Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell
Neil’s Notebook: Rivalry Carries Over to B1G Tournament
3/5/2020 9:54:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
ANN ARBOR – The first time Michigan State and Michigan played in November, it was all about the rivalry.
The last time the Spartans and Wolverines got together, which was three weeks ago, it was about positioning in the Big Ten standings, and, of course, with the rivalry still there simmering as a subplot.
This weekend, MSU and U-M are playing for the 5th and 6th times – and maybe even a 7th – this season. And the stakes are so much higher.
It's about survival and playing next week in the Big Ten semifinals with a chance of winning the conference playoff title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
Rivalry? For sure, that's there, too. Bragging rights will be more about "we're moving on; your season is over.'' And then quickly the focus will be on a new opponent, a new challenge in a one-game matchup in the semifinals.
Michigan State senior defenseman Jared Rosburg and senior right wing Sam Saliba have played 19 games against Michigan.
Now they're ready and eager for two or three more – and the most important games they'll play against the Wolverines in their four-year careers as Spartans.
"It's always fun. I love playing these guys. I'm always down for a battle, and that's what you get when you play these guys,'' Rosburg said. "Every time is just as much fun as the last time.''
The No. 6 seeded Spartans (15-17-2 overall, 11-11-2-0 Big Ten) and No. 3 seeded Wolverines (16-14-4, 11-10-3-2) meet in a best-of-three Big Ten quarterfinal series at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and, if necessary, at 6 p.m. Sunday at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor.
"Before, every game was the most important game. And now these are … if we don't get it done, we go home,'' Rosburg said. "There's definitely more importance to these games.''
MSU and U-M have played four times this season and each team won two games with impressive sweeps.
The Spartans earned back-to-back victories in November – 4-3 in Ann Arbor and 3-0 at Munn Arena. The Wolverines got revenge in mid-February with a 5-1 victory at Munn Arena and a 4-1 win at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
"You try to keep it the same as you would with any other team in the Big Ten, but obviously, it being a rivalry, it's more important and I think that's good for us,'' said Saliba, the Spartans' co-captain. "The last time we played them, it left a sour taste in our mouth so we're happy to get another opportunity to play them again.''
Both teams are coming off regular-season ending series on the road in which they won and tied.
Michigan State earned four of six points at Notre Dame with a 3-1 victory and 2-2 tie, but lost the shootout and extra point in the Big Ten standings and fell short of moving up from sixth place.
Michigan tied Minnesota 2-2 and won the shootout 1-0 to earn two points in the series opener and then edged the Gophers 2-1 in the series finale to grab five of six points and end up in a three-way tie for second place in the final standings.
Both teams are 1-2-1 in their last four games, but Michigan is still the hottest Big Ten team entering the playoffs. The Wolverines are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and 9-3-2 since Jan. 1.
On Dec. 1, U-M was 4-9-2 overall and 0-6-1 in the Big Ten.
"Every team over the course of the season is trying to get better and they've definitely improved,'' Rosburg said. "They didn't have (forward Will) Lockwood the first time we played, and I think he's an important cog in their team. They definitely have more confidence and are playing good hockey right now. We're looking forward to the challenge.''
Rosburg and Saliba and their fellow seniors are 6-8-5 against Michigan in the last four years.
For about the last 30 years, Michigan has been known for its high-powered offense and not so much about defense. This season, however, the Wolverines' defense, led by goaltender Strauss Mann, is their main strength.
Michigan finished the regular season with the No. 1 defense in the Big Ten with a team goals-against average of 2.12, which ranks No. 8 in the nation.
The Wolverines still play an up-tempo style and have some very skilled forwards, but the offense has been inconsistent. In back-to-back series against Wisconsin and Michigan State last month, Michigan scored 22 goals in four games – 13 in a sweep of the Badgers and nine in two wins over the Spartans.
But in the last four games against Notre Dame and Minnesota, the Wolverines have scored only four. They lost 2-1 and 3-0 vs. Notre Dame and tied and topped the Gophers, 2-2 and 2-1.
