MSU Drops First Game of B1G Tourney, 4-1

Michigan State fell in a 4-1 decision to No. 5 Michigan in the first game of the three-game Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal series on Friday night at Munn Ice Arena.

Dennis Cesana opened the game's scoring less than five minutes into the contest to give the visitors a 1-0 lead, but the Wolverines scored the next four – one each in the first and third and a pair in the second period. MSU had several grade-A chances which would have pulled them closer that were turned aside by sophomore goalie Erik Portillo. The Spartans were outshot by a 28-24 margin, but had a 26-5 edge in blocked shots, a season best.

Michigan was 1-for-3 on the power play and had four different goal scorers (Matty Berniers, Luke Hughes, Luke Morgan, and Mackie Samoskevich), with senior captain Nick Blankenburg (two assists) the only Wolverine with multiple points. MSU was 1-for-2 on the man advantage.

Game two of the best-of-three series will be Saturday at 7 pm in Ann Arbor.

STATISTICS OF NOTE

Dennis Cesana scored the lone goal of the game for MSU, with Nash Nienhuis and Tanner Kelly picking up assists
Drew DeRidder had 24 saves.
MSU had a season-best 26 blocked shots in the game

NOTABLES AND STORYLINES

MSU blocked 26 shots, their season high. MSU blocked 24 in last Saturday's game against Penn State to tie its previous season best.
Nash Nienhuis had an assist on Dennis Cesana's early goal, his seventh point of the season against the Wolverines.
Cesana scored his eighth goal of the season, establishing a new career best.
Josh Nodler led MSU with four blocked shots, his career best. Nash Nienhuis, Powell Connor, Mitchell Lewandowski, Erik Middendorf, and Tanner Kelly all had three.
Tanner Kelly picked up his second assist in as many weekends and second of the season.

GAME SYNOPSIS

FIRST PERIOD: MSU got the first power play chance of the game when UM was whistled for too many men at 3:57. Less than a minute into the power play, Dennis Cesana's shot from the right circle found its way past Portillo for a 1-0 lead, with helpers going to Nienhuis and Kelly. Spartan penalties 42 seconds apart gave the Wolverines a 5-on-3 for 1:18, early in which they recorded their first shot on net. At 11:56, a shot by Matty Berniers beat DeRidder stick-side, redirecting off his blocker and into the back of the net to knot the game at 1-1.

SECOND PERIOD: The Michigan offense found its groove early in the second, putting a pair of goals on the board in the first 10 minutes. On the first, a one-timer from Luke Hughes in the high slot found its way through traffic at 3:53 and a second from Luke Morgan came at 9:31, when he batted at a puck over a prone DeRidder in the low slot for his fourth goal of the season. MSU had a pair of grade-A chances late in the period stopped by Portillo – from Lewandowski and Middendorf. MSU was outshot 15-7.

THIRD PERIOD: The Wolveirnes tacked on a goal in the early minutes of the third, capitalizing on a neutral-zone turnover. Mackie Samoskevich came up the right side and roofed the puck in a sliver of light over DeRidder's glove hand. Both teams fell into some feisty play in the period, with five penalties for each team (Including a pair of game misconducts a side) in the final two minutes of the period. MSU had a 8-6 edge in shots, but couldn't get any closer.

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Team Stats

Dennis Cesana

Nash Nienhuis

Tanner Kelly

Mitchell Lewandowski

Players Mentioned

Dennis Cesana

Powell Connor

Drew DeRidder

Tanner Kelly

Mitchell Lewandowski

Erik Middendorf

Nash Nienhuis

Josh Nodler