Michigan State University Athletics
Neil’s Notebook: Spartans Respond with Gutsy Effort, But Fall Short in Finale
1/31/2021 8:22:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
With three top-six forwards and a veteran defenseman missing from the lineup, Michigan State responded with a gritty, gutty, hard-working effort against No. 13/13 Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans played with a lot of energy and heart and were tied 1-1 midway through the third period.
But MSU's bid to pull off a huge upset came up short when the highly skilled Badgers struck for two power-play goals in the last eight minutes and emerged with a 4-1 victory and Big Ten series sweep at La Bahn Arena in Madison, Wis.
"The guys battled tremendously hard. With as short of a lineup as we had, the guys jumped in and played well,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "With eight minutes to go, it was 1-1 and we had some things going.''
The Spartans (6-10-2 overall, 5-10-1-2-1-0, Big Ten) - were vastly improved from Friday's 6-0 loss to the Badgers (11-7-0, 9-5-0-0-1-0) despite playing without two more key players – left wing Jagger Joshua (suspension) and center Nino Muller (injury). Left wing Charlie Combs and defenseman Cole Krygier missed both games of the series with lingering injuries.
MSU was much better defensively, holding the Badgers' top players in check until late, and creating more offensive chances than it did Friday.
Cole liked the way his team responded to the adversity of playing without so many key players against one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation.
"First and foremost, it was the intensity and guts that the guys played with,'' he said. "We had three of our top six forwards and one of our top four defensemen out. Wisconsin is a tough matchup when you have everyone going. But the guys battled and battled.''
The turning point Saturday was when freshman defenseman Aiden Gallacher was assessed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for checking from behind along the boards at 11:24 of the third period.
Wisconsin capitalized with power-play goals at 12:29 by Ty Pelton-Byce and at 14:33 by Cole Caufield to take a 3-1 lead. Caufield scored into an empty net 33 seconds left.
"It was a tough penalty to take at that time. We've got to go stick on puck there and corral the guy, not roll into him,'' Cole said. "I didn't think it was a (major), but regardless, it was a tough time.''
The Badgers outshot the Spartans, 40-18, but they had far fewer Grade A scoring chances Saturday than they did in the series opener.
"We did a much better job of taking away time and space and recognizing what kind of forecheck we were in,'' Cole said. "Yesterday, we were getting caught on the wrong side of it and chasing 3-on-2s, and we just didn't see as many as those today.
"We did a much better job defensively and have a much better feeling coming out of the game.
"We have to get it through our heads that we have to play both games (in a series) that way to give ourselves a chance to win. Sometimes, just a chance to win one.''
MSU goalie Drew DeRidder had a brilliant game, making 37 saves to keep his team in contention deep into the third period. DeRidder was sharp and his defense and backchecking forwards did solid job of containing the Badgers' speedy, offensive-minded forwards.
After a scoreless first period, two of Wisconsin's top offensive guns combined on a quick 2-on-1 rush to give their team a 1-0 lead at 7:05 of the second period.
Cole Caufield made a perfect pass from close in to Linus Weissbach for re-direct at the left edge of the crease.
The goal stood up until early in the third period when Mitchell Lewandowski tied it at 3:24 when his wrist shot from the left circle rocketed past Wisconsin goalie Cameron Rowe and caught the top right corner.
Defensemen Dennis Cesana and Nash Nienhaus assisted.
Wisconsin was 2-for-4 on the power play while Michigan State was 0-for-2. The Spartans had their own five-minute power play for the last three minutes of the first period and the first two minutes of the second.
Badgers' forward Ryder Donovan was called for checking from behind and a game misconduct at 17:03. MSU had three shots on goal during the extended power play but failed to score.
Wisconsin's top players once again played major roles in the victory. Cole Caufield had two goals and two assists, Weissbach had a goal and two assists, and Dylan Holloway had two assists.
Caufield, who had two goals on Friday, has a nation-leading 14 goals in 18 games. Caufield has 28 points and shares the NCAA scoring lead with Odeen Tufto (4-24-28) of Quinnipiac.
The second-place Badgers play two of their biggest series of the season over the next two weekends. They play at first-place Minnesota, which holds a five-point lead, next weekend and then face third-place Michigan in Ann Arbor, Feb. 13-14.
UP NEXT FOR MSU: The Spartans are idle next weekend and their next scheduled game is Feb. 9 at Michigan. But there is a chance the game with the Wolverines will be postponed because U-M's athletic teams are shut down until Feb. 6 because of COVID issues.
If the Spartans don't play Michigan, their next games will be against Arizona State in a non-conference series, Feb. 14-15, at Munn Arena.