U-M is averaging 2.41 goals-per-game, which in 4th in the Big Ten and 31st in the nation.
"The biggest thing I noticed was their puck support. Defensively, they do a better job of closing,'' Saliba said. "They do a good job of kind of smothering you. It's something we're used to from playing teams like Notre Dame and Ohio State.
"We just have to stick to our game plan, get pucks behind them and win a lot of battles.''
Michigan may not have great offensive statistics but MSU coach Danton Cole still views the Wolverines as a dangerous team offensively.
"You still have to deal with them in transition. They're fast, they put pucks on net and they attack you on the edges very well,'' he said. "We have to do a better job not just from their blue line back but their blue line in with our forecheck and keeping the puck in the offensive zone and getting more pucks on their goalie (Strauss Mann).
"He's a very good goalie and had another great weekend at Minnesota. He's kind of like Cale Morris (of Notre Dame). If he sees it, he's going to make the save – just like John (Lethemon).
"For us, it's get some traffic, get some pucks in there and deal with their transition game. They play a little different in the neutral zone than most teams so we have to make sure we deal with that. And again, don't feed their transition.''
Michigan State is skating into the postseason on an upbeat note despite not achieving their goal of a home playoff berth last weekend at Notre Dame.
The Spartans played two strong games, didn't lose to a team that was also playing for a top-four finish and home ice for the playoffs, and almost came away with a solid road sweep.
"We loved the way we played. We were really happy with it,'' Saliba said. "Taking four of six points and being five minutes away from sweeping, we get very positive energy off the weekend, especially after the two weeks with Michigan and Ohio State and not getting any points.
"We like where our game is at. If we go in there with that intensity, we're going to be all right.''
Over the last four seasons, Michigan State is 3-2-1 at Yost Arena, including a 4-3 come-from-behind victory in Ann Arbor on Nov. 14 this season.
Michigan has been a little better on the road than at home. In Big Ten games, the Wolverines are 4-6-1 at home and 6-4-2 on enemy ice. Overall, U-M is 7-7-2 at Yost Arena, 7-6-2 on the road and 2-1 on neutral ice (Little Caesars Arena.).
Michigan State has won road games in every Big Ten rink except one – Ohio State. The Spartans are 5-5-1 on the road in conference games and 6-5-1 at home. Overall, MSU is 7-7-1 on the road and 7-8-1 at Munn Arena.
The Spartans own victories at Northern Michigan (5-3), Colorado College (5-1), Penn State (2-0), Michigan (4-3), Wisconsin (4-0), Minnesota (4-2) and Notre Dame (3-1).
"Everybody knows the stakes are the highest this weekend with it being the playoffs and especially against Michigan,'' Saliba said. "The way we approach it is how we've been doing it all season.
"It's the next-game mentality and a good week of practice. Yost is a very hard environment so it's going to be fun. The crowd will be loud. We're excited.''
A look at the final Big Ten standings shows that only six points separated first-place Penn State (41 points) and sixth-place Michigan State (35). That's a difference of two victories. The Spartans were three points away from three second-place teams – Ohio State, Michigan and Minnesota.
"This year in the Big Ten has been pretty crazy. It's good to see parity across the league,'' Rosburg. "You look at (last-place) Wisconsin. They had a heck of a weekend (a win and tie at Ohio State).
"So, any team can win the tournament. It's just who gets hot at the right time, who plays well the next couple weeks. We're excited, every team is excited, and it should be fun to be a part of it.''
Over the last two seasons when the Big Ten changed the tournament format to on-campus first-round series and on campus semifinals and final, a road team has not won a first-round best-of-three series. In six series, the home team has prevailed – five sweeps and one series that went three games.
There's a good chance that could change this weekend as Wisconsin, Michigan State, Notre Dame take to the road to visit Ohio State, Michigan and Minnesota, respectively.
"We're in the thick of it. I don't think if you talk to any of the Big Ten coaches, that there's not one team that doesn't have a legitimate chance of winning it,'' Cole said. "There's not a team in the league that is intimidated by anyone or any building.
