Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
Neil’s Notebook: Second Half Begins For Spartans on Saturday vs. OSU
1/22/2021 8:39:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING – Fourteen games down, 14 games to go.
As Michigan State heads into the second half of the regular season, the Spartans are striving for better things over the next two months.
Things like more goals, consistency, improved power play and more victories.
And so is Ohio State, MSU's opponent this weekend.
MSU, which is in 7th place in the Big Ten with 12 points, is 3-6-1 in its last 10 games. OSU, in 6th place with 13 points, is also 3-6-1. Both teams got swept last weekend – the Spartans at Penn State, the Buckeyes at Michigan.
"It was a very inconsistent six periods and a bit of an overtime,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said of his team's 3-2 and 3-1 losses. "I thought we were on our heels a bit and didn't think the energy and enthusiasm were there that you need to have.
"You're going to find games where you're under the gun and you're defending more than you want. That's just the ebb and flow of hockey games and you deal with that. A lot of it was self-inflicted.
"There are things we have to do better and there's things within control of our team. I thought in Monday's practice, if we would have played last Friday and Saturday like we practiced, we probably would have had more than one point.''
Despite losing both games, MSU came away with one point because in the Big Ten standings, teams that lose in overtime are awarded one point, while the winner earns two. A win in regulation is worth three points.
Ohio State lost both games at Michigan – 4-2 and 5-0 – and came away with zero points.
The Spartans (5-7-2 overall, 4-7-1-2-1-0 Big Ten) and Buckeyes (4-9-1, 4-8-0-0-1-0) meet at 4 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at Munn Arena. Saturday's game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
This is the second time this season that Michigan State has faced Ohio State. Over Thanksgiving weekend in Columbus, the Spartans won the series opener 3-2 on Nico Muller's goal in overtime. The Buckeyes won the second game, 4-2.
"They're similar to us in that they rely on their goaltending a lot, which we do with Drew (DeRidder). He's been unbelievable for us,'' MSU senior center and co-captain Tommy Apap said of OSU. "We're similar in that we're working on our offenses and trying to score more than two or three goals a night.
"We have to increase our offensive attack. We're strong defensively and I think they are, too.''
Indeed, both teams need to boost goal production.
MSU ranks 7th in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 1.93 goals-per-game. OSU is 6th with an average of 2.21.
Defensively, the Spartans have had more success. They're allowing 2.64 goals-per-game – and that includes one game in which they gave up 9 goals – and they're ranked No. 3 in the conference.
The Buckeyes haven't been as consistent. They're averaging 3.21 goals-per-game, despite having one of the best goalies in the Big Ten in senior Tommy Nappier.
"They're a team that's been pretty consistent in how they play. They're physical and pretty fast,'' Apap said. "Every team we play in the Big Ten is going to be competitive. We just have to be competitive the whole 60 minutes in both games.
"We've had some good periods but we've had some periods where we weren't as competitive as we should be.''
So, what can the Spartans do about improving offensively?
"It's about creating more chances. It's easy to say that but the way we have to do that is to get our forecheck going,'' Apap said. "If we get that going, (the opponent's) defense will cough up pucks more and we'll be buzzing around the net more. And we'll have more second chances.
"Once we establish our forecheck and we're relentless on it, we'll have more offense and more goals. It's all about five guys going together. If just one or two guys are on the forecheck, then it won't work. We have to have more energy and be relentless.''
While penalty killing has been one of Michigan State's strengths, along with goaltending and team defense, the power play has not.
The Spartans have scored only three power-play goals in 39 opportunities. That's 7.7% efficiency, last in the Big Ten.
MSU's last power-play goal was scored by Jagger Joshua in the second period of a 5-1 victory vs. Penn State on Jan. 4. Charlie Combs has the Spartans' other two PPGs – both at Ohio State on Nov. 28 and 29.
For sure, the power play can be a huge factor in MSU's success or lack of success in the next 14 games and into the Big Ten Tournament.
"It starts with knowing that we have to move the puck quicker and with better accuracy and that will help a lot,'' sophomore center Josh Nodler said. "We need to have a shot-first mentality and not try to find the perfect play, but getting pucks on net and moving it around and getting their penalty killers moving.
"If you look at goals that are scored on the power play, and in general, a lot aren't going to be a tic-tac-toe perfect play. Most goals are (pucks) going off somebody or from getting in the dirty areas in front of the net.
