Neil’s Notebook: B1G Tournament Seeding at Stake as Spartans Head to Notre Dame
2/27/2020 9:37:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
NOTE DAME, Ind. – Michigan State skates into this week's regular-season ending series at Notre Dame in sixth place in the Big Ten.
But despite their four-game losing streak, the Spartans are hoping after Saturday's game, they'll be sitting in third or fourth place and with the reward of earning home ice for the first round of the conference playoffs.
But MSU doesn't control its destiny. The Spartans need to sweep the Irish and Michigan has to sweep Minnesota or split the series or get swept by the Gophers, but not get five points with a win and two more points from a 3-on-3 overtime or shootout victory.
"We're aware of that but our focus is on Friday. We can't sweep without (winning) on Friday,'' senior defenseman Butrus Ghafari said. "We win on Friday, then we'll focus on Saturday.''
The Spartans (14-17-1 overall, 10-11-1-0 Big Ten, 31 points) and Notre Dame (14-12-6, 9-8-5-3, 35 points) meet at 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday at Compton Family Arena.
"It's a different feeling, a different vibe. My past two years here we were in seventh palace and talking about how we had to win the Big Ten (playoff title) to make the (NCAA) Tournament,'' junior left wing Mitchell Lewandowski said. "The skid is one thing but the position we're in, we worked for all year.
"So, it's go take care of the job and Notre Dame.''
Michigan State enters the series with the Irish in sixth place with 31 points, two behind fifth-place Michigan (33), four in back of Notre Dame (35) and trails Minnesota (37) and Ohio State (37) by six points.
This weekend, the Wolverines are at Minnesota and the Buckeyes are home against seventh-place Wisconsin (20).
Michigan State cannot finish first or second but could wind up third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Third or fourth earns the Spartans host a best-of-three home playoff series. Fifth or sixth puts them on the road.
"They'll be reminded of that. The odds are a little short but we will come back to the same things – control what we can control,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said of his team. "We can't go to other venues and play other games and try to take care of that.
"If you look at our senior class and in their four years here, they've gotten better every year and they've achieved a little more. There's still that possibility of doing even more.''
Even if the Spartans have to go on the road to start the playoffs, they won't go in as a big underdog like they have the last few seasons. MSU has won on the road against every team in the Big Ten except Ohio State and Notre Dame. And yet all four losses to the Buckeyes have been basically one-goal games, with three ending with an empty-net goal.
"Our message (to the players) is that there is still a lot of hockey to be played, regardless of what happens,'' Cole said. "What we can control is what is in front of us.
"We have to be resolute and know that we go through these waves and let's make sure this wave turns the other way. Two weeks from now, we could find ourselves in a lot different situations and feeling a lot different than we are now.''
The Spartans are coming off two home losses to Ohio State, 1-0 and 4-2. In the second game of last weekend's series, MSU led 2-1 from late in the first period to late in the third. The Buckeyes tied it 2-2 with less than five minutes left, took the lead 1 minute and 28 seconds later and held on for the victory.
"Resolute is what I left with the guys on Saturday night,'' Cole said. "I thought we did some good things over the weekend. We played a real good Ohio State team and it was two good battles that could have gone either way, and unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of it.
"That's the way sports are. You have to be resolute about it, unwavering in our belief and get right back on that horse. Two weeks ago, we were in first place. We're not a lot different than that team.''
Notre Dame went into last weekend's series at Michigan 2-5-3 in its last 10 games, but the Irish found a way to win two close games, 2-1 and 3-0. Both games were scoreless after two periods.
Michigan State and Notre Dame played in late November at Munn Arena. The teams tied 1-1 in the series opener (with the Irish winning the shootout), and the Spartans fought back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period of the second game and scored two goals in the last six minutes to pull out a 3-2 victory over the Irish, ranked No. 3 in the nation at that time.
"It's always a hard-fought battle with Notre Dame. They're very defensive and they wait for you to make mistakes in the neutral zone, especially, and in (their) offensive zone they'll jump all over you,'' MSU senior defenseman Butrus Ghafari said. "It's a very strategic game so we have to be careful at the blue lines with turnovers because they transition fast. And they have good special teams.''
Ghafari said the Spartans' focus this week in practice isn't on the potential for earning home ice or the four-game losing streak and last Saturday's tough loss on Senior Night.