"What an incredible opportunity. That's the way we presented it (to the players) – be excited, love the opportunity and let's play our best hockey of the year this weekend.''
THE RIVALRY: Michigan holds a 167-137-24 lead in the series but the Spartans hold a 15-9 edge in all-time postseason play. The last time MSU and U-M met in a postseason game was on March 20, 2015, at Joe Louis Arena – a 4-1 Wolverines victory in a Big Ten semifinal.
The last time these teams played against each other in a postseason game in Ann Arbor was on March 3, 1966 – a 3-2 Spartan victory at the Michigan Coliseum in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament. Michigan State went on to win the NCAA title two weeks later.
U-M and MSU joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in 1981-82 and the two teams met in a CCHA two-games, total goals, first round series in 1985-86 and 1986-87 at Munn Arena. The Spartans won both series, 4-3 and 5-2 (9-5 total goals) in 1886 and 8-7 in overtime and 6-3 (14-10) in 1987.
In seven meetings in the CCHA Tournament at Joe Louis Arena, MSU was 3-4 against the Wolverines.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: Four of their top scorers are seniors. Senior Jake Slaker leads U-M in goals and points with 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 31 games. Senior Will Lockwood is second with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 31 games. Senior Nick Pastujov (8-8) and freshman defenseman Cam York (5-11) are tied for third with 16 points. Senior Jacob Hayhurst (8-6), freshman Johnny Beecher (7-7) and sophomore defenseman Nick Blankenburg (4-10) are tied for fifth in scoring with 14 points.
Michigan's defense is led by York and Blankenburg, seniors Luke Martin and Griffin Luce and sophomore Jack Summers.
In goal, sophomore Strauss Mann won the starting job over senior Hayden Lavigne early in the season and has started 33 of 34 games.
STATS COMPARISONS: The series matches two of the best goaltenders in the Big Ten and in the nation in Michigan State senior John Lethemon and Michigan sophomore Strauss Mann.
Lethemon, 23, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Northville, Mich., leads the Big Ten in save percentage (.936) and shutouts (5) and has the second-best goals-against-average (2.10). His save percentage is 4th in the nation and his 5 shutouts are tied for second.
Mann, 21, 6-0, 175, from Greenwich, Conn., led the Big Ten with a 1.97 GAA and is second in shutouts with 4 and second in save percentage (.936), just behind Lethemon.
Lethemon is 4-6-2 against Michigan while Mann is 3-2-1 vs. MSU.
Forwards Patrick Khodorenko, Sam Saliba, Mitchell Lewandowski and Logan Lambdin are MSU's top scorers against Michigan. Khodorenko has eight goals and four assists for 12 points in 19 games. Saliba (5-5) has 10 points in 19 games, Lambdin (4-6) has 10 points in 18 games and Lewandowski (4-6) has 10 in 14 games.
Seniors Jake Slaker and Will Lockwood are U-M's top scorers against the Spartans. Slaker leads with three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 18 games, while Lockwood (5-6) has 11 points in 13 games. Junior Jack Becker is second in goals scored vs. MSU with four. He also has four assists for eight points in 14 games.
Offensively, Michigan is averaging 2.71 goals per game, which is 4th in the Big Ten and 31st nationally. Michigan State is averaging 2.35 GPG, 7th in the Big Ten and 48th nationally.
U-M's power play is converting on 17.9 percent of its chances, 5th in the Big Ten and 35th in the nation. MSU's power-play percentage is 18.9, 4th in the Big Ten and 29th overall.
On defense, Michigan led the Big Ten with 2.12 goals-against average, while MSU was third at 2.41. The Wolverines' penalty killing is at 83.0 percent, 2nd in the conference and 20th in the nation. The Spartans penalty killing is at 82.2 percent, 4th in the Big Ten 23rd overall.
Michigan State is 10-2-2 when leading after two periods and 3-13-0 when trailing. Michigan is 15-3-1 when leading after the second period and 0-7-1 when behind.
