With six games left in the season, four teams sit within two points of the Big Ten lead. Minnesota (27 points) welcomes Michigan State (25 points) to town for a rare Thursday-Friday series at Mariucci Arena. With so few games on the schedule, the Gophers will need to make the most of home ice against a streaking Spartan squad.
PREGAME NOTES
Michigan State (13-13-2 overall, 7-5-2-2 Big Ten) vs. No. 14 Minnesota (17-10-3 overall, 8-3-3-0 Big Ten)
Thursday, 8:12 p.m. CT on BTN – Mariucci Arena (10,000)
Friday, 8:12 p.m. CT on BTN – Mariucci Arena
Quick Turnaround
For the first time this year, the Gophers will play their series on Thursday and Friday night. Following an overtime thriller and trip to Penn State, Minnesota is not overly concerned with having one less day of practice.
“Obviously it’s a quick turnaround so it’s a shorter practice week,” said Seth Ambroz. “This late in the year, we don’t worry too much about getting enough practice. More just flushing out the legs and getting yourself healthy and ready to go come game time Thursday.”
Like the youngest of hockey players, some student-athletes prefer more games to the alternate: more practice.
“We’re not looking too far into the Thursday, Friday series. I kind of like it, actually. I like playing more games and less practicing so [I’m] looking forward to it for sure,” joked Brady Skjei.
Last Meeting
Things went well for Minnesota when the two teams met in early December. The Gophers dominated on Friday, winning 5-0 thanks to a goal and two assists for Mike Reilly. Saturday, the Spartans battled to force an overtime tie, eventually topping Minnesota in the shootout. The Gophers were impressed with Michigan State’s ability to rebound for the tie, something the Maroon and Gold will look to match this weekend.
“When we played them, we had the great success on Friday night but they came out firing on all cylinders and everyone was working hard on that team,” said Seth Ambroz. “I think if we can do that, if we can match their work ethic, if not work even harder. I think, for us, we’ll have the ability to have our talent also take over and the skill that we have but they’ve been playing really well of late.”
In East Lansing, the Gophers found success with the extra men. Minnesota went an incredible five-of-nine on the powerplay against the Spartans.
“When we were able to win and tie out there, we were able to do that with special teams,” said Don Lucia. “We didn’t score a lot of 5-on-5. We’ve got to find a way to score some goals this weekend.”
Since Then
The Spartans have hit their stride since they last faced the Golden Gophers. Michigan State is 8-4-2 since its shootout win against Minnesota in early December. Mackenzie MacEachern (5g-3a-8p) and Matt Berry (1g-7a-8p) have paced the Spartan’s offense the last eight Big Ten games, while goalie Jake Hildebrand has consistently been one of the best goalies in the nation.
“They’ve been just as hot as we have,” said Seth Ambroz. “They’re a whole different team than what we saw early on in the year and it’ll be a lot of fun to play them.”
Dependable Backstop
Goaltender, Jake Hildebrand, is one of the main reasons for Michigan State remaining in the Big Ten title hunt this late in the season. The junior leads the conference with a .926 save percentage and, just as impressive, a 2.18 goals against average.
“Number one, their goaltender’s really good,” said Lucia. “Hildebrand’s had a great career and he’s having another outstanding season.”
Hildebrand’s strong play helps his teammates to play their game in front of him.
“We know Michigan State’s got a very solid goaltender in Hildebrand,” said Skjei. “I think we’re mostly focused on our game and improving on our parts of the game. They’re obviously a solid team. We’re not looking too far into their defense; we’re just more focused on us.”
Scouting The Spartans
Aside from having the top goalie in the conference, Michigan State also boasts in impressive defensive team. The Spartans lead the conference, giving up just 2.25 goals per game and only 63 tallies on the season.
“I like their d-corp,” said Lucia of the Spartans. “They’re a tremendous shot-blocking team. I think their forwards skate well. They’re going to make sure they don’t give you odd-numbered rushes.”
Michigan State is also surgical on the penalty kill where they have killed off 87.5 percent of opponent powerplay chances. In fact, Minnesota accounts for five of the 12 powerplay goals that the Spartans have allowed all year.
“They haven’t given up more than seven or eight power play goals on the season,” said Lucia. “Part of that is goaltending and shot-blocking ability and good structure to their game. We know goals are going to be at a premium.”
With Michigan State being such a stingy, defensive team, the Gophers will need to put pucks on net and force Hildebrand to make saves and make them often.
“They take advantage of the opportunities they get,” said Skjei. “They’ve got some skilled forwards and Hildebrand on the backend definitely is kind of their rock. We’re going to need to generate a lot of shots and good quality shots, too.”