Spartans Celebrate Seniors, Alumni At Penn State Series

Michigan State (11-20-1, 5-17-0 B1G) vs. Penn State (14-17-1, 5-16-1 B1G )
Dates/Times	Friday, Feb. 25, 7 pm \| Saturday, Feb. 26, 6 pm
Location	Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, Mich.
Tickets	Spartan Ticket Office Ph: 517-355-1610 \| Gameday Answers
Promotions	Saturday: MSUFCU Night
Radio	Spartan Media Network *Games air live on WJIM 1240 AM* Scott Moore (pxp) and Rob Woodward (Analysis) Broadcast on the Web: Friday \| Saturday
Television	none
Webstreams	B1G+: Friday \| Saturday
Live Statistics	Click Here
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Penn State
Press Conference	Watch The Coach Cole Press Conference
Social Media	Facebook Twitter Instagram
Game Program	Download this week's digital game program

Effective January 1, 2022, Michigan State athletics will require spectators at all indoor athletic events to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event.
Michigan State's indoor mask mandate remains in effect for all home athletic events.
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WEEKEND PARTICULARS
• Michigan State hosts Penn State in the final weekend of the Big Ten regular season schedule. The Spartans will honor its seven-member senior class in a post-game celebration on Saturday, and will also welcome back its alumni for Saturday's game as well.

• A webstream for both games will be available on B1G+.

• Scott Moore and Rob Woodward will call the action on the Spartan Media Network. The games this week will air live on WJIM 1240 AM in the Lansing area, as well as on the web via MSUSpartans.com.

THE PENN STATE SERIES
• The Spartans trail in the all-time series with Penn State 13-19-4, but own a 9-8-1 mark against the Nittany Lions in games played at Munn Arena. The teams first met in January of 2013 prior to the creation of the Big Ten hockey conference the following season.

• MSU and Penn State have split each of the last four series played at Munn Ice Arena.

• Penn State is winless in its last six games, dating back to the final series of January when the Nittany Lions tied Ohio State (and won the shootout) in the first game of the series, lost the second, and suffered sweeps at the hands of Notre Dame and Minnesota.

• MSU split the December games in Happy Valley, with Penn State taking a 4-2 win in the first game before the Spartans rebounded with a 4-3 win on getaway day.

• Guy Gadowsky is in his 10th season as the bench boss in State College, and owns a 169-149-24 record with the Nittany Lions. He previously coached at Alaska-Fairbanks and Princeton.

• In the December series, the Spartans scored six goals from six different players in the series split. Mitchell Lewandowski had a goal and three assists, while Jeremy Davidson, Dennis Cesana, Kristof Papp, and Christian Krygier all had a goal and an assist. Both Krygier twins had goals in the Saturday game, marking the first time the brothers scored goals in the same collegiate game. Each goalie played one game - Pierce Charleson made 50 saves on Saturday after Drew DeRidder made 35 stops in the Friday tilt.

• Lewandowski is MSU's leading scorer against the Penn State, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists. Cesana shares the active team lead with eight assists and has 10 points, while Adam Goodsir has two goals and three assists. DeRidder owns a .931 save percentage and 2.53 GAA.

TEAM NOTES
• MSU Is looking to snap a 12-game skid which dates back to the start of the 2022 portion of the schedule. The Spartans have lost home series to Minnesota, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, road pairs at Wisconsin and Minnesota and to Michigan at Yost and Little Caesars Arena.

• MSU went 5-7-0 in the first half of Big Ten play, suffering two losses to Minnesota and Michigan, sweeping Wisconsin, and splitting with Ohio State, Penn State, and Notre Dame. The Spartans remain in seventh place in the Big Ten standings with 14 points, six points behind Wisconsin and trailing Penn State by three.

• With a 7-9-0 mark at Munn Ice Arena, the Spartans have as many wins at home as MSU has earned in any of the last three seasons. MSU won seven home games in both 2018-19 and 2019-20, and just five in 2020-21.

• The Spartans last had double-digit victories in their home rink in 2011-12, winning nine home games in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and eight in 2012-13 and 2017-18.