The Spartans are 10-2-2 when scoring first and 4-14-0 when their opponent scores first. The Wolverines are 14-5-1 when scoring the first goal and 2-9-2 when the opposition scores first.
Neither team is ranked in the USCHO top 20 or the USA Hockey/USA Today top 15. In the always fluctuating Pairwise Rankings, which mimic the formula used by the NCAA Hockey Committee to select the 10 at-large teams in the 16-team NCAA Tournament and to seed the teams, Michigan is No. 17 and Michigan State is No. 25.
To make the NCAA Tournament, it appears both MSU and U-M need to win the Big Ten playoff title to earn the automatic berth into the tournament.
LAMBDIN IS BIG TEN'S 2ND STAR: Senior forward Logan Lambdin had a goal and an assist in both games at Notre Dame last weekend and he was selected as the Big Ten's Second Star.
Lambdin, 24, a 5-8, 173-pound left wing from Newport, Mich., scored MSU's third goal late in the second period of last Friday's 3-1 victory over the Irish. Earlier in the period, he assisted on Dennis Cesana's goal that gave MSU a 2-1 lead.
In Saturday's 2-2 tie, Lambdin gave his team a 1-0 lead early in the second period when he fired in a rebound after Cesana's shot caromed off the crossbar and post and bounced right to Lambdin.
Early in the third period, Lambdin teamed with freshman Josh Nodler to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead, in a game that would end in a 2-2 tie. Nodler took a long pass from Jagger Joshua near the blue line on the left, he skated into the middle, dropped the puck off to the onrushing Lambdin, who went left and passed into the crease area where Nodler reached out and shot it into the net.
Lambdin is MSU's fourth-leading scorer with seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points, which ties him with Sam Saliba (10-7).
Spartan has been selected as one of the week's three stars seven times this season, and all have been either the No. 1 or No. 2 stars.
This week, goaltender Strauss Mann of Michigan was named the First Star and Wisconsin forward Alex Turcotte was the Third Star.
IN THE BIG TEN: Two other quarterfinal series are set for Friday-Sunday. No. 2 Ohio State is home against No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 4 Minnesota plays host to No. 5 Notre Dame.
Penn State won the regular-season championship and earns a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Nittany Lions will host a semifinal against the lowest seed from the three winners of quarterfinal series on March 14.
Wisconsin defeated and tied Ohio State, 3-2 and 3-3, last week and captured the season series, 2-1-1. The Badgers are 3-1-1 in their last five games and 4-5-1 in the last 10. The Buckeyes are 2-2-1 in their last five and 3-5-2 in the last 10 games.
Wisconsin has won one Big Ten playoff title – in 2014 with a 5-4 overtime win over Ohio State in St. Paul, Minn. The Badgers played in the 2017 championship game in Detroit, losing to Penn State, 2-1 in two overtimes.
The Buckeyes have played in the title game twice, but lost in overtime each time – 5-4 to Wisconsin in 2014 and 3-2 at Notre Dame in 2018.
Minnesota is 1-2-2 in its last five games and 4-3-3 in the past 10. Notre Dame is 2-2-1 in the last five and 4-3-3 in the last 10 games.
The Gophers and Irish split their season series at 1-1-2 with Notre Dame tying and winning in Minneapolis in November and Minnesota tying and winning at Notre Dame in mid-February.
The Gophers have been in the championship game two times and captured one title. They defeated Michigan 4-2 in Detroit in 2015 and lost to the Wolverines, 5-3, in 2016 in St. Paul.
Notre Dame, which has only been in the Big Ten for three seasons, is a perfect 2-0 in championship games. The Irish topped Ohio State, 3-2 in overtime, in 2018 at Notre Dame, and edged Penn State, 3-2, last year, also in Notre Dame, Ind.
The Irish are 6-0 in the Big Ten Tournament. The Gophers are 5-6.
Notre Dame goalie Cale Morris was selected as the Most Outstanding Player in each of the last two tournament.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
ANN ARBOR – The first time Michigan State and Michigan played in November, it was all about the rivalry.
