Neil's Notebook: DeRidder Backstopping Spartan Successes

By Neil Koepke, MSUSpartans.com staff writer

ALSO: MSU-Penn State Preview

EAST LANSING – Drew DeRidder may or may not be the best goaltender in the Big Ten. But the Michigan State senior is most certainly playing as well as anyone. He's facing lots of shots, making lots of saves – many spectacular – and helping his team win games.

When the Spartans skated into the 2021-22 season, Coach Danton Cole said there would be good competition week to week between DeRidder and sophomore Pierce Charleson to earn playing time.

Cole also said that if either goaltender plays at a high level, he could stay in the net for a stretch of games.

After splitting the duties early in the season, it looks like DeRidder has the hot hand, and he's started the last five games – a 3-2 loss vs. Michigan and sweeps against Ferris State, 2-0, 4-3, and Wisconsin, 3-2, 5-2.

DeRidder, 21, a 5-foot-10, 180-pounder from Fenton, Michigan, has started 10 games, and arguably has been the Spartans' most valuable player over the first two months of the season.

He has some impressive numbers: A 6-3-1 record, 2.08 goals-against average and a .943 saves percentage.

DeRidder's GAA is 3^rd in the Big Ten and 14^th nationally, while his saves percentage is tied for No. 1 in the Big Ten and tied for 4^th in the nation. In the last five games, he's allowed only 10 goals. In 10 games, he's averaging 34.5 saves a game.

DeRidder will likely be in goal this weekend when Michigan State tries to extend its winning streak to five and six games with a Big Ten series at Penn State. The Spartans (8-5-1 overall, 3-3-1-0-0-0 Big Ten) and the Nittany Lions (9-6-0, 1-5-0-0-0-0) meet at 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday at Pegula Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania.

"I think every year I've improved and every day I improve,'' DeRidder said. "I think (my play) is as good as I've ever played. I had a good year last year and kind of built on that coming into this year.''

The only two goalies in the Big Ten with lower goals-against averages are Notre Dame's Matthew Galajda (1.38) and Jakub Dobes (1.82) of Ohio State.

DeRidder's career at Michigan State has been filled with ups and downs and without a lot of goal support. As a freshman, he played in 17 games while then-junior John Lethemon played in 20.

DeRidder played only four games as a sophomore as Lethemon had a standout season, playing in 33 contests. Then last season, DeRidder took over as the No. 1 starter and played in 24 of MSU's 27 games. He had a 2.76 GAA and a .923 saves percentage. Charleson, in his rookie season, started three games and played in seven.

DeRidder and Charleson split the first three series this season against Air Force, Miami and UMass-Lowell. DeRidder started both games at Ohio State and they split the goaltending duties during the series with Michigan. DeRidder played the second game against U-M, and has been in the net since.

Competing every day in practice to earn weekend starts doesn't bother DeRidder.

"I don't think of it as added pressure. There's no reason to think like that, and if you do, you'll drive yourself crazy,'' DeRidder said. "I just try to stay calm and just focus on the next shot, the next game.''

Staying calm, staying square to the shooters, not moving around a lot and covering loose pucks are among DeRidder's strengths.

"I don't want to be one of those goalies that is moving everywhere and is really sporadic and chaotic,'' he said. "It's just stay calm in there, get in the way of the puck and that's all it.''

DeRidder's teammates continue to be impressed with DeRidder's work ethic, improvement and, of course, a myriad of clutch saves.

"He's just a competitor. Throughout the four years, that's what I know best about him,'' said senior defenseman and captain Dennis Cesana. "He competes every day in practice and you watch him compete for every puck – third and fourth shots.

"It shows up in games when he makes those big saves. We see it in practice so it's nothing new to us. He works hard at his craft and just tries to improve. It's good to see. He's playing hard for the boys and it's nice to be able to score more goals for him this year. I know he's thankful for that. He's busted our chops a little for more scoring and helping him out.''

DeRidder said he changed his style during his sophomore year while working with MSU assistant coach Joe Exter, who works with the goaltenders.

"I used to have my feet wide apart and that made it hard to move,'' he said. "I brought my feet in narrower and it really helped me to move everything and not have to put as much effort into the play.''

The change helped and DeRidder's game took off last season and, despite the issues around Covid 19 – no fans, odd schedule, different travel - he had an outstanding season, and was named MSU's most valuable player.