"That's one thing we'll focus on as a unit and a team. And strive to get pucks on the net and do what we need to do in terms of making sacrifices to get the puck to the net.''
THE RIVALRY: Michigan State leads the series 92-49-14 but over the last five seasons, Ohio State holds a 17-4-1 edge. During the previous five seasons – 2011-2016 – OSU led 8-7-4.
The Spartans' last five victories over the Buckeyes have been at Value City Arena in Columbus. Ohio State is undefeated in its last 10 games at Munn Arena at 8-0-2.
The last MSU victory at home against the Buckeyes was a 2-0 win with goalie Jake Hildebrand earning the shutout on Jan. 24, 2015.
One of the most memorable recent games in the series was a 7-7 tie on Jan. 4, 2019, in which the Spartans erased a 7-4 deficit with three goals in 3 minutes and 48 seconds in the last five minutes of the third period.
After a scoreless 5-on-5 overtime, which meant the game was a tie, MSU earned the extra point in the standings when Logan Lambdin scored in the 3-on-3 overtime. There were eight goals scored in the third period – five by the Spartans and three by the Buckeyes.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES: After splitting the series with MSU in late November, Ohio State also split with Wisconsin at home and Notre Dame on the road. The Buckeyes then tied and lost at home to Arizona State before the Christmas break.
They returned in January to split with Penn State, winning 6-3 and losing 5-2. OSU got swept for the second time this season last weekend at Michigan, 4-2 and 5-0. The Buckeyes were swept in their first series of the season – 4-1 and 2-1 at Minnesota – in late November.
Travis Treloar, a freshman from Norway, leads OSU in scoring with five goals and eight assists for 13 points. Sophomore Mark Cheremeta is second with 11 points (4-7) and he's followed by junior Quinn Preston (5-5-10) and senior Grant Gabriele (3-4-7).
Gabrielle scored two goals against the Spartans in November – one in each game. Treloar had one goal. He tied the first game 2-2 with a goal with 27 seconds left in the third period, setting up overtime.
Preston, freshman Joe Dunlap and junior Gustaf Westlund (empty-netter) also scored for the Buckeyes in their 4-2 win.
Senior goalie Tommy Nappier has a 4-9-1 record with a 3.01 goals-against average and a .913 saves percentage. Last season, he posted a 2.04 GAA and a .932 saves percentage. Nappier had his best season as sophomore with a 1.86 GAA and a .934 saves percentage.
Ohio State's power play ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten at 25.5%. The
Buckeyes have scored 12 goals in 47 opportunities. OSU's penalty killing is No. 4 in the conference, just below MSU. The OSU PK units have skated off 39 of 49 opponents' play plays. The Spartans' penalty killing is at 80 percent.
The Buckeyes' roster includes six seniors, five of whom have played regularly, four juniors, 11 sophomores (nine regulars), and six freshmen.
Four transfers play key roles – Cheremeta (sophomore, Boston University), forwards Colin Peters (senior Northern Michigan) and Matt Cassidy (sophomore, Quinnipiac) and defenseman Dominic Vidoli (sophomore, Boston University).
FORMER TEAMMATES, ROOMMATES: Michigan State senior forward and captain Tommy Apap and Ohio State senior forward and captain Austin Pooley were junior teammates with two different teams and lived together in their last season in juniors.
Apap, who's from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Pooley, from Dublin, Ohio, played briefly for the Fargo Force of the U.S. Hockey League in 2015-16. Apap got traded early that season to the Youngtown Phantoms, and the next season, Pooley was traded to the Phantoms.
They stayed with the same billet family and became good friends.
"I was in Fargo with him for only a short time because I was traded in November, and in my second year in Youngstown, he got traded there and we ended up living together and we became pretty close,'' Apap said. "He's a good guy, a good player and a hard-working guy.
"We don't text all the time anymore, but it's nice to catch up when I see him.''
Apap, 24, is 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. Pooley, 24, is 6-2, 210 pounds.
Apap has played in 114 games as a Spartan and has 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 career points.
Pooley has played in 124 games as a Buckeye with 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 career points.
Pooley's father, Perry, and uncle, Paul, were standout forwards at Ohio State from 1980-84. Paul is the Buckeyes' career leader in goals (114), assists (156) and points (270). Perry is tied for 10th in career points with 174 (85-89).
