachowiak has left the Spartans and gone back to Europe to play for a German team. Stachowiak has been a healthy scratch in the last eight games and in five of the first eight games to start the season.
Stachowiak, a 6-foot-1, 186-pounder from Gdansk, Poland, had four goals and no assists in 27 games last season. This year, he played in both games in the Great Lakes Invitational but was replaced in the lineup by sophomore Mitchell Mattson, who's played on the fourth line in the last eight games.
Stachowiak had one assist in 13 games this season.
"When things like this happen, a lot of times it's ice time. He was having a hard time getting in the lineup,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "As a European and having a German passport, he had some options over there.
"It's unfortunate. I like to see guys stay and get their degrees, but he made the decision and we wish him well. He was a good kid, a good student and a good teammate. If you can't find yourself in the lineup, then you look for something else and he had an opportunity.''
IN THE BIG TEN: After Friday's series openers, six teams are separated by four points in the Big Ten standings, with Minnesota and Penn State tied for first place with 33 points.
The Gophers picked up two points with a 3-3 tie and shootout win at Notre Dame, which comes away with one point. Minnesota was up 2-0 only to see the Irish scored three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead into the third period. But the Gophers tied it with 10 minutes left, and after scoreless regulation and 3-on-3 overtimes, they won the shootout 1-0 in one round.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin upset Penn State, 4-3, on freshman Dylan Holloway's goal with 1:04 left in the third period. The Badgers led 2-0 and 3-1 but the Nittany Lions tied it with two goals within four minutes midway through the second period.
Just when it looked like the game was headed for overtime, Holloway scored, ending the Badgers' five-game losing streak, and hurting Penn State's chances for the regular-season title.
Michigan State and Ohio State, which has a bye this weekend, are tied for third place with 31 points, two points behind the Gophers and Nittany Lions.
Michigan has climbed over Notre Dame and is now in fifth place with 30 points, one in back of MSU and OSU. The Irish, with one point from their tie and shootout loss, is in sixth with 29 points but only four away from co-leaders Minnesota and PSU.
Wisconsin is in last place with 20 points and only three Big Ten games remaining.
Minnesota, Michigan State, Michigan and Notre Dame all have five games left. Ohio State has four and Penn State has only three – Saturday against the Badgers and next weekend at home vs. Minnesota.
PAIRWISE UPDATE: After Friday's victories by Michigan and Wisconsin, losses by Michigan State and Penn State and a tie between Minnesota and Notre Dame, the Nittany Lions are the highest ranked Big Ten team in the Pairwise Rankings, which mimic the NCAA formula for selecting 10 at-large teams to the 16-team NCAA Tournament. Six spots go to playoff champions in the six Division I conferences.
The Nittany Lions are 11th in the PWR. Ohio State is No. 13, Minnesota is tied for 17th, Notre Dame is No. 21, Michigan State is tied for 23rd and Wisconsin, the only team in the Big Ten with an overall record under .500, is No. 36.
The top five teams in the PWR: 1. North Dakota; No. 2. Minnesota State; No. 3. Cornell; No. 4. Minnesota Duluth; No. 5. Denver.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING – Michigan State senior co-captain Sam Saliba got right to the point in assessing the Spartans' 5-1 loss to Michigan on Friday night at Munn Arena.
"I thought that was our worst performance of the season. It's extremely disappointing,'' he said. "I think every guy in the locker room knows it and feels it.''
The Wolverines were the better team in all areas of the first game of the Big Ten two-game series.
They scored two goals in the first period, two in the second, and after the Spartans scored on a power play in the third period – by Saliba - U-M added its fifth goal with eight minutes left.
"You have to give them credit. They played really well,'' Saliba said of the Wolverines, who are 7-1-1 in their last nine games. "But I felt we were flat and lacking of lot of urgency.
"It's pretty disappointing, considering the circumstances.''
The Spartans (14-14-1 overall, 10-7-1-0 Big Ten, 31 points) were chasing the game from early in the first period. Michigan (14-12-3, 9-8-2-1, 30 points) scored twice before the game was nine minutes old.
Jake Slaker scored on a power play with a one-timer from the right circle at 6:07. Defenseman Luke Martin made it 2-0 just 2 minutes and 23 seconds later, with a one-timer from the left circle.
It took only 19 seconds into the second period for U-M to boost its lead to 3-0, as Jacob Hayhurst got free coming down the left wing and went in close and slipped the puck past MSU goalie John Lethemon.
"It's tough giving one there in the first 20 seconds,'' Saliba said. "We had a good mindset after the first period. We knew we didn't play well and we wanted to get back to ground zero and start fresh. And it really hurt giving up that goal.''
The Wolverines, who had trouble scoring in the first half of the season, have scored 18 goals in their last three games.
"I give Michigan credit. They played real well right from the beginning to the end,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "They played faster and smarter than us. We got our butts handed to us tonight. That hasn't happened very often this year.
"It'll be up to us to get ourselves straight for the next two days and be ready Monday night.''
Michigan State will try to salvage a series split when it faces Michigan at 7 p.m. Monday in the annual Duel in the D at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Spartans swept the Wolverines in their first meeting in November – 4-3 at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor and 3-0 at Munn Arena.
U-M got a bit of revenge on Friday, in front of a sellout crowd of 6,796, and now Michigan State is eager to make amends for its poor showing.
The Big Ten standings change with every game and now the Spartans, with 31 points, are tied with Ohio State for third place, but just one point ahead of the Wolverines, who are in fifth place.
