No. 19 Spartans Meet No. 9 Penn State This Weekend at Munn

Games 25-26: No. 9/9 Penn State (16-7-1, 8-5-1-0) at #19/- Michigan State (12-11-1, 8-5-1-0 B1G)
Dates | Times: Friday, Jan. 24 | 7 p.m. // Saturday, Jan. 25 | 6 p.m.
Location: East Lansing, Mich. | Munn Ice Arena
Tickets: MSUSpartans.com
Promotions:
Friday – Four Seats, Four Treats
Saturday – MSUFCU Night, Family Four Pack, Postgame meet-and-greet
TV (Sat.): BTN
Web Stream: Fri. – BTN + // Sat. - FOX Sports App
Radio: Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) | Local: WJIM 1240-AM & 106.9-FM
Game Notes: Michigan State | Penn State | Big Ten

On The Fly…
• No. 20 Michigan State plays its last series in the month of January by hosting No. 9/9 Penn State this weekend at Munn … The Spartans and Nittany Lions are tied for second place in the Big Ten with 25 points apiece, one point behind Ohio State.

• The Spartans enter the week at No. 16 in the PairWise rankings, while their strength of schedule ranks first in the nation.

• In recording its fifth shutout of the year last weekend, MSU has crept up to 16th nationally in goals-against per game at 2.29 … In Big Ten play, the Spartans are even better at 1.93, which leads the league.

• Senior John Lethemon posted his Big Ten best fifth shutout last weekend, which is second most of any goaltender in the nation, and was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week for the third time this season … His .943 save percentage is also second best in the country, while his 1.87 GAA ranks second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally.

• Lethemon has allowed one goal or fewer in three of the last five games and two or fewer in each of those five … In Big Ten play, Lethemon leads the league with a 1.57 GAA, .954 save percentage and four shutouts, while having faced more shots than any other netminder.

• Patrick Khodorenko is tied for the third in the Big Ten in both points (25) and goals (11) … Khodorenko has seven points (2g, 5a) over the last five games.

• Sam Saliba scored in both games at Wisconsin and has a goal in five of the last six games … Saliba ranks fourth on the team with 14 points and is second in goals with nine.

• Michigan State has erased eight consecutive opponent power plays, including all five last weekend, and leads the Big Ten in league play with a .917 penalty kill percentage (44-of-48) … Over the last 12 games (since Nov. 30), MSU has a .933 penalty kill percentage (42-of-45), which is the second best mark in the nation over the span.

• The Spartans' .543 faceoff winning percentage is the best in the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally … Tommy Apap leads the Big Ten in faceoff wins (259) and is second in winning percentage (.583).

• Jerad Rosburg leads the Spartans with 53 blocked shots this season, while his career total of 227 ranks fourth all-time in program history.

• Sophomore Dennis Cesana ranks third among Big Ten defensemen in points (15) and is tied for third in assists (11).

• Nine different players have game-winning goals this season, which is the most Spartans with game-winners since 2013-14 (9).

• Not including empty-net goals, MSU has outscored opponents by a 25-14 margin in the second and third periods in Big Ten games.

About Penn State
The No. 9//9 Nittany Lions are coming off a loss (6-0) and tie (4-4, 3x3 L) with Michigan last weekend at home … PSU leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally in goals per game (3.83) and is 22nd nationally in goals against per game (2.50) … The Penn State power play is second best in the country at 28.6% (26-of-91) … Nate Sucese (9-19--28) and Evan Barratt (9-19--28) lead PSU in points … Peyton Jones has started all but four games in goal and owns a 2.56 GAA and .922 save percentage.

vs. Penn State Jan matchup

From Last Weekend at Wisconsin
The Spartans blanked Wisconsin for the second time this season in Friday's win (4-0) … John Lethemon made 39 saves in the win for his league-leading fifth shutout of the season … Jerad Rosburg tied a career best with three points (2g, 1a) in the win, while Patrick Khodorenko (2a) and Tommy Apap (1g, 1a) also had multiple points … Sam Saliba had goal in each game, while Gianluca Esteves picked up assists in both contests … MSU went 1-for-8 on the power play, while erasing all five Badger power plays … MSU won three of four games against the Badgers this season.