Then, after a road trip to Minnesota, Feb. 20-21, MSU will close out the season with five home games – Notre Dame, Feb. 27-28; Wisconsin, March 5-6, a single game vs. Michigan, March 10, and then a make-up date against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.
Michigan already needs to make up next week's postponed home series vs. Penn State.
There are no Big Ten games scheduled for the weekend of March 12-13, which has been set aside for possible make-up games.
Whenever MSU plays next, Cole expects his injured players to be recovered and ready to return to the lineup. Left wing Charlie Combs and defenseman Cole Krygier missed both games of the Wisconsin series while center Nico Muller was injured in Friday's game and sat out on Saturday.
"We have some time to get these guys healthy and be a little more of a dangerous team up and down the lineup,'' the Spartans coach said. "I feel everybody will be back by the next time we play.''
LEWANDOWSKI REWARDED: Mitchell Lewandowski, who had only one goal in his last seven games despite several quality chances, found the back of the net against Wisconsin on Saturday, tying the game 1-1 early in the third period.
Lewandowski let go with a hard, rising shot from the left circle that beat goalie Cameron Rowe to the top right corner at 3:24 to throw a scare into the Badgers.
The goal was Lewandowski's fifth goal of the season and 11th of his career against Wisconsin. He now has 11 goals and five assists for 16 points in 14 games vs. the Badgers, with two more meetings coming up in early March at Munn Arena.
"Lewie has been really good for us lately. He's been working hard in practice and setting the tone,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "He's been getting a lot of shots on net, doing the work and carrying some of the mail with Charlie (Combs) out.''
Lewandowski's last goal came in the series opener at Penn State two weeks ago. From behind the goal line on the left, he fired the puck out front and it went off a Nittany Lion player and into the net, giving MSU a 2-1 lead 15 seconds into the third period.
The senior left wing has five goals and four assists for nine points in 18 games. He's tied for second in team scoring with linemate Josh Nodler (2-7-9).
Defenseman Dennis Cesana, who assisted on Lewandowski's goal, is MSU's top scorer with one goal and nine assists for 10 points.
"For scorers, it always feels really good when you score a goal. That was a nice one and I'm sure he feels good,'' Cole said. "You keep telling him that he's playing well and to keep banging, keep shooting, but it's nice to get something to go in. You feel a little better about yourself and it gives you some confidence.''
Cole liked the play of the Nodler-Lewandowski-A.J. Hodges line on Saturday. The unit was involved and created some good chances and tested Rowe, the Badgers' freshman goaltender.
"Nodler and Hodgins were much better tonight,'' Cole said.
The trio combined for nine shots on goal, led by Lewandowski with seven.
JOSHUA GETS 1-GAME BAN: MSU junior left wing Jagger Joshua was suspended for Saturday's game for his knee-on-knee hit on Wisconsin's Cole Caufield in the first minute of Friday's game.
Joshua was assessed only a minor penalty by the officials after reviewing the play to determine if it could be deemed as a major and a game misconduct.
But on Saturday, Big Ten coordinator of officials Steve Piotrowski reviewed the play again and felt it warranted a suspension, so Joshua was forced to sit out the series finale with the Badgers.
MSU coach Danton Cole said he was surprised by the ruling.
"He didn't stick his leg out and it wasn't charging,'' Cole said. "The guy that he hit is a quick guy and he kind of cut out a bit, so when I looked at it, I thought they made the right call last night.
"I was a little surprised. It's unfortunate because Jagger has arguably been our best player for the last little while. He's a good penalty killer, a good forechecker and brings a lot of energy and leadership to our team. We really missed him tonight.''
IN THE BIG TEN: Minnesota completed a sweep of Ohio State with a 5-2 victory over the Buckeyes on Saturday in Columbus. The No. 4/4 Gophers led 1-0 in the second period when they scored two power-play goals within 26 seconds to go up 3-0. The first power-play goal came with a 5-on-3 advantage, the second with a 5-on-4 edge.
Minnesota scored a shorthanded goal late in the second period for a 4-1 edge and added an empty-netter in the waning seconds. The Gophers won 5-1 on Friday.
First-place Minnesota maintained its five-point lead over second-place Wisconsin as both teams earned six points with weekend sweeps.
Penn State and Notre Dame split their Thursday-Friday series with each team posting an overtime win. The fifth-place Nittany Lions won 2-1 on Thursday and the fourth-place Irish prevailed 3-2 on Friday.
Michigan had the weekend off.
Next weekend, in a matchup of the top two teams in the conference, Minnesota plays host to Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday. Notre Dame is at sixth-place Ohio State, also a Friday-Saturday series.
MSU, Michigan and Penn State are off next weekend. The Spartans have a normal bye while U-M and PSU are idle because their scheduled series for Wednesday and Thursday in Ann Arbor was postponed because of a COVID-19 issues in Ann Arbor.