Paul Pooley, a former assistant coach at Lake Superior State and head coach at Providence, is in 16th season as associate coach at Notre Dame.
STATS FUN: Sophomore center John Nodler is MSU's top scorer with 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points in 14 games. There's a three-way tie for second with 8 points – grad transfer center Charlie Combs (5-3), senior right wing Mitchell Lewandowski (4-4) and freshman defenseman Dennis Cesana (1-7). Nico Muller, a sophomore center, is 5th with 1 goal and six assists for 7 points.
Cesana came into this week's games as the highest-scoring defenseman in the Big Ten with 8 points (1-7).
Drew DeRidder continues to rank second in the Big Ten in saves percentage – .931. Minnesota's Jack LaFontaine is first at .946. DeRidder's 2.49 goals-against average is No. 5 in the Big Ten. DeRidder has made the most saves in the conference – 375 in 12 games. He's averaging 31.2 saves, tops in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin's Cole Caufield entered this week's games as the top scorer in the Big Ten with 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points.
IN THE BIG TEN: Second-place Wisconsin opened its series at Penn State on Thursday with a 4-1 victory that was close until late in the third period. The No. 12/12 Badgers led 2-0 after the first period and were up 2-1 late in the third period when they scored a power-play goalie, and then added an empty-netter. The Nittany Lions outshot the Badgers, 46-30.
No. 8/9 Michigan climbed ahead of Notre Dame and into third place with a 5-1 win over the Irish in Notre Dame, Indiana. The Wolverines scored four goals in the second period and went up 5-0 early in the third. The Irish spoiled U-M goalie's Erik Portillo's shutout with a goal with five minutes left.
In a non-conference series opener, No. 4/4 Minnesota scored four goals in the first period and three in each of the second and third periods in a 10-0 rout of Arizona State.
Brandon McManus and Sammy Walker each scored three goals and Blake McLaughlin had two goals and two assists for the Gophers, who lost their No. 1 ranking this week after getting swept by Notre Dame last weekend.
Minnesota outshot the Sun Devils, 23-2, in the first period and 52-14 overall.
All three series wrap up on Friday.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING – Fourteen games down, 14 games to go.
As Michigan State heads into the second half of the regular season, the Spartans are striving for better things over the next two months.
Things like more goals, consistency, improved power play and more victories.
And so is Ohio State, MSU's opponent this weekend.
MSU, which is in 7th place in the Big Ten with 12 points, is 3-6-1 in its last 10 games. OSU, in 6th place with 13 points, is also 3-6-1. Both teams got swept last weekend – the Spartans at Penn State, the Buckeyes at Michigan.
"It was a very inconsistent six periods and a bit of an overtime,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said of his team's 3-2 and 3-1 losses. "I thought we were on our heels a bit and didn't think the energy and enthusiasm were there that you need to have.
"You're going to find games where you're under the gun and you're defending more than you want. That's just the ebb and flow of hockey games and you deal with that. A lot of it was self-inflicted.
"There are things we have to do better and there's things within control of our team. I thought in Monday's practice, if we would have played last Friday and Saturday like we practiced, we probably would have had more than one point.''
Despite losing both games, MSU came away with one point because in the Big Ten standings, teams that lose in overtime are awarded one point, while the winner earns two. A win in regulation is worth three points.
Ohio State lost both games at Michigan – 4-2 and 5-0 – and came away with zero points.
The Spartans (5-7-2 overall, 4-7-1-2-1-0 Big Ten) and Buckeyes (4-9-1, 4-8-0-0-1-0) meet at 4 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at Munn Arena. Saturday's game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
This is the second time this season that Michigan State has faced Ohio State. Over Thanksgiving weekend in Columbus, the Spartans won the series opener 3-2 on Nico Muller's goal in overtime. The Buckeyes won the second game, 4-2.
"They're similar to us in that they rely on their goaltending a lot, which we do with Drew (DeRidder). He's been unbelievable for us,'' MSU senior center and co-captain Tommy Apap said of OSU. "We're similar in that we're working on our offenses and trying to score more than two or three goals a night.
"We have to increase our offensive attack. We're strong defensively and I think they are, too.''
Indeed, both teams need to boost goal production.
MSU ranks 7th in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 1.93 goals-per-game. OSU is 6th with an average of 2.21.