The Wall of Lethemon
John Lethemon continued his outstanding season last weekend by posting his fifth shutout and a .974 save percentage in the two games, which earned him Big Ten First Star of the Week honors for the third time this year. The senior goaltender ranks second in the country in save percentage (.943) and shutouts (5), while he's eighth in GAA (1.87).

Lethemon's current GAA is 1.26 better than his career average entering 2019-20, while his save percentage is .045 above where it was last year.

The native of Northville has allowed two goals or fewer in six of the last seven games in in 14 of 21 starts this season.

Tallying the Shutouts
John Lethemon's five shutouts are tied for the seventh most in a season by a Spartan netminder, while his 10 career shutouts rank sixth in school history. Here's a look at this year's shutouts:

1 - Nov. 8 at Penn State – 48 saves (career high); 2 - Nov. 16 at Michigan – 35 saves; 3 - Dec. 6 vs. Wisconsin – 41 saves; 4 - Dec. 15 vs. Arizona State – 36 saves; 5 - Jan. 17 at Wisconsin – 39 saves.

Patty Paces the Offense
After being among the top Spartan scorers the last two seasons, Patrick Khodorenko leads the team this year in goals (11), assists (14) and points (25). His 11 goals and 25 points are both tied for third in the Big Ten, while his eight goals in conference play are tied for first.

Khodorenko has points in seven of the last nine games with a 5-7--12 scoring line over the span. This span includes scoring an OT game-winner vs. Wisconsin on Dec. 7, and drawing the primary assists on Mitchell Lewandowski's OT winner against Arizona State on Dec. 15. He leads MSU with five game-winning points this season.

Earlier this season, Khodorenko compiled a career best six-game point streak from Oct. 26 - Nov. 14 over which he produced 12 points (6g, 6a).

Michigan State vs. Arizona State, Dec. 14 John Lethemon

Michigan State vs. Arizona State, Dec. 14 John Lethemon

… And Approaching 50
After scoring his 49th career goal against Minnesota on Jan. 10, Patrick Khodorenko has the highest goal total of any Spartan since Tim Crowder, who had 50 in 151 games from 2005-09. Khodorenko is looking to become the ninth Spartan since 2000 to reach 50-career goals.

Earlier this season Khodorenko hit the 100-career point mark when he second goal at Michigan in a 4-3 win on Nov. 14.

B1G Lockdown
The Spartans have improved their goals-against average by just over a goal per game this season. Entering Friday, the Spartans' 2.29 goals-against per game ranks 16th nationally and is 1.1 better than last year's average. In Big Ten play, the Spartans have been even stingier, leading the league at 1.93.

Since league play began for the Spartans on Nov. 8 at Penn State, MSU has allowed two or fewer goals in nine of 14 conference games. Earlier this season, the Spartans allowed three or fewer goals from Nov. 9 – Dec. 6 (all in conference play), marking the first time MSU allowed three or fewer in seven consecutive games since the 2013-14 season.

In Big Ten Games, MSU…
• Leads the league in goals against per game at 1.93
• Leads the league total goals allowed at 27
• Leads the league in penalty kill percentage at .917
• Leads the league in faceoff winning percentage at .545
• Is third in goals per game at 2.5

PK Getting The Job Done
The Spartans have a league-best 91.7% penalty kill percentage in conference play, which includes allowing just one power-play goal in the last eight conference games (29-of-30). Over the last 12 games, MSU has extinguished 93.3% (42-of-45) of opponent power plays. Earlier this season, MSU went six consecutive games without allowing a power play goal, killing 20 consecutive power plays form Nov. 30 – Dec. 15.

On the season, MSU ranks 22nd in the country with an 83.2% PK percentage, which is just over 6% above its average from last season.

The Captain is Coming Through
Second-year team captain Sam Saliba scored in both games at Wisconsin last weekend and now has goals in five of the last six games and a 5-1--6 scoring line over the span. With 14 points (9g, 5a), Saliba has his highest point total since his freshman season (18). Earlier this season against Notre Dame, he scored three of the Spartans' four goals in the series – including the game-winner on Nov. 23 with 1:10 to play – and was subsequently named the Big Ten First Star of the Week for his efforts.