• MSU's strength of schedule (through 2/21) is rated as the eighth toughest among Division I teams. The seven Big Ten schools all occupy top-20 spots in the overall SOS rankings in Division I.

• The Spartans are 7-6 in one-goal contests and 2-5 in two-goal games - and four of those seven had an empty-net goal for the final margin. Twelve of MSU's last 18 games were either one- or two-goal efforts.

• MSU is 7-2-0 when scoring three or more goals and is 4-16-1 when held to two or less. Meanwhile, the Spartans are 7-1-1 when allowing two goals or fewer, with that one loss coming last Friday to Notre Dame (2-1).

• MSU's power play is at .222, converting on 22 of 99 chances to rank second in the Big Ten and 17th nationally. MSU has scored power play goals in each of its last four games, the most consecutive games with a PPG this season.

• Over the last four games, MSU has gone 6-for-16 on the power play (.375) after going 2-for-20 with a man advantage over the first eight games of 2022.

• The Spartan penalty kill (.815, 101-124) is fourth in the Big Ten and 29th among D1 programs. MSU was 14-for-15 (.933) against Ohio State (1/21-22) and Minnesota (2/4-5), but has allowed five extra-man tallies in 13 chances (,613) over the last two weekends.

• MSU's scoring offense is at 2.19 goals per game. Since the start of 2022 the Spartans have scored 22 goals in 12 contests (1.83).

• Through Dec. 31, MSU had scored 48 goals in 20 games (2.40 per game), but have been limited to 22 in 12 games in 2022 (1.83). The Spartans had allowed 50 goals in the first 20 games (2.50 per game) but have surrendered 41 since the start of the calendar year.

• MSU has surrendered 1,174 shots on net (36.69/game), the second-most in the country behind Mercyhurst (1,201).

• MSU ranks second behind Wisconsin (15.41) in the Big Ten in blocked shots (14.06 per game). The Spartans had 33 blocks in the series against Michigan (2/11-12), the third highest total in a weekend set behind the two series vs. Wisconsin in November (35) and January (34).

• With an average of 13.16 penalty minutes per game, the Spartans rank second in the B1G (13th nationally). MSU has had more penalty minutes than its opponent just 15 times in 32 games this season.

• Last Friday, both MSU and Notre Dame had a player disqualified and the squads combined for 56 penalty minutes. MSU had seven penalties (six for ND) in that game, but had just two penalties compared to five for the Irish on Saturday.

• In nine of MSU's 11 wins, the game-winner has come in the third period or later. In seven of the nine, the goal has been scored in the final seven minutes or OT, and five with four minutes or less remaining or in OT. The latest in regulation was a 19:40 goal that capped a three-goal third period at Ferris State. MSU's last two wins came in OT: at Notre Dame and at home against Michigan Tech in the GLI.

• Danton Cole won his 50th game as the Spartan head coach at Ohio State (Oct. 29). He has won more than 500 games in his 21 seasons as a head coach (529-466-60).

• MSU ranks seventh in overall average attendance among Division I hockey programs, welcoming 86,715 fans over 14 home dates. Its 5,420 average attendance also ranks seventh nationally.

• MSU had a pair of alums in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Justin Abdelkader was an alternate for Team USA, and is representing the US for the fifth time in his hockey career: he played for the US in the 2016 World Cup and the 2012 and 2014 World Championships, as well as capturing a bronze medal at the 2007 World Junior Championships. Meanwhile, blueliner Jake Chelios was be a member of Team China - China will utilize the roster of Kunlun Red Star, a Beijing-based entry in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for which Chelios is in his third professional season.

PLAYER NOTES - FORWARDS
• MSU shook up its forward lines between games of the first series in 2022 (vs. Minnesota 1/8-9), and it gave the newly-formed top line a bit of a jump start. Erik Middendorf and Jeremy Davidson are centered on that line by freshman Jesse Tucker. The trio has 10 goals and 17 assists in the 11 games since its formation, which includes all three Spartan goals last weekend against Notre Dame. MSU has scored 21 goals overall in that span.

• Erik Middendorf has six goals and three assists in his last 11 games. He scored twice with an assist last weekend, and now shares the team lead in goals (11) and is fourth on the team with 18 points. With four game-winning goals this season to his credit, the junior ranks seventh nationally in that category.