Michigan took a 4-0 lead Friday on defenseman Jack Summers' goal from the left point at 12:37 of the middle period.
MSU finally beat Wolverines sophomore goalie Strauss Mann on a power play at 5:11 of the third period. Saliba deflected defenseman Dennis Cesana's pass into the crease past Mann to make it 4-1.
The Spartans went back on the power play 21 seconds later and had some good chances around the net, but failed to trim U-M's lead to two goals. Seven minutes later, Slaker scored his second goal of the night off a rebound.
"They had the jump on us most of the night. Sometimes you get behind and spend a lot of energy trying to get things going. You just make things worse,'' Cole said. "They broke out (of their zone) a lot easier than we did, and they forechecked a lot better, and when you do that, good things happen.''
A week ago, the Spartans got outplayed by Minnesota in the first game of the series, losing 4-1 in Minneapolis. But MSU rebounded in the second game and played an outstanding third period to pull out a 4-2 victory over one of the hottest teams in college hockey.
The Spartans will try to do the same on Monday in Detroit.
"It's a tough one but that's why hockey is great. We have a game Monday and two days to prepare,'' Cole said. "I don't think it's an understanding. It's just applying some things that we want to do, and there are certain things, that at every timeout and between periods, we were trying to do to make it more difficult for them. We couldn't get some of the guys over the hump.
"Our guys care a lot. They're proud guys and that's a tough one for them. We'll show up tomorrow (for practice) and we'll get better. That's the coaches' job in the next two days to make sure we bounce back.''
Michigan outshot MSU, 38-27. Mann made 26 saves but didn't face a lot of dangerous chances. Lethemon made 33 saves, including several quality scoring opportunities that could have made the final score even more one-sided.
"We have to do a better job of getting pucks behind them,'' Saliba said. "Tonight, we were too cute in the neutral zone. They did a good job with their trap. We have to be better with getting pucks below the goal line and going to work to control the puck down there.''
Michigan had five power plays, scored one goal and had 11 shots on goal. Michigan State was 1-for-2 with the man advantage and had five shots on goal.
The Wolverines had seven players with three shots on goal, and every player except defenseman Griffin Luce and goalie Mann had a shot on goal. Saliba led the Spartans with five shots, while defenseman Jerad Rosburg had four and Patrick Khodorenko and Logan Lambdin each had three.
STACHOWIAK LEAVES MSU: Sophomore forward Wojciech Stachowiak has left the Spartans and gone back to Europe to play for a German team. Stachowiak has been a healthy scratch in the last eight games and in five of the first eight games to start the season.
Stachowiak, a 6-foot-1, 186-pounder from Gdansk, Poland, had four goals and no assists in 27 games last season. This year, he played in both games in the Great Lakes Invitational but was replaced in the lineup by sophomore Mitchell Mattson, who's played on the fourth line in the last eight games.
Stachowiak had one assist in 13 games this season.
"When things like this happen, a lot of times it's ice time. He was having a hard time getting in the lineup,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "As a European and having a German passport, he had some options over there.
"It's unfortunate. I like to see guys stay and get their degrees, but he made the decision and we wish him well. He was a good kid, a good student and a good teammate. If you can't find yourself in the lineup, then you look for something else and he had an opportunity.''
IN THE BIG TEN: After Friday's series openers, six teams are separated by four points in the Big Ten standings, with Minnesota and Penn State tied for first place with 33 points.
The Gophers picked up two points with a 3-3 tie and shootout win at Notre Dame, which comes away with one point. Minnesota was up 2-0 only to see the Irish scored three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead into the third period. But the Gophers tied it with 10 minutes left, and after scoreless regulation and 3-on-3 overtimes, they won the shootout 1-0 in one round.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin upset Penn State, 4-3, on freshman Dylan Holloway's goal with 1:04 left in the third period. The Badgers led 2-0 and 3-1 but the Nittany Lions tied it with two goals within four minutes midway through the second period.
Just when it looked like the game was headed for overtime, Holloway scored, ending the Badgers' five-game losing streak, and hurting Penn State's chances for the regular-season title.
Michigan State and Ohio State, which has a bye this weekend, are tied for third place with 31 points, two points behind the Gophers and Nittany Lions.
Michigan has climbed over Notre Dame and is now in fifth place with 30 points, one in back of MSU and OSU. The Irish, with one point from their tie and shootout loss, is in sixth with 29 points but only four away from co-leaders Minnesota and PSU.
Wisconsin is in last place with 20 points and only three Big Ten games remaining.
Minnesota, Michigan State, Michigan and Notre Dame all have five games left. Ohio State has four and Penn State has only three – Saturday against the Badgers and next weekend at home vs. Minnesota.
PAIRWISE UPDATE: After Friday's victories by Michigan and Wisconsin, losses by Michigan State and Penn State and a tie between Minnesota and Notre Dame, the Nittany Lions are the highest ranked Big Ten team in the Pairwise Rankings, which mimic the NCAA formula for selecting 10 at-large teams to the 16-team NCAA Tournament. Six spots go to playoff champions in the six Division I conferences.
The Nittany Lions are 11th in the PWR. Ohio State is No. 13, Minnesota is tied for 17th, Notre Dame is No. 21, Michigan State is tied for 23rd and Wisconsin, the only team in the Big Ten with an overall record under .500, is No. 36.
The top five teams in the PWR: 1. North Dakota; No. 2. Minnesota State; No. 3. Cornell; No. 4. Minnesota Duluth; No. 5. Denver.
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