Game On: Spartans and Wolverines Meet This Weekend


Michigan State (4-3-1, 1-1 B1G) vs. [3] Michigan (6-2-0, 1-1 B1G)
Dates/Times	Friday, Nov. 5, 7:30 pm \| Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Mich.
	Saturday, Nov. 6, 7:30 pm \| Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, Mich.
Tickets	Saturday: Spartan Ticket Office Ph: 517-355-1610 \| Gameday Answers
Radio	Spartan Media Network *Games air live on WJIM 1240 AM (Friday), WVFN 730 AM (Saturday)* Scott Moore (pxp) and Rob Woodward (Analysis) Broadcast on the Web: Friday \| Saturday
Television	Friday: Big Ten Network
Webstreams	Friday \| Saturday
Live Statistics	Friday \| Saturday
Game Notes	Michigan State \| M ichigan
Social Media	Facebook Twitter Instagram
Press Conference	Watch this week's Danton Cole Press Conference
Game Program	Download this week's digital game program

In line with indoor mask mandates campus-wide, all fans, media, and individuals working at Michigan State hockey games at Munn Ice Arena will be required to correctly wear a mask.

WEEKEND PARTICULARS
• Rivalry week is on tap for Michigan State hockey this week, as it undertakes a home-and-home with archrival Michigan, which is ranked No. 3 in both national polls.

• Friday night's game will air live on Big Ten Network and on the Fox Sports App. Jason Ross Jr and Fred Pletsch will call the game in Ann Arbor.

• Saturday's game in East Lansing will have a live webstream B1G+, the Big Ten Network's streaming system.

• Scott Moore and Rob Woodward will call the action on the Spartan Media Network. The game will air live on WJIM 1240 AM (Friday) and WVFN 730 AM (Saturday) in the Lansing area, as well as on the web via MSUSpartans.com.

• College hockey's most-played rivalry adds a pair of chapters this weekend when MSU and Michigan take part in their home-and-home. Friday's game will be the 333rd game in this storied rivalry, with Michigan holding a 170-138-24 edge. UM owns a 80-47-5 mark in games played in Ann Arbor, while MSU is 69-53-12 in games in East Lansing.

• The teams met just twice last year, with MSU winning the most recent game between the squads, 3-2. It snapped a five-game winning streak for the Wolverines.

• Mel Pearson is in his fifth season as the bench boss in Ann Arbor and his 11th overall as a head coach. Previously, he spent 23 seasons on the Michigan staff under former head coach Red Berenson. Pearson owns a 72-56-15 mark during his time as the head man in Ann Arbor.

TEAM NOTES
• The Spartans opened Big Ten play last weekend, splitting games at Ohio State. MSU won Friday's game 2-1, and fell in the rematch on Saturday, 5-1.

• Danton Cole won his 50th game as the Spartan head coach on Friday at Ohio State. He has won more than 500 games in his 21 seasons as a head coach (522-451-60)

• MSU has played four games on the road and four at home to open the season, and will play home-and-home series in each of its next two weekends, against Michigan and Ferris State.

• MSU has allowed 18 goals this season an average of 2.25 per game - that ranks 17th among Division I programs (fourth, B1G). MSU allowed a season-high five goals (one empty-netter) in its most recent contest against Ohio State.

• MSU ranks sixth nationally in overall attendance, welcoming 20,859 fans over four home dates. MSU's average attendance (2.515) is eighth.

• The Spartans have gone 7-for-26 (.269) on the power play this season which ranks second in the Big Ten and 11th nationally. MSU had a power play goal in each of its two games last weekend and was a combined 2-for-5.

• The Spartans have eclipsed their season total in power play goals from 2020-21, with seven That total is second in the Big Ten and 14th among Division I schools.

• MSU owns a .885 penalty kill percentage, extinguishing 23 of 26 chances against. The Spartans rank second in the Big Ten and 17th nationally on the PK.