U-M's athletic teams were shut down for 14 days starting last Sunday.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
With three top-six forwards and a veteran defenseman missing from the lineup, Michigan State responded with a gritty, gutty, hard-working effort against No. 13/13 Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans played with a lot of energy and heart and were tied 1-1 midway through the third period.
But MSU's bid to pull off a huge upset came up short when the highly skilled Badgers struck for two power-play goals in the last eight minutes and emerged with a 4-1 victory and Big Ten series sweep at La Bahn Arena in Madison, Wis.
"The guys battled tremendously hard. With as short of a lineup as we had, the guys jumped in and played well,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "With eight minutes to go, it was 1-1 and we had some things going.''
The Spartans (6-10-2 overall, 5-10-1-2-1-0, Big Ten) - were vastly improved from Friday's 6-0 loss to the Badgers (11-7-0, 9-5-0-0-1-0) despite playing without two more key players – left wing Jagger Joshua (suspension) and center Nino Muller (injury). Left wing Charlie Combs and defenseman Cole Krygier missed both games of the series with lingering injuries.
MSU was much better defensively, holding the Badgers' top players in check until late, and creating more offensive chances than it did Friday.
Cole liked the way his team responded to the adversity of playing without so many key players against one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation.
"First and foremost, it was the intensity and guts that the guys played with,'' he said. "We had three of our top six forwards and one of our top four defensemen out. Wisconsin is a tough matchup when you have everyone going. But the guys battled and battled.''
The turning point Saturday was when freshman defenseman Aiden Gallacher was assessed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for checking from behind along the boards at 11:24 of the third period.
Wisconsin capitalized with power-play goals at 12:29 by Ty Pelton-Byce and at 14:33 by Cole Caufield to take a 3-1 lead. Caufield scored into an empty net 33 seconds left.
"It was a tough penalty to take at that time. We've got to go stick on puck there and corral the guy, not roll into him,'' Cole said. "I didn't think it was a (major), but regardless, it was a tough time.''
The Badgers outshot the Spartans, 40-18, but they had far fewer Grade A scoring chances Saturday than they did in the series opener.
"We did a much better job of taking away time and space and recognizing what kind of forecheck we were in,'' Cole said. "Yesterday, we were getting caught on the wrong side of it and chasing 3-on-2s, and we just didn't see as many as those today.
"We did a much better job defensively and have a much better feeling coming out of the game.
"We have to get it through our heads that we have to play both games (in a series) that way to give ourselves a chance to win. Sometimes, just a chance to win one.''
MSU goalie Drew DeRidder had a brilliant game, making 37 saves to keep his team in contention deep into the third period. DeRidder was sharp and his defense and backchecking forwards did solid job of containing the Badgers' speedy, offensive-minded forwards.
After a scoreless first period, two of Wisconsin's top offensive guns combined on a quick 2-on-1 rush to give their team a 1-0 lead at 7:05 of the second period.
Cole Caufield made a perfect pass from close in to Linus Weissbach for re-direct at the left edge of the crease.
The goal stood up until early in the third period when Mitchell Lewandowski tied it at 3:24 when his wrist shot from the left circle rocketed past Wisconsin goalie Cameron Rowe and caught the top right corner.
Defensemen Dennis Cesana and Nash Nienhaus assisted.
Wisconsin was 2-for-4 on the power play while Michigan State was 0-for-2. The Spartans had their own five-minute power play for the last three minutes of the first period and the first two minutes of the second.
Badgers' forward Ryder Donovan was called for checking from behind and a game misconduct at 17:03. MSU had three shots on goal during the extended power play but failed to score.
Wisconsin's top players once again played major roles in the victory. Cole Caufield had two goals and two assists, Weissbach had a goal and two assists, and Dylan Holloway had two assists.
Caufield, who had two goals on Friday, has a nation-leading 14 goals in 18 games. Caufield has 28 points and shares the NCAA scoring lead with Odeen Tufto (4-24-28) of Quinnipiac.
The second-place Badgers play two of their biggest series of the season over the next two weekends. They play at first-place Minnesota, which holds a five-point lead, next weekend and then face third-place Michigan in Ann Arbor, Feb. 13-14.
UP NEXT FOR MSU: The Spartans are idle next weekend and their next scheduled game is Feb. 9 at Michigan. But there is a chance the game with the Wolverines will be postponed because U-M's athletic teams are shut down until Feb. 6 because of COVID issues.
If the Spartans don't play Michigan, their next games will be against Arizona State in a non-conference series, Feb. 14-15, at Munn Arena.
Then, after a road trip to Minnesota, Feb. 20-21, MSU will close out the season with five home games – Notre Dame, Feb. 27-28; Wisconsin, March 5-6, a single game vs. Michigan, March 10, and then a make-up date against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.