The last time the Spartans and Wolverines got together, which was three weeks ago, it was about positioning in the Big Ten standings, and, of course, with the rivalry still there simmering as a subplot.
This weekend, MSU and U-M are playing for the 5th and 6th times – and maybe even a 7th – this season. And the stakes are so much higher.
It's about survival and playing next week in the Big Ten semifinals with a chance of winning the conference playoff title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
Rivalry? For sure, that's there, too. Bragging rights will be more about "we're moving on; your season is over.'' And then quickly the focus will be on a new opponent, a new challenge in a one-game matchup in the semifinals.
Michigan State senior defenseman Jared Rosburg and senior right wing Sam Saliba have played 19 games against Michigan.
Now they're ready and eager for two or three more – and the most important games they'll play against the Wolverines in their four-year careers as Spartans.
"It's always fun. I love playing these guys. I'm always down for a battle, and that's what you get when you play these guys,'' Rosburg said. "Every time is just as much fun as the last time.''
The No. 6 seeded Spartans (15-17-2 overall, 11-11-2-0 Big Ten) and No. 3 seeded Wolverines (16-14-4, 11-10-3-2) meet in a best-of-three Big Ten quarterfinal series at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and, if necessary, at 6 p.m. Sunday at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor.
"Before, every game was the most important game. And now these are … if we don't get it done, we go home,'' Rosburg said. "There's definitely more importance to these games.''
MSU and U-M have played four times this season and each team won two games with impressive sweeps.
The Spartans earned back-to-back victories in November – 4-3 in Ann Arbor and 3-0 at Munn Arena. The Wolverines got revenge in mid-February with a 5-1 victory at Munn Arena and a 4-1 win at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
"You try to keep it the same as you would with any other team in the Big Ten, but obviously, it being a rivalry, it's more important and I think that's good for us,'' said Saliba, the Spartans' co-captain. "The last time we played them, it left a sour taste in our mouth so we're happy to get another opportunity to play them again.''
Both teams are coming off regular-season ending series on the road in which they won and tied.
Michigan State earned four of six points at Notre Dame with a 3-1 victory and 2-2 tie, but lost the shootout and extra point in the Big Ten standings and fell short of moving up from sixth place.
Michigan tied Minnesota 2-2 and won the shootout 1-0 to earn two points in the series opener and then edged the Gophers 2-1 in the series finale to grab five of six points and end up in a three-way tie for second place in the final standings.
Both teams are 1-2-1 in their last four games, but Michigan is still the hottest Big Ten team entering the playoffs. The Wolverines are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and 9-3-2 since Jan. 1.
On Dec. 1, U-M was 4-9-2 overall and 0-6-1 in the Big Ten.
"Every team over the course of the season is trying to get better and they've definitely improved,'' Rosburg said. "They didn't have (forward Will) Lockwood the first time we played, and I think he's an important cog in their team. They definitely have more confidence and are playing good hockey right now. We're looking forward to the challenge.''
Rosburg and Saliba and their fellow seniors are 6-8-5 against Michigan in the last four years.
For about the last 30 years, Michigan has been known for its high-powered offense and not so much about defense. This season, however, the Wolverines' defense, led by goaltender Strauss Mann, is their main strength.
Michigan finished the regular season with the No. 1 defense in the Big Ten with a team goals-against average of 2.12, which ranks No. 8 in the nation.
The Wolverines still play an up-tempo style and have some very skilled forwards, but the offense has been inconsistent. In back-to-back series against Wisconsin and Michigan State last month, Michigan scored 22 goals in four games – 13 in a sweep of the Badgers and nine in two wins over the Spartans.
But in the last four games against Notre Dame and Minnesota, the Wolverines have scored only four. They lost 2-1 and 3-0 vs. Notre Dame and tied and topped the Gophers, 2-2 and 2-1.
U-M is averaging 2.41 goals-per-game, which in 4th in the Big Ten and 31st in the nation.