This season, with a better team in front of him, DeRidder looks even better, and he's played a major role in the Spartans' 8-5-1 start and series sweeps of Miami, Ferris State and Wisconsin.

In almost every game, he's made two or three dazzling saves, especially in the third period when winning or losing was on the line.

"Always with goalies, it's timeliness,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "You can give up goals, and any time they're bad, but there are certain times in a game when you need that big save to hold that momentum.

"And other teams are going to get chances and when a goalie can make the big save at the right time and calm things down, it's so important. And Drew's been exceptional at those times.''

Cole said he's been impressed with DeRidder's game since the start of the season.

"There are things he's done really well. He's handled rebounds and there haven't been a lot of second chances,'' the Spartans coach said. "His presence of mind has been really good. When we needed a whistle, he's been able to get the puck, and when he hasn't been able to (cover the puck), he's been able to get the puck to the netting, so we can get a whistle and slow things down.''

Cole said the coaching staff still has confidence in Charleson, who has a 2-2 record, a 3.26 GAA and an .895 saves percentage and hasn't played since the first Michigan game four weeks ago.

"We said early on that Drew and Pierce were going to battle back and forth, and especially when we got into the conference season, and if one got hot he might stay in for a while. So far Drew is carrying the mail,'' Cole said.

"We've addressed it with Pierce. He keeps himself sharp and he's going to get a chance, and if he goes on a run, we'd be perfectly comfortable having him win four or five games in a row. Right now, that's where we're at. But I'd be shocked if Pierce didn't get in one or two games before the break.'''

THE MSU-PSU RIVALRY: The Nittany Lions lead the series 18-12-4. Penn State is 10-3-1 vs. the Spartans at home, while MSU is 9-8-1 at Munn Arena. The series started with series split at Munn Arena in 2013. MSU won the first game, 5-3, on Jan. 25, while the Nittany Lions won the series finale, 3-2, on Jan. 26.

Over the last five seasons, Penn State is 13-6-1 against MSU. The teams went 2-2 against each other during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, but last year the Nittany Lions were 3-1 against MSU. The Spartans have won one game at PSU's Pegula Arena in each of the last three seasons.

SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS: The book on Penn State is that it strives to play a fast-paced game, get lots and lots of shots on goal and have plenty of traffic near the net to pounce on rebounds for more shots or just to regain possession of the puck.

Over the last few seasons, the Nittany Lions have been one of the nation's highest-scoring teams and they're usually near the top of shots on goal. Opposing coaches usually don't agree with PSU's extremely high shot totals at home, but they do agree that the Nittany Lions do put a lot of pucks on net and shoot from almost everywhere on the ice.

Two years ago, Penn State led the nation in scoring, averaging 4.54 goals per game. Last year, the Nittany Lions, missing several key forwards from previous seasons, averaged 3.56 goals-per-game – 7^th nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten.

This season, they're averaging 36.3 shots on goal, which is No. 1 nationally, and 3.47 goals-per-game, 13^th nationally and third in the Big Ten.

"They put a lot of pucks on net and play with a lot of offense and a lot of skill,'' MSU senior defenseman and captain Dennis Cesana said. "We have to be ready to defend and play hard in our own zone. They funnel a lot of pucks to the net, especially in their rink.

"They have a good environment there but we always seem to play well there. It'll be really fun. It's loud and they really pack the place. They have a good student section. Big Ten hockey is known for that, and they're definitely up there in college hockey with their student section.''

Penn State has been a streaky team thus far this season. It started 6-1 in non-conference play with its biggest win a 6-4 decision over North Dakota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game in Nashville, Tennessee. The Nittany Lions' only loss during the early stretch was a 4-1 setback against Canisius in the third game of the season.

But after the strong start, PSU lost five straight in Big Ten play. It was swept by Ohio State on the road and Michigan at home and lost the series opener at Minnesota.

Now, the Nittany Lions have won three games in a row – all on the road. They edged Minnesota, 5-3, to earn a series split on Nov. 20, and then stayed in Minnesota and won two games with the University of St. Thomas, the newest Division I program, Nov. 23-24.

The Nittany Lions are led on offense by junior forward Kevin Wall (10 goals, 6 assists, 16 points), senior transfer forward Ben Copeland (4-10-14), junior forward Connor MacEachern (8-5-13), freshman forward Ryan Kiran (4-6-10) and junior forward Connor McMenamin (2-3-5).