"We always say that the next game is the most important and no matter what happened in the past, all you can do is control the future,'' he said. "We're aware (the home ice scenario) but our focus is on Friday. We can't sweep without Friday. So, if we win Friday, then we'll focus on Saturday.
"The Big Ten is so close. Everyone has beaten everyone. Teams have swept, gotten swept and there's been a lot of splitting.''
Michigan State needs to get its offense back in sync after scoring only 10 goals in the last seven games. There's been four games in which the Spartans have scored only one goal and one game in which they were shutout – last Friday vs. OSU.
"If you don't score goals, you squeeze the stick a little tighter,'' Cole said. "We have to keep putting puck on net and we did that Saturday. We scored kind of a scrum goal and then we had nice transition on the forecheck (and scored.)
"We hoped that would have led to some more that game. (We just need) to play with the lead (more). On Saturday (with a 2-1 lead), we did a great job, even in the third period. Playing from behind all the time in 1-0, 2-1 games makes it harder.
"We got through a lot of the season playing well defensively, getting outstanding goaltending and great penalty kill. We've got to get back those as well.''
MSU and Notre Dame are two of the lowest-scoring teams in the Big Ten so goals will probably be at a premium on Friday and Saturday. The Irish average 2.72 goals-per-game (5th in the conference), while the Spartans average 2.35. (7th).
Defensively, Michigan State in No. 3 in the Big Ten with a goals-against-average of 2.47, and that includes eight empty-net goals. Notre Dame is 5th with a 2.69 GAA, including five empty netters.
"We'd love to play another game at home. Some of it is in our hands and the odds are pretty low,'' Cole said. "Let's give ourselves a chance. Let's play like champions this weekend and see what happens.''
THE MSU-ND RIVALRY: The Spartans lead the series 63-51-13 but in the last three seasons in which Notre Dame has been in the Big Ten, including this year, the Irish are 8-2-2 vs. MSU. Last season, Notre Dame swept a series at Munn Arena, 3-1 and 2-1, in November, 2018. The Spartans lost 6-3 and tied 1-1 at Notre Dame in January, 2019. And in two playoff games, the Irish swept the series, 1-0 and 2-0.
The two teams were rivals in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association from 1971-81, in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association from 1981-83, and after eight years as a club program, the Irish returned to the CCHA in 1992-93 and stayed until 2013, when the CCHA broke up when the Big Ten was formed. Notre Dame spent four years in Hockey East, 2013-17, before joining the Big Ten in 2017-18.
SCOUTING THE IRISH: Like most Big Ten teams, Notre Dame has had some very good stretches and some bad ones over the last five months. When the Irish played Michigan State on Nov. 22, they were 8-1-2 overall and 4-1-2 in the Big Ten.
The Spartans tied Notre Dame 1-1 and won 3-2, igniting a tailspin that saw the Irish go winless in seven games at 0-6-1. After a win over Penn Sate and tie and loss to Western Michigan, Notre Dame went through another tough stretch, going 0-4-1 through late January.
But in the last seven games, the Irish are 4-1-2, with a victory and a tie over Penn State and two wins last weekend at Michigan. They can't finish in first place but could wind up anywhere from second to sixth place.
Notre Dame's strength is goaltending, defense and being opportunistic by feasting on opponents' turnovers and winning puck battles.
"Notre Dame is pretty consistent. They went through a little of what we are right now,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "Sometimes the puck's not going in and you lose a lot of games, 2-1, 1-0 or 3-1 with an empty-netter.
"They have the experience of sticking with it and having experience in the NCAA, and they've kind of righted their ship. They don't give up a lot of odd-man rushes, they don't take a lot of penalties and they're tough and physical.''
Notre Dame has been in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons. Two years ago, the Irish lost to Minnesota Duluth, 2-1, in the NCAA Frozen Four Championship game in St. Paul, Minn.
This season, Notre Dame has a better record on the road in Big Ten play than at home. The Irish are 4-5-1 at home and 5-3-4 on the road. Overall, they're 8-7-2 at home and 6-5-4 on the road.
The normal lineup for the Irish includes five seniors, four juniors, nine sophomores and two freshmen. Four other freshmen have seen limited playing time.
Senior goaltender Cale Morris, an NCAA First-Team All-West All-American and Big Ten Goaltender of the two years ago, has played well in recent weeks, after a tough first half, and is back giving his team a chance to win every night. He has an overall record of 11-11-6 with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. He ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten in both GAA and save percentage.