Defensively, the Spartans have had more success. They're allowing 2.64 goals-per-game – and that includes one game in which they gave up 9 goals – and they're ranked No. 3 in the conference.
The Buckeyes haven't been as consistent. They're averaging 3.21 goals-per-game, despite having one of the best goalies in the Big Ten in senior Tommy Nappier.
"They're a team that's been pretty consistent in how they play. They're physical and pretty fast,'' Apap said. "Every team we play in the Big Ten is going to be competitive. We just have to be competitive the whole 60 minutes in both games.
"We've had some good periods but we've had some periods where we weren't as competitive as we should be.''
So, what can the Spartans do about improving offensively?
"It's about creating more chances. It's easy to say that but the way we have to do that is to get our forecheck going,'' Apap said. "If we get that going, (the opponent's) defense will cough up pucks more and we'll be buzzing around the net more. And we'll have more second chances.
"Once we establish our forecheck and we're relentless on it, we'll have more offense and more goals. It's all about five guys going together. If just one or two guys are on the forecheck, then it won't work. We have to have more energy and be relentless.''
While penalty killing has been one of Michigan State's strengths, along with goaltending and team defense, the power play has not.
The Spartans have scored only three power-play goals in 39 opportunities. That's 7.7% efficiency, last in the Big Ten.
MSU's last power-play goal was scored by Jagger Joshua in the second period of a 5-1 victory vs. Penn State on Jan. 4. Charlie Combs has the Spartans' other two PPGs – both at Ohio State on Nov. 28 and 29.
For sure, the power play can be a huge factor in MSU's success or lack of success in the next 14 games and into the Big Ten Tournament.
"It starts with knowing that we have to move the puck quicker and with better accuracy and that will help a lot,'' sophomore center Josh Nodler said. "We need to have a shot-first mentality and not try to find the perfect play, but getting pucks on net and moving it around and getting their penalty killers moving.
"If you look at goals that are scored on the power play, and in general, a lot aren't going to be a tic-tac-toe perfect play. Most goals are (pucks) going off somebody or from getting in the dirty areas in front of the net.
"That's one thing we'll focus on as a unit and a team. And strive to get pucks on the net and do what we need to do in terms of making sacrifices to get the puck to the net.''
THE RIVALRY: Michigan State leads the series 92-49-14 but over the last five seasons, Ohio State holds a 17-4-1 edge. During the previous five seasons – 2011-2016 – OSU led 8-7-4.
The Spartans' last five victories over the Buckeyes have been at Value City Arena in Columbus. Ohio State is undefeated in its last 10 games at Munn Arena at 8-0-2.
The last MSU victory at home against the Buckeyes was a 2-0 win with goalie Jake Hildebrand earning the shutout on Jan. 24, 2015.
One of the most memorable recent games in the series was a 7-7 tie on Jan. 4, 2019, in which the Spartans erased a 7-4 deficit with three goals in 3 minutes and 48 seconds in the last five minutes of the third period.
After a scoreless 5-on-5 overtime, which meant the game was a tie, MSU earned the extra point in the standings when Logan Lambdin scored in the 3-on-3 overtime. There were eight goals scored in the third period – five by the Spartans and three by the Buckeyes.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES: After splitting the series with MSU in late November, Ohio State also split with Wisconsin at home and Notre Dame on the road. The Buckeyes then tied and lost at home to Arizona State before the Christmas break.
They returned in January to split with Penn State, winning 6-3 and losing 5-2. OSU got swept for the second time this season last weekend at Michigan, 4-2 and 5-0. The Buckeyes were swept in their first series of the season – 4-1 and 2-1 at Minnesota – in late November.
Travis Treloar, a freshman from Norway, leads OSU in scoring with five goals and eight assists for 13 points. Sophomore Mark Cheremeta is second with 11 points (4-7) and he's followed by junior Quinn Preston (5-5-10) and senior Grant Gabriele (3-4-7).
Gabrielle scored two goals against the Spartans in November – one in each game. Treloar had one goal. He tied the first game 2-2 with a goal with 27 seconds left in the third period, setting up overtime.
Preston, freshman Joe Dunlap and junior Gustaf Westlund (empty-netter) also scored for the Buckeyes in their 4-2 win.
