Spartans Host Arizona State on Sunday and Monday

Games 19-20: Arizona State (5-13-2) at Michigan State (6-10-2, 5-10-1-2-1-0 B1G)
Dates | Times: Sunday, Feb. 14 | 3 p.m. // Monday, Feb. 15 | 5 p.m.
Location: East Lansing, Mich. | Munn Ice Arena
Web Stream: BTN +
Radio: TCF Bank Spartan Media Network | MSUSpartans.com & MSU Spartans app | Local: WJIM 1240-AM
Game Notes: Michigan State | Arizona State | Big Ten

On The Fly…
• The Spartans return to action for the first time in 14 days when they play host to Arizona State on Sunday and Monday at Munn Ice Arena.

• Michigan State will play seven of its final 10 regular season games at Munn.

• For the second time this season Michigan State will be playing four games in span of seven days as following the Sunday-Monday series with ASU, the Spartans will head to Minnesota for a Friday-Saturday set.

• Junior defenseman Dennis Cesana is second among Big Ten defensemen in assists with nine, while his team-leading 10 points are tied for fifth most among the league's blueliners.

• Junior Drew DeRidder has started all 18 games for the Spartans and leads the nation in total saves (572) and shots faced (614) … DeRidder's .932 save percentage ranks third in the conference and 10th in the country.

• DeRidder is one of 35 goaltenders named to the Mike Richter Award watch list ... The award is presented annually to the nation's top netminder.

• Michigan State leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the nation in faceoff winning percentage at .535 … Three Spartans rank in the top 11 in the Big Ten in winning percentage – Kristof Papp (1st; .657, 46-24); Josh Nodler (8th; .562, 172-134); Tommy Apap (11th; .557, 181-144).

• Apap (181) and Nodler (172) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Big Ten in total faceoff wins.

• Senior defenseman Tommy Miller ranks second in the Big Ten in blocked shots (50) and blocks per game (2.94).

• Graduate transfer Charlie Combs and senior Mitchell Lewandowski are tied for the team lead in goals with five apiece.

• Lewandowski enters the series with ASU with 97 career points (48g, 49a).

• Kyle Haskins leads all Spartan freshmen with five points (1g, 4a) … Haskins and defenseman Aiden Gallacher are the two Spartan rookies that have played in all 18 games.

About Arizona State
Arizona State met the USNTDP U18 team the last time out, splitting the exhibition series (L, 6-3; W, 2-1), on home ice, Feb. 4-5 … Excluding the exhibition series vs. USNTDP, ASU is 1-4 over its last five games … Freshman Matthew Kopperud leads ASU in both goals (12) and points (18) … Senior forward James Sanchez leads in assists (9) … In goal, freshman Cole Brady started both exhibition games (4.12 GAA, .891 Sv. %, 1-2-2), while junior Evan DeBrouwer (4.08 GAA, .891 Sv. %, 3-9-1) has played a majority of the team's games.

The Matchup
All six games between the Spartans and Sun Devils have been decided by two or fewer goals … MSU has held ASU to one total goal over their last three meetings … Junior defenseman Dennis Cesana leads the Spartans with four points (4a) in six career games vs. ASU.

vs. asu feb matchup

From the First Series vs. ASU, Nov. 19-20
The Spartans yielded just one goal in the season-opening set, playing to a 1-1 tie before picking up a 2-0 win … Drew DeRidder turned away 52 of 53 shots in the series … He made 30 saves in the 2-0 win, including 16 in the final period for his first shutout … Mitchell Mattson's goal in the 2-0 win was the first of his career and the game-winner … MSU posted a .583 winning percentage in the faceoff circle … Christian Krygier was on the ice for all three MSU goals in the series.

DeRidder Dominant
Junior Drew DeRidder has been a workhorse for the Spartans this season, having faced more shots (614) and made more saves (572) than any goaltender in the nation. He enters the weekend third in the Big Ten in save percentage at .932 and is fourth in GAA at 2.48.

On the season, DeRidder's save percentage has never dipped below .931 in starting all 18 games. The 2018-19 Big Ten All-Freshman team selection picked up his second shutout of the season last Sunday vs. Ohio State, turning away all 28 shots he faced in the 2-0 win.