• Middendorf has established career bests in all offensive categories. His freshman season at Colorado College, he had a 7-4-11 scoring line.

• Jeremy Davidson scored one goal in the Notre Dame series, and has also established career bests in all offensive categories. He shares MSU's lead in goals (11), points (22), and power play markers (4, third B1G), and ranks third in assists (11). Davidson has at least one point in five of the team's last six games.

• Jesse Tucker has moved into the team's point scoring lead with two goals and 20 assists. He is MSU's leader and ranks in a tie for fourth in the Big Ten in assists and is fifth in assists per game (0.63). He also has eight more helpers than any other Spartan player.

• Tucker had an assist on each of the three goals scored against Notre Dame last weekend, and has 14 points in his last 14 games after eight points in his first 18 collegiate contests.

• Fifth-year senior and active career leading scorer Mitchell Lewandowski returned to the lineup against Notre Dame after missing the first 10 games of 2022. A player who never missed a game (135 consecutive games played) in his first four seasons, he has missed 15 games with injury this year.

• Lewandowski had an assist on Erik Middendorf's goal on Friday, and now owns a 7-12--19 scoring line in 17 games (+9). He had 11 points (4-7--11) in the 10 games after an early-season five-game injury hiatus, but has not played in a game since the GLI.

• Lewandowski ranks sixth among active Division I players in career points (121), and goals (56), seventh in game-winners (12), and eighth in power play goals (20) in 152 career games.

• Josh Nodler moved to center the line with AJ Hodges on the on the right and Lewandowski on the left. Nodler ranks fifth on the team among forwards in points (5-7--12) and has won 54.2% of his faceoffs on the year (274-232, tenth B1G), including a 14-9 record in the Notre Dame series (60.9%). He has taken the fourth-most draws of any centerman in the league (506)

• Nodler has established new career bests with five goals and surpassed his career-best output with 12 points. He also has earned career bests in power play goals (3), and doubled his penalty minutes (2-for-4).

• AJ Hodges has skated in 26 of 30 games this season, and has earned three assists in those games. He surpassed the two assists he had last year as a freshman.

• Nicolas Muller reunited on a defense-focused line with Jagger Joshua and Tanner Kelly last weekend. Muller has a 1-4--5 scoring line in 2021-22, and is second among MSU forwards with 20 blocked shots.

• Joshua, one of the team's top defensive forwards, has earned time on the power play in addition to his penalty kill duties. He had a goal and an assist in the recent Michigan series and owns a 2-5--7 scoring line, tying his career best for points. He ranks second on the team in penalties (18) and leads the squad in penalty minutes (60). He has 26 blocked shots this season, the most among forwards.

• Freshman Tanner Kelly has appeared in 30 of 32 MSU contests this season. He has scored three goals.

• Kristof Papp has more than tripled his freshman season offensive output (0-4--4) with a 2-11--13 scoring line in 2021-22. He had a goal and an assist in the Michigan series. He centered a line with Kyle Haskins and Adam Goodsir against Notre Dame.

• Papp has won nearly 60% of his draws (59.6%, 238-161) and leads the Big Ten in faceoff winning percentage. He ranks sixth among Division I centermen in faceoff winning percentage, (minimum of nine faceoffs taken per game).

• Goodsir has played in all 32 games this season, and scored his first goal of the season at Wisconsin (1/15). He has blocked 18 shots, a total which ranks third among Spartan forwards.

• Haskins has skated in 23 games, and has one assist and 11 blocked shots.

• Senior Mitchell Mattson has a goal and two assists on the year. He was 5-3 on faceoffs in the most recent Michigan series, and has compiled 13 blocked shots.

• Griffin Loughran owns a 3-9--12 scoring line with a pair of power-play markers. With 84 career points, he is second among active Spartan players (38g, 46a). He skated in his 110th career game on Jan. 7 vs. the Gophers, but has not played since the second semester began.

PLAYER NOTES - DEFENSEMEN
• Eight of MSU's 15 points in the Michigan series came from defensemen, including three of the five goals.