Michigan already needs to make up next week's postponed home series vs. Penn State.
There are no Big Ten games scheduled for the weekend of March 12-13, which has been set aside for possible make-up games.
Whenever MSU plays next, Cole expects his injured players to be recovered and ready to return to the lineup. Left wing Charlie Combs and defenseman Cole Krygier missed both games of the Wisconsin series while center Nico Muller was injured in Friday's game and sat out on Saturday.
"We have some time to get these guys healthy and be a little more of a dangerous team up and down the lineup,'' the Spartans coach said. "I feel everybody will be back by the next time we play.''
LEWANDOWSKI REWARDED: Mitchell Lewandowski, who had only one goal in his last seven games despite several quality chances, found the back of the net against Wisconsin on Saturday, tying the game 1-1 early in the third period.
Lewandowski let go with a hard, rising shot from the left circle that beat goalie Cameron Rowe to the top right corner at 3:24 to throw a scare into the Badgers.
The goal was Lewandowski's fifth goal of the season and 11th of his career against Wisconsin. He now has 11 goals and five assists for 16 points in 14 games vs. the Badgers, with two more meetings coming up in early March at Munn Arena.
"Lewie has been really good for us lately. He's been working hard in practice and setting the tone,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "He's been getting a lot of shots on net, doing the work and carrying some of the mail with Charlie (Combs) out.''
Lewandowski's last goal came in the series opener at Penn State two weeks ago. From behind the goal line on the left, he fired the puck out front and it went off a Nittany Lion player and into the net, giving MSU a 2-1 lead 15 seconds into the third period.
The senior left wing has five goals and four assists for nine points in 18 games. He's tied for second in team scoring with linemate Josh Nodler (2-7-9).
Defenseman Dennis Cesana, who assisted on Lewandowski's goal, is MSU's top scorer with one goal and nine assists for 10 points.
"For scorers, it always feels really good when you score a goal. That was a nice one and I'm sure he feels good,'' Cole said. "You keep telling him that he's playing well and to keep banging, keep shooting, but it's nice to get something to go in. You feel a little better about yourself and it gives you some confidence.''
Cole liked the play of the Nodler-Lewandowski-A.J. Hodges line on Saturday. The unit was involved and created some good chances and tested Rowe, the Badgers' freshman goaltender.
"Nodler and Hodgins were much better tonight,'' Cole said.
The trio combined for nine shots on goal, led by Lewandowski with seven.
JOSHUA GETS 1-GAME BAN: MSU junior left wing Jagger Joshua was suspended for Saturday's game for his knee-on-knee hit on Wisconsin's Cole Caufield in the first minute of Friday's game.
Joshua was assessed only a minor penalty by the officials after reviewing the play to determine if it could be deemed as a major and a game misconduct.
But on Saturday, Big Ten coordinator of officials Steve Piotrowski reviewed the play again and felt it warranted a suspension, so Joshua was forced to sit out the series finale with the Badgers.
MSU coach Danton Cole said he was surprised by the ruling.
"He didn't stick his leg out and it wasn't charging,'' Cole said. "The guy that he hit is a quick guy and he kind of cut out a bit, so when I looked at it, I thought they made the right call last night.
"I was a little surprised. It's unfortunate because Jagger has arguably been our best player for the last little while. He's a good penalty killer, a good forechecker and brings a lot of energy and leadership to our team. We really missed him tonight.''
IN THE BIG TEN: Minnesota completed a sweep of Ohio State with a 5-2 victory over the Buckeyes on Saturday in Columbus. The No. 4/4 Gophers led 1-0 in the second period when they scored two power-play goals within 26 seconds to go up 3-0. The first power-play goal came with a 5-on-3 advantage, the second with a 5-on-4 edge.
Minnesota scored a shorthanded goal late in the second period for a 4-1 edge and added an empty-netter in the waning seconds. The Gophers won 5-1 on Friday.
First-place Minnesota maintained its five-point lead over second-place Wisconsin as both teams earned six points with weekend sweeps.
Penn State and Notre Dame split their Thursday-Friday series with each team posting an overtime win. The fifth-place Nittany Lions won 2-1 on Thursday and the fourth-place Irish prevailed 3-2 on Friday.
Michigan had the weekend off.
Next weekend, in a matchup of the top two teams in the conference, Minnesota plays host to Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday. Notre Dame is at sixth-place Ohio State, also a Friday-Saturday series.
MSU, Michigan and Penn State are off next weekend. The Spartans have a normal bye while U-M and PSU are idle because their scheduled series for Wednesday and Thursday in Ann Arbor was postponed because of a COVID-19 issues in Ann Arbor.
U-M's athletic teams were shut down for 14 days starting last Sunday.
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