In 2017-18, Morris, 23, a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder from Larkspur, Colo., also won the Mike Richter Award as the most the most outstanding goaltender in Division I hockey and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Notre Dame has only one forward in double figures in goals – senior Cam Morrison with 10 – but there's eight players, including two defensemen, who have 11 or more assists.
Morrison and sophomore Alex Steeves lead the team in scoring with 24 points. Morrison has 10 goals and 14 assists and Steeves has nine goals and 15 assists.
Senior forwards Mike O'Leary (9-12-21) and Cal Burke (7-13-20) are third and fourth in in scoring, and followed by junior Colin Theisen (7-11-18) and sophomore Michael Graham (4-14-18).
The defense is led by sophomore Spencer Stastney (3-14-17), junior Matt Hellickson (5-11-16), sophomore Nick Leivermann (5-11-15) and senior Torey Dello (3-9-12), who has twice scored the winning shootout goal against MSU – last season and earlier this season.
"We have to get to Cale Morris and get to their defense and make it tough on them,'' MSU junior left wing Mitchell Lewandowski said. "Last time they were here, they beat us in the shootout but we took them all the way. There's no way they walked out of here either night thinking they played an easy game.
"We need to be the harder team playing, and we're going on the road and we haven't had much success at Notre Dame, so that's always in the back of our heads.''
What has made Morris so tough to beat for the Spartans?
"He's been there so long that he has that confidence. You don't see most goalies wearing a letter (as an alternate captain),'' Lewandowski said. "That's something he's done for himself. He's really good. You're not going to beat him with straight-on shots. It's going to be with traffic, rebounds and stuff you can't see.''
Notre Dame Coach Jeff Jackson, a 1978 Michigan State graduate, is in his 15th season at Notre Dame and 21st season as a head coach. He's 333-203-63 at Notre Dame and his career record is 515-255-88. Jackson coached Lake Superior State for six seasons, winning NCAA titles in 1992 and 1994. He also won a national championship as an assistant at LSSU in 1988.
TOP LINE REBOUNDS: The Spartans' high-scoring forward line of seniors Patrick Khodorenko and Sam Saliba and junior Mitchell Lewandowski was held to just one point in three straight games prior to last Saturday's series finale with Ohio State.
They made a big impact against the Buckeyes as they generated more quality scoring chances and had a hand in both MSU goals. Khodorenko had a goal and an assist and Lewandowski assisted on Khodorenko's goal that opened the scoring in the first period.
The goal was one which you don't see very often. Lewandowski swatted at the puck in the air along the goal line to the left of the net and it hit the left post and bounced up in the air. Khodorenko went to the front of the net, spotted the puck and batted it out of mid-air and into the net.
In the three previous games – Michigan at home, Michigan at Little Caesars Arena and the first game of the OSU series, Khodorenko and Lewandowski were held without a point. Saliba had MSU's only goal – on a power play – in the first U-M game.
"Against Michigan, we didn't really perform well. I don't think we played horrible but there wasn't much that we generated,'' Lewandowski said. "I thought we played solid on Friday (against Ohio State), but Saturday, I felt the puck was coming to us more and chances were there and the shots were definitely there. We just had more offense.''
Khodorenko, Lewandowski and Saliba are No. 1, 2 and 4, respectively, in MSU scoring. Khodorenko has 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points. Lewandowski has eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. Saliba has 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points.
Defenseman Dennis Cesana, who quarterbacks the power play, is tied with Lewandowski for second in team scoring with six goals and 14 assists for 20 points. Since Christmas, Cesana has three goals and six assists for nine points in 14 games.
In Big Ten overall scoring, Khodorenko (33 points) is fourth, five points behind leader Nate Sucese (11-27-38) of Penn State and one in back of Wisconsin's Cole Caufield (19-15-24) and Penn State's Evan Barratt (12-22-34). Sucese and Barratt have finished their regular-season schedule.
The Big Ten scoring race, which includes only conference games, is led by Penn State's Alex Limoges (9-14-23) and Sucese (8-15-23), but Khodorenko is one point behind with 22 points (a league-leading 13 goals and 9 assists). Caufield (11-11) and Barratt (10-12) also have 22 points.