"The biggest thing I noticed was their puck support. Defensively, they do a better job of closing,'' Saliba said. "They do a good job of kind of smothering you. It's something we're used to from playing teams like Notre Dame and Ohio State.
"We just have to stick to our game plan, get pucks behind them and win a lot of battles.''
Michigan may not have great offensive statistics but MSU coach Danton Cole still views the Wolverines as a dangerous team offensively.
"You still have to deal with them in transition. They're fast, they put pucks on net and they attack you on the edges very well,'' he said. "We have to do a better job not just from their blue line back but their blue line in with our forecheck and keeping the puck in the offensive zone and getting more pucks on their goalie (Strauss Mann).
"He's a very good goalie and had another great weekend at Minnesota. He's kind of like Cale Morris (of Notre Dame). If he sees it, he's going to make the save – just like John (Lethemon).
"For us, it's get some traffic, get some pucks in there and deal with their transition game. They play a little different in the neutral zone than most teams so we have to make sure we deal with that. And again, don't feed their transition.''
Michigan State is skating into the postseason on an upbeat note despite not achieving their goal of a home playoff berth last weekend at Notre Dame.
The Spartans played two strong games, didn't lose to a team that was also playing for a top-four finish and home ice for the playoffs, and almost came away with a solid road sweep.
"We loved the way we played. We were really happy with it,'' Saliba said. "Taking four of six points and being five minutes away from sweeping, we get very positive energy off the weekend, especially after the two weeks with Michigan and Ohio State and not getting any points.
"We like where our game is at. If we go in there with that intensity, we're going to be all right.''
Over the last four seasons, Michigan State is 3-2-1 at Yost Arena, including a 4-3 come-from-behind victory in Ann Arbor on Nov. 14 this season.
Michigan has been a little better on the road than at home. In Big Ten games, the Wolverines are 4-6-1 at home and 6-4-2 on enemy ice. Overall, U-M is 7-7-2 at Yost Arena, 7-6-2 on the road and 2-1 on neutral ice (Little Caesars Arena.).
Michigan State has won road games in every Big Ten rink except one – Ohio State. The Spartans are 5-5-1 on the road in conference games and 6-5-1 at home. Overall, MSU is 7-7-1 on the road and 7-8-1 at Munn Arena.
The Spartans own victories at Northern Michigan (5-3), Colorado College (5-1), Penn State (2-0), Michigan (4-3), Wisconsin (4-0), Minnesota (4-2) and Notre Dame (3-1).
"Everybody knows the stakes are the highest this weekend with it being the playoffs and especially against Michigan,'' Saliba said. "The way we approach it is how we've been doing it all season.
"It's the next-game mentality and a good week of practice. Yost is a very hard environment so it's going to be fun. The crowd will be loud. We're excited.''
A look at the final Big Ten standings shows that only six points separated first-place Penn State (41 points) and sixth-place Michigan State (35). That's a difference of two victories. The Spartans were three points away from three second-place teams – Ohio State, Michigan and Minnesota.
"This year in the Big Ten has been pretty crazy. It's good to see parity across the league,'' Rosburg. "You look at (last-place) Wisconsin. They had a heck of a weekend (a win and tie at Ohio State).
"So, any team can win the tournament. It's just who gets hot at the right time, who plays well the next couple weeks. We're excited, every team is excited, and it should be fun to be a part of it.''
Over the last two seasons when the Big Ten changed the tournament format to on-campus first-round series and on campus semifinals and final, a road team has not won a first-round best-of-three series. In six series, the home team has prevailed – five sweeps and one series that went three games.
There's a good chance that could change this weekend as Wisconsin, Michigan State, Notre Dame take to the road to visit Ohio State, Michigan and Minnesota, respectively.
"We're in the thick of it. I don't think if you talk to any of the Big Ten coaches, that there's not one team that doesn't have a legitimate chance of winning it,'' Cole said. "There's not a team in the league that is intimidated by anyone or any building.