• Senior captain Dennis Cesana ranks fourth in the Big Ten and tied for 30th nationally in blocked shots (49), his career best. He has points in three of the last four games, including an assist in last Saturday's game vs. Notre Dame. He is fifth among Spartans in points (15) and has tied his career best with seven goals on the season.

• Cesana has been one of the Big Ten's top-producing defensemen over his career, skating in 131 career games and has compiled a 19-52--71 scoring line. He earned Preseason Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors this fall.

• Nash Nienhuis owns a 3-10--13 scoring line this year, and has more than doubled his freshman year point total (6). He has skated in all 32 games, is second on the team among blueliners in scoring, and has 27 blocked shots.

• Nash Nienhuis had a hand in all five Spartan goals against Michigan (2/11-12), with a pair of goals and three assists. He had a career-best two goals and one assist in the game at Little Caesars Arena.

• Cole Krygier has surpassed his career-best point total (11), posting four goals and seven assists. He has surpassed his scoring line he posted in all of 2019-20 (3-3--6) and has compiled 56 penalty minutes and 46 blocked shots. He missed Saturday's game after picking up a DQ for fighting on Friday.

• Christian Krygier has doubled his single-season career best points total with a 2-5--7 scoring line, scoring on a breakaway in the first game of the Minnesota series (2/4). He has 42 blocked shots, ranked third on the team behind Cesana and his brother.

• Both Krygier twins scored in the first game at Penn State (12/3), marking the first time in their Spartan careers that they lit the lamp in the same game.

• Sophomore Aiden Gallacher has appeared in 28 games for MSU this season after skating in 25 as a freshman. He has a 1-1--2 scoring line, tallied his first collegiate goal at home against Ferris State (11/11), and has 24 blocked shots.

• David Gucciardi has four goals and six assists for 10 points on the season, with 40 blocked shots. He ranks fourth among defensemen on the team in points and is tied for second in goals.

• Powell Connor has earned significant time as the season has worn on. He has played in 24 games for MSU and is fifth among Spartans with 34 blocked shots.

PLAYER NOTES - GOALTENDERS
• MSU has split its goaltending duties in 10 of 16 weekends this season, including last weekend vs. Notre Dame.

• Drew DeRidder is fourth in the B1G and is 10th nationally with 736 saves, his average of 33.45 is first both in the league and among Division I goaltenders. He ranks seventh in the Big Ten and 18th nationally in save percentage (.921).

• DeRidder's two shutouts are the second-most in the Big Ten behind Jakub Dobes of Ohio State, who has three.

• DeRidder made 27 saves in his most recent outing against Notre Dame, a 4-2 Spartan loss.

• DeRidder not only earned both of MSU's OT wins in the crease this season, but picked up assists on the game-winning goals in each contest.

• In his career, DeRidder's .917 save percentage ranks 18th among active Division I netminders, and his 2,070 saves ranks 12th.

• Pierce Charleson averages 35.80 saves per game. He is the only goaltender in the country with two 50+ - save efforts this season: he stopped 50 at Penn State (12/4) and a career-best 54 vs. Minnesota at home (1/8). His effort against the Gophers is the most saves for a Division I netminder in a game this season, and his 50 saves against the Nittany Lions ranks in a tie for fourth.

• Charleson last start came in the Friday game vs. Notre Dame (2/18) and he made 20 stops, as MSU limited the Irish to 22 shots on net, the fewest for a Spartan opponent this season. He owns the season high and season low for saves for a Spartan netminder this season

• In nine starts this season, Charleson owns a 3.43 GAA, .909 save percentage, and 3-7 record. He made three starts and appeared in seven games for Michigan State in the crease last season as a freshman, and compiled a 2.57 GAA and .938 save percentage in those contests, making 210 saves in 326:49.

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Players Mentioned

Dennis Cesana

Pierce Charleson

Powell Connor

Jeremy Davidson

Drew DeRidder

Aiden Gallacher

Adam Goodsir

David Gucciardi

Kyle Haskins

Jagger Joshua

Tanner Kelly

Christian Krygier

Cole Krygier

Mitchell Lewandowski

Griffin Loughran

Mitchell Mattson

Erik Middendorf

Nash Nienhuis

Josh Nodler

Kristof Papp

Jesse Tucker