But Khodorenko and Caufield are the only players out of the top five that are in action weekend – Khodorenko facing Notre Dame and Caufield playing Ohio State.
BIG TEN RACE: Entering the final week of the regular season, Penn State is in first place with 41 points, but the Nittany Lions have completed their 24-game conference schedule and can just watch what the other six teams are doing in league play.
The first-place team gets a bye in the first round of the playoffs and advances to the semifinals on March 14. Teams finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th earn home ice with No. 2 playing No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 against No. 5 in best-of-three series, March 6-8.
Minnesota and Ohio State are tied for second with 37 points, four behind Penn State, but still in the hunt for the regular-season title. The Gophers play host to Michigan and the Buckeyes are at home, facing Wisconsin.
Notre Dame is in fourth place with 35 points, two ahead of fifth-place Michigan (33 points) and four in front of sixth place Michigan State (31).
Only Penn State, Minnesota and Ohio State can finish first. The Nittany Lions can also finish second, third and fourth, but they've clinched home ice for the first round of the playoffs if they don't end up in first place.
Minnesota can finish anywhere from first to fifth, and could end up playing the on the road in the playoffs. With a sweep of Wisconsin, Ohio State would finish first, but if the Buckeyes lose two, they could finish as low as fifth and lose home ice for the playoffs.
Notre Dame can tie for first place but they'd lose the No. 1 seed because of the first tiebreaker - fewer Big Ten wins than Penn State. The Irish could finish anywhere from second to sixth.
Michigan State can not end up first or second but it could finish as high as third and as low as sixth place.
If MSU sweeps Notre Dame, they could end up tied with Minnesota or Ohio State, if both of those teams lose twice this weekend. The Spartans would hold the tiebreaker against both the Gophers and Buckeyes and would get the higher seed.
Michigan State's first-round playoff opponent could be any team in the Big Ten except Wisconsin, which is in 7th place and will face the No. 2 seeded team.
The playoff picture will become a little clearer after Friday's games, but the final standings and playoff matchups probably won't be completely set until the conference's final game on Saturday night – Wisconsin at Ohio State at 8 p.m. (EST).
The MSU at Notre Dame and Michigan at Minnesota season finales start at 6 p.m. (EST) on Saturday.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
NOTE DAME, Ind. – Michigan State skates into this week's regular-season ending series at Notre Dame in sixth place in the Big Ten.
But despite their four-game losing streak, the Spartans are hoping after Saturday's game, they'll be sitting in third or fourth place and with the reward of earning home ice for the first round of the conference playoffs.
But MSU doesn't control its destiny. The Spartans need to sweep the Irish and Michigan has to sweep Minnesota or split the series or get swept by the Gophers, but not get five points with a win and two more points from a 3-on-3 overtime or shootout victory.
"We're aware of that but our focus is on Friday. We can't sweep without (winning) on Friday,'' senior defenseman Butrus Ghafari said. "We win on Friday, then we'll focus on Saturday.''
The Spartans (14-17-1 overall, 10-11-1-0 Big Ten, 31 points) and Notre Dame (14-12-6, 9-8-5-3, 35 points) meet at 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday at Compton Family Arena.
"It's a different feeling, a different vibe. My past two years here we were in seventh palace and talking about how we had to win the Big Ten (playoff title) to make the (NCAA) Tournament,'' junior left wing Mitchell Lewandowski said. "The skid is one thing but the position we're in, we worked for all year.
"So, it's go take care of the job and Notre Dame.''
Michigan State enters the series with the Irish in sixth place with 31 points, two behind fifth-place Michigan (33), four in back of Notre Dame (35) and trails Minnesota (37) and Ohio State (37) by six points.
This weekend, the Wolverines are at Minnesota and the Buckeyes are home against seventh-place Wisconsin (20).
Michigan State cannot finish first or second but could wind up third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Third or fourth earns the Spartans host a best-of-three home playoff series. Fifth or sixth puts them on the road.
"They'll be reminded of that. The odds are a little short but we will come back to the same things – control what we can control,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said of his team. "We can't go to other venues and play other games and try to take care of that.
"If you look at our senior class and in their four years here, they've gotten better every year and they've achieved a little more. There's still that possibility of doing even more.''