"What an incredible opportunity. That's the way we presented it (to the players) – be excited, love the opportunity and let's play our best hockey of the year this weekend.''
THE RIVALRY: Michigan holds a 167-137-24 lead in the series but the Spartans hold a 15-9 edge in all-time postseason play. The last time MSU and U-M met in a postseason game was on March 20, 2015, at Joe Louis Arena – a 4-1 Wolverines victory in a Big Ten semifinal.
The last time these teams played against each other in a postseason game in Ann Arbor was on March 3, 1966 – a 3-2 Spartan victory at the Michigan Coliseum in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament. Michigan State went on to win the NCAA title two weeks later.
U-M and MSU joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in 1981-82 and the two teams met in a CCHA two-games, total goals, first round series in 1985-86 and 1986-87 at Munn Arena. The Spartans won both series, 4-3 and 5-2 (9-5 total goals) in 1886 and 8-7 in overtime and 6-3 (14-10) in 1987.
In seven meetings in the CCHA Tournament at Joe Louis Arena, MSU was 3-4 against the Wolverines.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: Four of their top scorers are seniors. Senior Jake Slaker leads U-M in goals and points with 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 31 games. Senior Will Lockwood is second with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 31 games. Senior Nick Pastujov (8-8) and freshman defenseman Cam York (5-11) are tied for third with 16 points. Senior Jacob Hayhurst (8-6), freshman Johnny Beecher (7-7) and sophomore defenseman Nick Blankenburg (4-10) are tied for fifth in scoring with 14 points.
Michigan's defense is led by York and Blankenburg, seniors Luke Martin and Griffin Luce and sophomore Jack Summers.
In goal, sophomore Strauss Mann won the starting job over senior Hayden Lavigne early in the season and has started 33 of 34 games.
STATS COMPARISONS: The series matches two of the best goaltenders in the Big Ten and in the nation in Michigan State senior John Lethemon and Michigan sophomore Strauss Mann.
Lethemon, 23, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Northville, Mich., leads the Big Ten in save percentage (.936) and shutouts (5) and has the second-best goals-against-average (2.10). His save percentage is 4th in the nation and his 5 shutouts are tied for second.
Mann, 21, 6-0, 175, from Greenwich, Conn., led the Big Ten with a 1.97 GAA and is second in shutouts with 4 and second in save percentage (.936), just behind Lethemon.
Lethemon is 4-6-2 against Michigan while Mann is 3-2-1 vs. MSU.
Forwards Patrick Khodorenko, Sam Saliba, Mitchell Lewandowski and Logan Lambdin are MSU's top scorers against Michigan. Khodorenko has eight goals and four assists for 12 points in 19 games. Saliba (5-5) has 10 points in 19 games, Lambdin (4-6) has 10 points in 18 games and Lewandowski (4-6) has 10 in 14 games.
Seniors Jake Slaker and Will Lockwood are U-M's top scorers against the Spartans. Slaker leads with three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 18 games, while Lockwood (5-6) has 11 points in 13 games. Junior Jack Becker is second in goals scored vs. MSU with four. He also has four assists for eight points in 14 games.
Offensively, Michigan is averaging 2.71 goals per game, which is 4th in the Big Ten and 31st nationally. Michigan State is averaging 2.35 GPG, 7th in the Big Ten and 48th nationally.
U-M's power play is converting on 17.9 percent of its chances, 5th in the Big Ten and 35th in the nation. MSU's power-play percentage is 18.9, 4th in the Big Ten and 29th overall.
On defense, Michigan led the Big Ten with 2.12 goals-against average, while MSU was third at 2.41. The Wolverines' penalty killing is at 83.0 percent, 2nd in the conference and 20th in the nation. The Spartans penalty killing is at 82.2 percent, 4th in the Big Ten 23rd overall.
Michigan State is 10-2-2 when leading after two periods and 3-13-0 when trailing. Michigan is 15-3-1 when leading after the second period and 0-7-1 when behind.