Senior goalie Tommy Nappier has a 4-9-1 record with a 3.01 goals-against average and a .913 saves percentage. Last season, he posted a 2.04 GAA and a .932 saves percentage. Nappier had his best season as sophomore with a 1.86 GAA and a .934 saves percentage.
Ohio State's power play ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten at 25.5%. The
Buckeyes have scored 12 goals in 47 opportunities. OSU's penalty killing is No. 4 in the conference, just below MSU. The OSU PK units have skated off 39 of 49 opponents' play plays. The Spartans' penalty killing is at 80 percent.
The Buckeyes' roster includes six seniors, five of whom have played regularly, four juniors, 11 sophomores (nine regulars), and six freshmen.
Four transfers play key roles – Cheremeta (sophomore, Boston University), forwards Colin Peters (senior Northern Michigan) and Matt Cassidy (sophomore, Quinnipiac) and defenseman Dominic Vidoli (sophomore, Boston University).
FORMER TEAMMATES, ROOMMATES: Michigan State senior forward and captain Tommy Apap and Ohio State senior forward and captain Austin Pooley were junior teammates with two different teams and lived together in their last season in juniors.
Apap, who's from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Pooley, from Dublin, Ohio, played briefly for the Fargo Force of the U.S. Hockey League in 2015-16. Apap got traded early that season to the Youngtown Phantoms, and the next season, Pooley was traded to the Phantoms.
They stayed with the same billet family and became good friends.
"I was in Fargo with him for only a short time because I was traded in November, and in my second year in Youngstown, he got traded there and we ended up living together and we became pretty close,'' Apap said. "He's a good guy, a good player and a hard-working guy.
"We don't text all the time anymore, but it's nice to catch up when I see him.''
Apap, 24, is 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. Pooley, 24, is 6-2, 210 pounds.
Apap has played in 114 games as a Spartan and has 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 career points.
Pooley has played in 124 games as a Buckeye with 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 career points.
Pooley's father, Perry, and uncle, Paul, were standout forwards at Ohio State from 1980-84. Paul is the Buckeyes' career leader in goals (114), assists (156) and points (270). Perry is tied for 10th in career points with 174 (85-89).
Paul Pooley, a former assistant coach at Lake Superior State and head coach at Providence, is in 16th season as associate coach at Notre Dame.
STATS FUN: Sophomore center John Nodler is MSU's top scorer with 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points in 14 games. There's a three-way tie for second with 8 points – grad transfer center Charlie Combs (5-3), senior right wing Mitchell Lewandowski (4-4) and freshman defenseman Dennis Cesana (1-7). Nico Muller, a sophomore center, is 5th with 1 goal and six assists for 7 points.
Cesana came into this week's games as the highest-scoring defenseman in the Big Ten with 8 points (1-7).
Drew DeRidder continues to rank second in the Big Ten in saves percentage – .931. Minnesota's Jack LaFontaine is first at .946. DeRidder's 2.49 goals-against average is No. 5 in the Big Ten. DeRidder has made the most saves in the conference – 375 in 12 games. He's averaging 31.2 saves, tops in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin's Cole Caufield entered this week's games as the top scorer in the Big Ten with 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points.
IN THE BIG TEN: Second-place Wisconsin opened its series at Penn State on Thursday with a 4-1 victory that was close until late in the third period. The No. 12/12 Badgers led 2-0 after the first period and were up 2-1 late in the third period when they scored a power-play goalie, and then added an empty-netter. The Nittany Lions outshot the Badgers, 46-30.
No. 8/9 Michigan climbed ahead of Notre Dame and into third place with a 5-1 win over the Irish in Notre Dame, Indiana. The Wolverines scored four goals in the second period and went up 5-0 early in the third. The Irish spoiled U-M goalie's Erik Portillo's shutout with a goal with five minutes left.
In a non-conference series opener, No. 4/4 Minnesota scored four goals in the first period and three in each of the second and third periods in a 10-0 rout of Arizona State.
Brandon McManus and Sammy Walker each scored three goals and Blake McLaughlin had two goals and two assists for the Gophers, who lost their No. 1 ranking this week after getting swept by Notre Dame last weekend.
Minnesota outshot the Sun Devils, 23-2, in the first period and 52-14 overall.
All three series wrap up on Friday.
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice HockeyFriday, October 02
Wednesday, September 23
Thursday, March 26
Wednesday, March 25