Even if the Spartans have to go on the road to start the playoffs, they won't go in as a big underdog like they have the last few seasons. MSU has won on the road against every team in the Big Ten except Ohio State and Notre Dame. And yet all four losses to the Buckeyes have been basically one-goal games, with three ending with an empty-net goal.
"Our message (to the players) is that there is still a lot of hockey to be played, regardless of what happens,'' Cole said. "What we can control is what is in front of us.
"We have to be resolute and know that we go through these waves and let's make sure this wave turns the other way. Two weeks from now, we could find ourselves in a lot different situations and feeling a lot different than we are now.''
The Spartans are coming off two home losses to Ohio State, 1-0 and 4-2. In the second game of last weekend's series, MSU led 2-1 from late in the first period to late in the third. The Buckeyes tied it 2-2 with less than five minutes left, took the lead 1 minute and 28 seconds later and held on for the victory.
"Resolute is what I left with the guys on Saturday night,'' Cole said. "I thought we did some good things over the weekend. We played a real good Ohio State team and it was two good battles that could have gone either way, and unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of it.
"That's the way sports are. You have to be resolute about it, unwavering in our belief and get right back on that horse. Two weeks ago, we were in first place. We're not a lot different than that team.''
Notre Dame went into last weekend's series at Michigan 2-5-3 in its last 10 games, but the Irish found a way to win two close games, 2-1 and 3-0. Both games were scoreless after two periods.
Michigan State and Notre Dame played in late November at Munn Arena. The teams tied 1-1 in the series opener (with the Irish winning the shootout), and the Spartans fought back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period of the second game and scored two goals in the last six minutes to pull out a 3-2 victory over the Irish, ranked No. 3 in the nation at that time.
"It's always a hard-fought battle with Notre Dame. They're very defensive and they wait for you to make mistakes in the neutral zone, especially, and in (their) offensive zone they'll jump all over you,'' MSU senior defenseman Butrus Ghafari said. "It's a very strategic game so we have to be careful at the blue lines with turnovers because they transition fast. And they have good special teams.''
Ghafari said the Spartans' focus this week in practice isn't on the potential for earning home ice or the four-game losing streak and last Saturday's tough loss on Senior Night.
"We always say that the next game is the most important and no matter what happened in the past, all you can do is control the future,'' he said. "We're aware (the home ice scenario) but our focus is on Friday. We can't sweep without Friday. So, if we win Friday, then we'll focus on Saturday.
"The Big Ten is so close. Everyone has beaten everyone. Teams have swept, gotten swept and there's been a lot of splitting.''
Michigan State needs to get its offense back in sync after scoring only 10 goals in the last seven games. There's been four games in which the Spartans have scored only one goal and one game in which they were shutout – last Friday vs. OSU.
"If you don't score goals, you squeeze the stick a little tighter,'' Cole said. "We have to keep putting puck on net and we did that Saturday. We scored kind of a scrum goal and then we had nice transition on the forecheck (and scored.)
"We hoped that would have led to some more that game. (We just need) to play with the lead (more). On Saturday (with a 2-1 lead), we did a great job, even in the third period. Playing from behind all the time in 1-0, 2-1 games makes it harder.
"We got through a lot of the season playing well defensively, getting outstanding goaltending and great penalty kill. We've got to get back those as well.''
MSU and Notre Dame are two of the lowest-scoring teams in the Big Ten so goals will probably be at a premium on Friday and Saturday. The Irish average 2.72 goals-per-game (5th in the conference), while the Spartans average 2.35. (7th).
Defensively, Michigan State in No. 3 in the Big Ten with a goals-against-average of 2.47, and that includes eight empty-net goals. Notre Dame is 5th with a 2.69 GAA, including five empty netters.
"We'd love to play another game at home. Some of it is in our hands and the odds are pretty low,'' Cole said. "Let's give ourselves a chance. Let's play like champions this weekend and see what happens.''
THE MSU-ND RIVALRY: The Spartans lead the series 63-51-13 but in the last three seasons in which Notre Dame has been in the Big Ten, including this year, the Irish are 8-2-2 vs. MSU. Last season, Notre Dame swept a series at Munn Arena, 3-1 and 2-1, in November, 2018. The Spartans lost 6-3 and tied 1-1 at Notre Dame in January, 2019. And in two playoff games, the Irish swept the series, 1-0 and 2-0.