The Spartans are 10-2-2 when scoring first and 4-14-0 when their opponent scores first. The Wolverines are 14-5-1 when scoring the first goal and 2-9-2 when the opposition scores first.
Neither team is ranked in the USCHO top 20 or the USA Hockey/USA Today top 15. In the always fluctuating Pairwise Rankings, which mimic the formula used by the NCAA Hockey Committee to select the 10 at-large teams in the 16-team NCAA Tournament and to seed the teams, Michigan is No. 17 and Michigan State is No. 25.
To make the NCAA Tournament, it appears both MSU and U-M need to win the Big Ten playoff title to earn the automatic berth into the tournament.
LAMBDIN IS BIG TEN'S 2ND STAR: Senior forward Logan Lambdin had a goal and an assist in both games at Notre Dame last weekend and he was selected as the Big Ten's Second Star.
Lambdin, 24, a 5-8, 173-pound left wing from Newport, Mich., scored MSU's third goal late in the second period of last Friday's 3-1 victory over the Irish. Earlier in the period, he assisted on Dennis Cesana's goal that gave MSU a 2-1 lead.
In Saturday's 2-2 tie, Lambdin gave his team a 1-0 lead early in the second period when he fired in a rebound after Cesana's shot caromed off the crossbar and post and bounced right to Lambdin.
Early in the third period, Lambdin teamed with freshman Josh Nodler to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead, in a game that would end in a 2-2 tie. Nodler took a long pass from Jagger Joshua near the blue line on the left, he skated into the middle, dropped the puck off to the onrushing Lambdin, who went left and passed into the crease area where Nodler reached out and shot it into the net.
Lambdin is MSU's fourth-leading scorer with seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points, which ties him with Sam Saliba (10-7).
Spartan has been selected as one of the week's three stars seven times this season, and all have been either the No. 1 or No. 2 stars.
This week, goaltender Strauss Mann of Michigan was named the First Star and Wisconsin forward Alex Turcotte was the Third Star.
IN THE BIG TEN: Two other quarterfinal series are set for Friday-Sunday. No. 2 Ohio State is home against No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 4 Minnesota plays host to No. 5 Notre Dame.
Penn State won the regular-season championship and earns a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Nittany Lions will host a semifinal against the lowest seed from the three winners of quarterfinal series on March 14.
Wisconsin defeated and tied Ohio State, 3-2 and 3-3, last week and captured the season series, 2-1-1. The Badgers are 3-1-1 in their last five games and 4-5-1 in the last 10. The Buckeyes are 2-2-1 in their last five and 3-5-2 in the last 10 games.
Wisconsin has won one Big Ten playoff title – in 2014 with a 5-4 overtime win over Ohio State in St. Paul, Minn. The Badgers played in the 2017 championship game in Detroit, losing to Penn State, 2-1 in two overtimes.
The Buckeyes have played in the title game twice, but lost in overtime each time – 5-4 to Wisconsin in 2014 and 3-2 at Notre Dame in 2018.
Minnesota is 1-2-2 in its last five games and 4-3-3 in the past 10. Notre Dame is 2-2-1 in the last five and 4-3-3 in the last 10 games.
The Gophers and Irish split their season series at 1-1-2 with Notre Dame tying and winning in Minneapolis in November and Minnesota tying and winning at Notre Dame in mid-February.
The Gophers have been in the championship game two times and captured one title. They defeated Michigan 4-2 in Detroit in 2015 and lost to the Wolverines, 5-3, in 2016 in St. Paul.
Notre Dame, which has only been in the Big Ten for three seasons, is a perfect 2-0 in championship games. The Irish topped Ohio State, 3-2 in overtime, in 2018 at Notre Dame, and edged Penn State, 3-2, last year, also in Notre Dame, Ind.
The Irish are 6-0 in the Big Ten Tournament. The Gophers are 5-6.
Notre Dame goalie Cale Morris was selected as the Most Outstanding Player in each of the last two tournament.
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
G
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice HockeyWednesday, September 23
Thursday, March 26
Wednesday, March 25
Sunday, March 22