DeRidder garnered two straight Big Ten First Star of the Week accolades earlier this season (Dec. 23 and Jan. 6). In going 1-0-1 at Notre Dame, Dec. 19-20, DeRidder made 89 total saves, making 47 and 42 stops, respectively. This past week vs. Penn State, he helped hold a Penn State team that was averaging 3.38 goals per game to one tally in each game, posting a .970 save percentage in the series.

… And Named to the Richter Award Watch List
Drew DeRidder was one of 35 netminders to be named to the Mike Richter Award watch list, it was announced by the Hockey Commissioners Association on Feb. 2. A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, scouts and media — will pare this list down to approximately 15 names and then ultimately choose the winner, to be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four.

Lewandowski Nearing 100 Career Points
After picking up a goal the last time out, senior Mitchell Lewandowski is three points away from reaching 100 for his career, entering Sunday's game with 48 goals and 49 assists in 124 games. So far this season, the native of Clarkson has five goals and four assists.

Lewandowski, the last remaining member of MSU's high-powered KHL line that also included Taro Hirose (33-83--116; 2016-19) and Patrick Khodorenko (54-66—-120; 2016-20), is looking to become the third member of that trio to reach 100 career points.

Miller's Block Party
Senior defenseman Tommy Miller is one of the nation's top shot blockers. He is second in the Big Ten in total blocks with 50 and blocks per game at 2.78, which rank third and fourth, respectively, in the nation.

His season high in blocks is seven, which he recorded Dec. 20 at Notre Dame – a game in which he also scored the game-winning goal in overtime and set up the game-tying goal in the third period.

For his career, Miller has a total of 252 blocked shots – eight shy of tying Jerad Rosburg for third most in Spartan history (since 2005-06).

Tommy Miller

Combs Contributing
Graduate transfer Charlie Combs is tied for the team lead in goals with five. Combs scored 36 goals in three seasons at Bemidji State, the 10th highest total among NCAA returners entering the year. He enters this weekend with 68 career points (41g, 27a).

The Spartans are 3-2 when Combs scores; his three goals in Spartan wins have all been MSU's first of the game.

Spartans Sign Five for 2021-22
MSU announced the signing of five players to NLIs on Feb. 9 for the 2021-22 season: eremy Davidson (Kalamazoo, Mich./Fargo Force), David Gucciardi (Toronto, Ontario/Waterloo Black Hawks), Tanner Kelly (San Diego, Calif./Muskegon Lumberjacks), Erik Middendorf (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chicago Steel) and Jesse Tucker (Longlac, Ontario/Green Bay Gamblers).

Three of the newly signed Spartans currently rank in the top 11 in the USHL in points as Middendorf (21-22--43) is third, while Kelly (12-13--25) and Davidson are tied for 11th (8-17--25). Tucker sits just outside the top-20 in the league in points (4-17--21), while Gucciardi leads Waterloo (4-12--16) and is seventh among all USHL defensemen.

Owning The Dot
Michigan State continues to be one of the top teams in the nation in the faceoff circle as the Spartans' .535 winning percentage leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the country. Tommy Apap, who is 181-144 (.557) in the dot and led the league in faceoff winning percentage last season, is one of three Spartans that rank in the top 11 in the league winning percentage. Kristof Papp is first at .657 (46-24), Josh Nodler is eighth at .562 (172-134) and Apap is 11th at .557.

Nodler has made significant improvement in the faceoff circle over his freshman season, already having won more draws (172) than he did all of last season (133).

Get Them on the Ice in OT
Sophomore Nico Müller and senior Tommy Miller have been involved in both OT goals for the Spartans this season. Miller set up Müller's OT-winner from the MSU end at Ohio State on Nov. 28, while Müller returned the favor, also in the Spartans' end, at Notre Dame on Dec. 20.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dennis Cesana

Charlie Combs

Aiden Gallacher

Kyle Haskins

Taro Hirose

Patrick Khodorenko

Mitchell Lewandowski

Tommy Miller

Josh Nodler

Kristof Papp

Jerad Rosburg