The defense is anchored by senior Paul DeNaples (0-3-3), one of the top defensive-minded blueliners in the Big Ten, fifth-year senior Clayton Phillips (4-4-8) and sophomore Jimmy Dowd Jr. (1-8-9).

In goal, senior Oskar Autio has a 6-4 record, a 2.52 goals-against-average and a .903 save percentage. Sophomore Liam Souliere is 3-2, with a 3.20 GAA and an .890 saves percentage.

"Penn State transitions really quick and everybody comes to the common denominator that they put a lot of pucks on net," MSU coach Danton Cole said. "They've done that forever. (PSU coach) Guy Gadowsky does a great job with that. They put pressure on you, they transition from defense to offense extremely quickly.

"They get up the ice and when they get to the red line, they're already thinking about getting the puck on net.''

Gadowsky, 54, a graduate of Colorado College, coached at Alaska Fairbanks and Princeton before becoming the first coach in the history of Penn State's varsity program. Now in his 10^th season, he has a 164-138-23 record and a 22-year coaching record of 337-336-60.

He joined Penn State in 2011-12 and coached the Nittany Lions as an independent for one season before joining the Big Ten. In eight seasons in the conference, his teams have had only two losing seasons – the first year and last season.

Over the last eight years, Penn State has won one Big Ten regular season title, one playoff championship and made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

THE STAT PACK: Michigan State's power play is converting 25% of its chances – 11-for-44 – and ranks third in the Big Ten and No. 14 in the nation. The 11 power-play goals are more than double last year's total of 5. The Spartans' penalty killers have skated off 43 of 53 opponents' power plays for 81.1%, which also ranks No. 3 in the conference and is 29^th nationally…

Mitchell Lewandowski, a fifth-year senior forward, leads MSU in scoring with five goals and eight assists for 13 points in nine games. After missing five games with an injury, Lewandowski has two goals and four assists for six points in his last four games – two wins over Ferris State and two victories vs. Wisconsin. Lewandowski has at least one point in every game he's played and has three multi-point games.

Sophomore right wing Jeremy Davidson and junior center Josh Nodler are tied for second with 11 points apiece. Davidson has a team-leading seven goals and four assists, while Nodler has four goals and seven assists. Erik Middendorf, a junior left wing, is fourth with nine points (5-4). Four of his five goals have been game-winners…

Senior defenseman Cole Krygier has MSU's second-longest point streak with four points in his last three games. He scored a goal in the second game of the Ferris State series and had one assist in the first game vs. Wisconsin and two assists in the second game. Overall, Krygier has five points (2-3) in 14 games. He's played in 100 games for the Spartans and has eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points.

IN THE BIG TEN: Finally, the teams selected to finish first and second in the preseason coaches' poll will meet for the first time this weekend.

It's No. 3/2 Michigan playing host to No. 11/12 Minnesota on Friday and Saturday at Yost Arena. The Gophers (9-7-0 overall, 5-3-0-0-1-0 Big Ten) were picked to finish in first place while the Wolverines (12-4-0, 5-3-0-0-2-0) were picked second.

Michigan heads into the weekend in first place in the Big Ten with 17 points. Minnesota is second with 16.

The Wolverines are coming off a non-conference sweep of Niagara, 6-1, 4-1, last weekend. The Gophers split a Thanksgiving weekend series at North Dakota – winning the first game, 5-1, and losing the second contest, 3-2.

In the other Big Ten series, No. 18 Ohio State (8-4-0, 4-2-0-0-0-0) plays at No. 8/8 Notre Dame (10-3-0, 4-2-0-2-0-0) on Friday and Saturday.

Wisconsin (4-11-1, 2-6-0-1-0-0) plays one game this week – an exhibition game against the U.S. Under-18 team on Thursday at the Kohl Center.

Heading into the weekend, the Big Ten standings look like this:

1. Michigan, 8 games played, 17 points
2. Minnesota, 8 GP, 16 points
3. Ohio State, 6 GP, 12 points
4. Notre Dame, 6 GP, 10 points
5. Michigan State, 6 GP, 9 points
6. Wisconsin, 8 GP, 5 points
7. Penn State, 6 GP, 3 points.

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