The two teams were rivals in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association from 1971-81, in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association from 1981-83, and after eight years as a club program, the Irish returned to the CCHA in 1992-93 and stayed until 2013, when the CCHA broke up when the Big Ten was formed. Notre Dame spent four years in Hockey East, 2013-17, before joining the Big Ten in 2017-18.
SCOUTING THE IRISH: Like most Big Ten teams, Notre Dame has had some very good stretches and some bad ones over the last five months. When the Irish played Michigan State on Nov. 22, they were 8-1-2 overall and 4-1-2 in the Big Ten.
The Spartans tied Notre Dame 1-1 and won 3-2, igniting a tailspin that saw the Irish go winless in seven games at 0-6-1. After a win over Penn Sate and tie and loss to Western Michigan, Notre Dame went through another tough stretch, going 0-4-1 through late January.
But in the last seven games, the Irish are 4-1-2, with a victory and a tie over Penn State and two wins last weekend at Michigan. They can't finish in first place but could wind up anywhere from second to sixth place.
Notre Dame's strength is goaltending, defense and being opportunistic by feasting on opponents' turnovers and winning puck battles.
"Notre Dame is pretty consistent. They went through a little of what we are right now,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "Sometimes the puck's not going in and you lose a lot of games, 2-1, 1-0 or 3-1 with an empty-netter.
"They have the experience of sticking with it and having experience in the NCAA, and they've kind of righted their ship. They don't give up a lot of odd-man rushes, they don't take a lot of penalties and they're tough and physical.''
Notre Dame has been in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons. Two years ago, the Irish lost to Minnesota Duluth, 2-1, in the NCAA Frozen Four Championship game in St. Paul, Minn.
This season, Notre Dame has a better record on the road in Big Ten play than at home. The Irish are 4-5-1 at home and 5-3-4 on the road. Overall, they're 8-7-2 at home and 6-5-4 on the road.
The normal lineup for the Irish includes five seniors, four juniors, nine sophomores and two freshmen. Four other freshmen have seen limited playing time.
Senior goaltender Cale Morris, an NCAA First-Team All-West All-American and Big Ten Goaltender of the two years ago, has played well in recent weeks, after a tough first half, and is back giving his team a chance to win every night. He has an overall record of 11-11-6 with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. He ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten in both GAA and save percentage.
In 2017-18, Morris, 23, a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder from Larkspur, Colo., also won the Mike Richter Award as the most the most outstanding goaltender in Division I hockey and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Notre Dame has only one forward in double figures in goals – senior Cam Morrison with 10 – but there's eight players, including two defensemen, who have 11 or more assists.
Morrison and sophomore Alex Steeves lead the team in scoring with 24 points. Morrison has 10 goals and 14 assists and Steeves has nine goals and 15 assists.
Senior forwards Mike O'Leary (9-12-21) and Cal Burke (7-13-20) are third and fourth in in scoring, and followed by junior Colin Theisen (7-11-18) and sophomore Michael Graham (4-14-18).
The defense is led by sophomore Spencer Stastney (3-14-17), junior Matt Hellickson (5-11-16), sophomore Nick Leivermann (5-11-15) and senior Torey Dello (3-9-12), who has twice scored the winning shootout goal against MSU – last season and earlier this season.
"We have to get to Cale Morris and get to their defense and make it tough on them,'' MSU junior left wing Mitchell Lewandowski said. "Last time they were here, they beat us in the shootout but we took them all the way. There's no way they walked out of here either night thinking they played an easy game.
"We need to be the harder team playing, and we're going on the road and we haven't had much success at Notre Dame, so that's always in the back of our heads.''
What has made Morris so tough to beat for the Spartans?
"He's been there so long that he has that confidence. You don't see most goalies wearing a letter (as an alternate captain),'' Lewandowski said. "That's something he's done for himself. He's really good. You're not going to beat him with straight-on shots. It's going to be with traffic, rebounds and stuff you can't see.''
Notre Dame Coach Jeff Jackson, a 1978 Michigan State graduate, is in his 15th season at Notre Dame and 21st season as a head coach. He's 333-203-63 at Notre Dame and his career record is 515-255-88. Jackson coached Lake Superior State for six seasons, winning NCAA titles in 1992 and 1994. He also won a national championship as an assistant at LSSU in 1988.