• The Spartans have scored first in five of their eight games and own a 3-1-1 record in those contests.

• MSU blocked 33 shots last weekend at Ohio State, its second-highest weekend total behind the UMass-Lowell series (38). OSU blocked the fewest shots of any opponent this year (20).

• MSU's newcomers have contributed significantly to the team's offense, with nine team's 17 goals and 21 of 51 points so far this season.

• Michigan State is coming off a 7-18-2 record in the Covid-19-shortened 2020-21 season in which the Spartans played a Big Ten (plus Arizona State) schedule only. MSU finished seventh in the Big Ten.

• After playing just four non-conference games in 2020-21 (all against ASU), the Spartans have 10 on the schedule for the 2021-22 season. MSU played two-game sets at home against Air Force and Miami, as well as a pair on the road at UMass-Lowell last weekend. Still on the docket to come is a home-and-home with Ferris State, and the two Great Lakes Invitational games against Western Michigan and Michigan Tech.

• Michigan State returns 19 letterwinners for the 2021-22 campaign and welcomes seven new players. Of the newcomers, four come in with previous college hockey experience, and there are three true freshmen.

• Of MSU's 15 forwards on the roster, nine are returning to the Green and White from 2020-21. With the bolster of some transfers, MSU's forward corps has a combined 678 college hockey games under its belt. Seven defensemen return with 346 games played (all at MSU), and the three goaltenders have a combined 52 games played.

• MSU's four newcomers with previous experience (Chris Berger, Jeremy Davidson, Griffin Loughran, and Erik Middendorf) bring 222 man-games to the Spartan lineup, and a combined 54-62-116 scoring line. All have at least two remaining seasons of eligibility.

PLAYER NOTES - FORWARDS
• Josh Nodler was the top scorer for the Spartans in Columbus, having a hand in all three MSU tallies with a pair of goals and an assist. He scored once in each game, and assisted on Erik Middendorf's game-winner on Friday.

• Nodler shares the team lead in assists (4) and points (7), and ranks second in goals (3). He ranks tied for sixth in the Big Ten in both assists and points, and ranks 15th in points per game (0.88). He leads the team in power-play points as well (2-2--4)

• Nodler's 70 faceoff wins ranks sixth in the Big Ten, and he has won 52% of his faceoffs on the season (70-64). In the Big Ten, his 55 faceoff victories ranks sixth.

• Two of Nodler's three goals this season have come with a man advantage. He is tied with Griffin Loughran and Jeremy Davidson for second in the B1G in that category,

• Middendorf scored the game-winner for MSU on Friday at Ohio State (Oct. 29). He owns a 2-3-5 scoring line this season, and both of his goals have been game-winners. He is second in the Big Ten and fourth nationally in that category.

• Middendorf played two seasons at Colorado College before returning to junior hockey for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, where he won a Clark Cup with the Chicago Steel (USHL). He came to MSU with seven goals and 13 points in 47 contests at CC.

• Middendorf played in the USNTDP prior to heading to CC, where he played for Danton Cole in 2016-17 for the U-17 team.

• With a 4-2--6 scoring line, Jeremy Davidson has his career best in goals and points, and tied his career high with two assists this season. He played one season collegiately at UMass (2019-20) and had a goal and two assists in 22 games, then returned to the USHL to play for the Fargo Force in 2020-21.

• Davidson ranks 10th in the Big Ten in points (9), tied for third in goals (4) and is tied for second with two power-play markers. His goals per game (0.50) is sixth among Big Ten skaters.

• Mitchell Lewandowski has missed the last three games, snapping a streak of 140 consecutive career games played, the most of any active player in Division I hockey.

• Lewandowski still shares the team lead in points (7) and assists (4). He is tied for sixth in the Big Ten in points and assists (with teammate Josh Nodler) and is averaging 1.4 points per game, which would rank among lead leaders.
• Lewandowski owns the second-highest career point total among active NCAA skaters with 107. He also ranks fifth in power-play goals (18) and is tied for first in game-winners (10).