Continuing the Progress
With last week's 4-0 victory at Wisconsin, MSU equaled its overall win total from last year (12); its Big Ten win total from last year (8); and its road game win total from last season (5).

Plenty of Gas in the Tank
One key to the Spartans' success in Big Ten games has been their ability to outscore opponents over the final two periods. In its 14 conference games, MSU has outscored opponents by a 25-14 margin in the second and third periods (not including empty-net goals). Further, in the third period of second games of a series, MSU holds a 7-3 edge (not including empty-net goals).

The Spartans have trailed in the third period in three of their seven B1G wins: Nov. 14 at Michigan (trailed 3-2 entering the third); Nov. 23 vs. Notre Dame (trailed 2-1 18 seconds into the third); Dec. 7 vs. Wisconsin (trailed 3-1 entering the third).

Michigan State vs. Minnesota

Spartans, Apap Strong in the Dot
The Spartans rank fifth in the country in faceoff winning percentage at .543. Junior center Tommy Apap has taken more faceoffs than any player in the Big Ten and leads the conference in faceoff wins (259) and is second in winning percentage (.583). The Spartans have won more faceoffs than their opponents in 16 of 24 games, including taking a season-high 69% of draws in a 5-1 win at Colorado College on Oct. 26.

Spartans' Strength of Schedule Ranks No. 1
Entering the weekend, Michigan State ranks first in the country in strength of schedule. Aside from Big Ten foes Ohio State (No. 7) and Penn State (No. 9), three of the Spartans' non-conference opponents rank in the top 17 in the PairWise – Cornell (No. 3), Arizona State (No. 11) and Northern Michigan (No. 17).

Sure, We'll Go To OT
The Spartans have two overtime wins this season – both coming in December – for the first time since 2011-12 when they also had two. The Spartans topped Wisconsin, 5-4, on Dec. 8 to complete a sweep of the Badgers. A week later on Dec. 15, MSU earned a split with No. 16 Arizona State with the first 1-0 OT win in program history.

The same three players have accounted for the two OT goals as Patrick Khodorenko – set up by Mitchell Lewandowski and Dennis Cesana – got the winner vs. Wisconsin, while Lewandowski – via Khodorenko and Cesana – gave MSU the win over ASU.

In the Rankings
The Spartans moved up one spot to No. 19 in the USCHO.com top-20 poll this week. For first time since Oct. 7, 2012, Michigan State appeared in the USCHO poll on Nov. 25, coming in at No. 20, following a tie and win with Notre Dame.

From the First Series With Penn State (Nov. 8-9)
The Spartans' 2-0 shutout was their first since a 2-0 blanking on the road at Wisconsin on Jan. 12, 2018 … The Spartans blocked 31 shots in the 2-0 win – their most since blocking 32 in a tie with Penn State in Nov. 2017 … John Lethemon's 48 saves in the shutout were a career high and marked the fifth time in his career he had at least 40 saves vs. Penn State … The Spartans killed all four Penn State power plays in the win, including a 2-minute 5-on-3 in the second period … Patrick Khodorenko (3a, 1a) had a hand four of six MSU goals … The Spartans won more faceoffs in both games ... Trailing 5-2 entering the third period of game two, the Spartans scored twice to make it a one-goal game with 1:07 to play, but an empty-net goal for PSU with 29 seconds to play ended the comeback hopes.

No. 19 Spartans Meet No. 9 Penn State This Weekend at Munn

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Players Mentioned

Tommy Apap

Dennis Cesana

Gianluca Esteves

Patrick Khodorenko

John Lethemon

Mitchell Lewandowski

Jerad Rosburg

Sam Saliba

No. 19 Spartans Meet No. 9 Penn State This Weekend at Munn

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tommy Apap

Dennis Cesana

Gianluca Esteves

Patrick Khodorenko

John Lethemon

Mitchell Lewandowski

Jerad Rosburg

Sam Saliba

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