TOP LINE REBOUNDS: The Spartans' high-scoring forward line of seniors Patrick Khodorenko and Sam Saliba and junior Mitchell Lewandowski was held to just one point in three straight games prior to last Saturday's series finale with Ohio State.
They made a big impact against the Buckeyes as they generated more quality scoring chances and had a hand in both MSU goals. Khodorenko had a goal and an assist and Lewandowski assisted on Khodorenko's goal that opened the scoring in the first period.
The goal was one which you don't see very often. Lewandowski swatted at the puck in the air along the goal line to the left of the net and it hit the left post and bounced up in the air. Khodorenko went to the front of the net, spotted the puck and batted it out of mid-air and into the net.
In the three previous games – Michigan at home, Michigan at Little Caesars Arena and the first game of the OSU series, Khodorenko and Lewandowski were held without a point. Saliba had MSU's only goal – on a power play – in the first U-M game.
"Against Michigan, we didn't really perform well. I don't think we played horrible but there wasn't much that we generated,'' Lewandowski said. "I thought we played solid on Friday (against Ohio State), but Saturday, I felt the puck was coming to us more and chances were there and the shots were definitely there. We just had more offense.''
Khodorenko, Lewandowski and Saliba are No. 1, 2 and 4, respectively, in MSU scoring. Khodorenko has 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points. Lewandowski has eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. Saliba has 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points.
Defenseman Dennis Cesana, who quarterbacks the power play, is tied with Lewandowski for second in team scoring with six goals and 14 assists for 20 points. Since Christmas, Cesana has three goals and six assists for nine points in 14 games.
In Big Ten overall scoring, Khodorenko (33 points) is fourth, five points behind leader Nate Sucese (11-27-38) of Penn State and one in back of Wisconsin's Cole Caufield (19-15-24) and Penn State's Evan Barratt (12-22-34). Sucese and Barratt have finished their regular-season schedule.
The Big Ten scoring race, which includes only conference games, is led by Penn State's Alex Limoges (9-14-23) and Sucese (8-15-23), but Khodorenko is one point behind with 22 points (a league-leading 13 goals and 9 assists). Caufield (11-11) and Barratt (10-12) also have 22 points.
But Khodorenko and Caufield are the only players out of the top five that are in action weekend – Khodorenko facing Notre Dame and Caufield playing Ohio State.
BIG TEN RACE: Entering the final week of the regular season, Penn State is in first place with 41 points, but the Nittany Lions have completed their 24-game conference schedule and can just watch what the other six teams are doing in league play.
The first-place team gets a bye in the first round of the playoffs and advances to the semifinals on March 14. Teams finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th earn home ice with No. 2 playing No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 against No. 5 in best-of-three series, March 6-8.
Minnesota and Ohio State are tied for second with 37 points, four behind Penn State, but still in the hunt for the regular-season title. The Gophers play host to Michigan and the Buckeyes are at home, facing Wisconsin.
Notre Dame is in fourth place with 35 points, two ahead of fifth-place Michigan (33 points) and four in front of sixth place Michigan State (31).
Only Penn State, Minnesota and Ohio State can finish first. The Nittany Lions can also finish second, third and fourth, but they've clinched home ice for the first round of the playoffs if they don't end up in first place.
Minnesota can finish anywhere from first to fifth, and could end up playing the on the road in the playoffs. With a sweep of Wisconsin, Ohio State would finish first, but if the Buckeyes lose two, they could finish as low as fifth and lose home ice for the playoffs.
Notre Dame can tie for first place but they'd lose the No. 1 seed because of the first tiebreaker - fewer Big Ten wins than Penn State. The Irish could finish anywhere from second to sixth.
Michigan State can not end up first or second but it could finish as high as third and as low as sixth place.
If MSU sweeps Notre Dame, they could end up tied with Minnesota or Ohio State, if both of those teams lose twice this weekend. The Spartans would hold the tiebreaker against both the Gophers and Buckeyes and would get the higher seed.
Michigan State's first-round playoff opponent could be any team in the Big Ten except Wisconsin, which is in 7th place and will face the No. 2 seeded team.
The playoff picture will become a little clearer after Friday's games, but the final standings and playoff matchups probably won't be completely set until the conference's final game on Saturday night – Wisconsin at Ohio State at 8 p.m. (EST).
The MSU at Notre Dame and Michigan at Minnesota season finales start at 6 p.m. (EST) on Saturday.
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