• Griffin Loughran ranks in a tie for third on the team in points (6), and recorded an assist on Nodler's power play marker last Saturday.

• Loughran is the top-scoring transfer to join the Spartan lineup this season. He scored 72 points (35 goals, 37 assists) in three years at NMU. He has played in 96 career games.

• Kristof Papp has already tied his freshman season offensive output with four assists on the season, good for sixth among Big Ten skaters in that category.

• Papp leads the team and ranks second in the Big Ten (16th nationally) in faceoff victories with 84, and owns a team-best .583 success rate.

• Senior Adam Goodsir appeared in his 100th career game at UMass-Lowell (10/22).

• Goodsir and classmate Mitchell Mattson wore the alternate "A"'s last weekend at Ohio State. Mattson had four blocked shots over the two games, tied for the team lead.

PLAYER NOTES - DEFENSEMEN
• David Gucciardi and Christian Krygier were the two defensemen to find the scoresheet last weekend at Ohio State. Gucciardi is the lone freshman on the Spartan blue line and he comes to East Lansing after two seasons with Waterloo (USHL). He has played in all six games with Christian Krygier as his D-partner.

• Gucciardi scored his first collegiate goal at UMass-Lowell (10/22) and recorded his first career assist on Saturday against the Buckeyes. He has 16 blocked shots, which ranks second on the team and second in the Big Ten.

• Christian Krygier appeared in his 100th career game at UMass-Lowell (10/23), and twin brother Cole has played 95. Cole leads in the Spartans in penalty minutes (21), while Christian owns team lead in penalties (8).

• Dennis Cesana is the team's top-scoring blueliner (1-2--3) and is third on the team in blocked shots (14). He had four blocks last weekend at Ohio State.

• Cesana has been one of the Big Ten's top-producing defensemen over the last three seasons. The two-time All-Big Ten selection has 61 points (13g, 48a) in 107 career games for the Green and White. He earned Preseason Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors this fall.

• Nash Nienhuis had his second career multi-point game with a pair of assists in the second game against Air Force. He is a +1 overall on the season skating in the top pair with Cesana.

• Powell Connor leads the Big Ten and ranks 10th nationally with 17 blocked shots. He has played in all eight games this season.

PLAYER NOTES - GOALTENDERS
• For the first time this season, the Spartans went with the same goaltender in a weekend series, with Drew DeRidder getting both starts at Ohio State.

• DeRidder ranks second in the Big Ten and 10th nationally with a .947 save percentage, while ranking fourth in the B1G with a 2.15 GAA (21st among Division I goalies). He also ranks second in the B1G in saves per game (25.43), which is a whisker (0.24) behind league-leading Erik Portillo of Michigan (25.67)

• DeRidder made a season-best 41 saves in MSU's 2-1 win last Friday (10/29). He owns four of the top five single-game save performances in the Big Ten this season: he also made 37 at Lowell (10/22), 36 vs. Air Force in the season opener (10/8) and 35 stops against Miami (10/16).

• DeRidder was named the Spartans' MVP and winner of the most improved player award last season. The native of Fenton posted a 2.76 GAA and .923 save percentage. DeRidder led the Big Ten in total saves with 723 and saves per game at 30.12.

• Sophomore Pierce Charleson has appeared in three games this season, He ranks third in the Big Ten with a 2.01 GAA and is third in save percentage (.933).

• Charleson made three starts and appeared in seven games for Michigan State in the crease last season. He compiled a 2.57 GAA and .938 save percentage in those contests, making 210 saves in 326:49.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chris Berger

Dennis Cesana

Pierce Charleson

Powell Connor

Jeremy Davidson

Drew DeRidder

Adam Goodsir

David Gucciardi

Christian Krygier

Mitchell Lewandowski

Griffin Loughran

Mitchell Mattson

Erik Middendorf

Nash Nienhuis

Josh Nodler

Kristof Papp