Spartans Meet No. 4/5 Minnesota in B1G Tournament Quarterfinals

Big Ten Tournament
Quarterfinals: No. 7 seed Michigan State (7-17-2, 5-16-1-2-1-0 B1G) vs. No. 2 seed Minnesota (20-6, 16-6-0-0-0-0 B1G)
Date | Time: Sunday, March 14 | 4 p.m.
Location: Notre Dame, Ind. | Compton Family Ice Arena
TV: BTN
Web Stream: FOX Sports app
Radio: TCF Bank Spartan Media Network | MSUSpartans.com & MSU Spartans app | Local: WJIM 1240-AM
Game Notes: Michigan State | Big Ten | Tournament Bracket

On The Fly…
• No. 7 seed Michigan State will meet No. 2 seed Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Notre Dame's Compton Family Ice Arena … The winner will move on to face either No. 3 seed Michigan or No. 6 seed Ohio State on Monday, March 15 at 8:30 p.m. in the semifinals.

• For 2021, The Big Ten Tournament will feature a single-elimination format, as previously used 2014-17.

• Sunday's meeting will be the first between the two programs in the Big Ten Tournament and first postseason meeting since March 22, 1997 in the NCAA West Regional in Grand Rapids (L, 6-3).

• Mitchell Lewandowski picked up his 100th career point the last time out with an assist on March 6 … Lewandowski leads MSU in points (12) and is tied with Charlie Combs for first in goals (6).

• Junior defenseman Dennis Cesana leads MSU in assists (10) and is tied for second with Josh Nodler in points (11).

• Michigan State remains one of the top teams in the country in the faceoff circle, currently ranking seventh nationally and second in the Big Ten with a .537 winning percentage.

• Three Spartans rank in the top 10 in the conference in winning percentage: Tommy Apap is third (.580, 275-199); Kristof Papp is fourth (.578, 78-57); and Josh Nodler is 10th (.543, 226-190) ... Apap won a career high 22 faceoffs the last time out, going 22-5 (.815).

• Senior Tommy Miller leads the Big Ten in total blocks with 66, which also ranks second nationally … Miller's 268 career blocks are the second most in program history.

• Drew DeRidder leads the nation in total saves with 723 – 58 more than the next highest total … DeRidder, who has started 24 of 26 games, owns a 2.76 GAA and .923 save percentage – both of which are career bests.

• DeRidder is one of three finalists for the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year award.

• Kyle Haskins is the only Spartan rookie to have played in all 26 games and he leads the freshman class with five points (1g, 4a).

About Minnesota
The Golden Gophers, which are 5-1 over their last six games, finished second in the Big Ten regular season by .002 … Minnesota went 16-6 in league play and 20-6 overall … Minnesota's 99 total goals rank second nationally and its 3.81 goals per game rank fourth … The Gophers allow an average of 1.96 goals per game, which leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth in the country … Goaltender Jack LaFontaine leads the league with a 1.68 GAA and has five shutouts … Junior Sampo Ranta leads the team in goals (16) and points (26), while Scott Reedy and Brannon McManus share the lead in assists (15).

The Matchup
MSU was 0-4 against Minnesota this season … Josh Nodler had points (1g, 2a) in each of the first three games vs. Minnesota … The Spartans rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the Dec. 4 matchup at Munn, but wound up falling 4-2 … Mitchell Lewandowski is the Spartans' active leading point-producer vs. Minnesota as he has 13 points, including eight goals and five assists, in 16 career games.

matchup BTT v Minn

Lewandowski Reaches the Century Mark
With an assist on Charlie Combs' goal on March 6 vs. Wisconsin, Mitchell Lewandowski recorded his 100th career point. Lewandowski, who has 49 career goals and 51 career assists, is the 17th Spartan since 2000 and 71st in program history to reach the 100-point plateau.

Lewandowski, the last remaining member of MSU's high-scoring KHL line, is the third member of that trio to reach 100 points as Taro Hirose ended his career with 116 (33g, 83p) and Patrick Khodorenko 120 (54g, 66a).

With one more goal, Lewandowski would be the 10th Spartan since 2000 to reach 50-career goals.

DeRidder's Career Year
A year after playing four games, Drew DeRidder has become a workhorse for the Spartans this season, starting 24 of 26 games. The junior has faced more shots (783) and made more saves (723) than any other goaltender in the nation. The 2018-19 Big Ten All-Freshman team selection enters the weekend with a .923 save percentage and 2.76 GAA – both of which are career highs.

DeRidder, who has two shutouts this year, 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.

He was one of 35 goaltenders named to the Mike Richter Award watch list, which is presented annually to the nation's top goaltender.

Perfect Attendance
Seniors Mitchell Lewandowski and Tommy Miller have never missed a game in their careers, having each skated in 134 consecutive contests.

Thank You, Seniors
Michigan State paid tribute to its senior class following the conclusion of the Feb. 27 game at Munn. Mitchell Lewandowski, Tommy Apap, Tommy Miller, Brody Stevens, Jake Smith, Austin Kamer, Gianluca Esteves and Charlie Combs were all recognized in a postgame ceremony.

Michigan State vs. Wisconsin bench

Miller's Block Party
Senior defenseman Tommy Miller is one of the nation's top shot blockers. He leads the Big Ten and is second in the nation in total blocks (66) and eighth in the country in blocks per game (2.54).

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 268 blocked shots, which is second most in Spartan history (since 2005-06).

Spartans Sign Five for 2021-22
MSU announced the signing of five players to NLIs on Feb. 9 for the 2021-22 season: Jeremy 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).

As of March 3, four of the newly signed Spartans rank in the top 20 in the USHL in points as Middendorf (24-26--50) is third; Kelly (16-17--33) is 10th; Davidson is 17th (10-19--29); and Tucker is 20th (5-23--28).

Strong in The Dot
Michigan State continues to be one of the top teams in the nation in the faceoff circle as the Spartans' .537 winning percentage ranks second in the Big Ten and seventh in the country. Tommy Apap, who is 275-199 (.580) in the dot and led the league in faceoff winning percentage last season, is one of three Spartans that rank in the top 10 in the league winning percentage as he's currently third. Kristof Papp is fourth at .578 (78-57), and Josh Nodler is 10th at .543 (226-190).

The last time out vs. Wisconsin on March 6 Apap won 22 of 27 draws he took (.815). The 22 wins were a career high.

Spartans Meet No. 4/5 Minnesota in B1G Tournament Quarterfinals

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dennis Cesana

Charlie Combs

Gianluca Esteves

Kyle Haskins

Taro Hirose

Patrick Khodorenko

Mitchell Lewandowski

Tommy Miller

Josh Nodler

Kristof Papp

Brody Stevens

Spartans Meet No. 4/5 Minnesota in B1G Tournament Quarterfinals

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dennis Cesana

Charlie Combs

Gianluca Esteves

Kyle Haskins

Taro Hirose

Patrick Khodorenko

Mitchell Lewandowski

Tommy Miller

Josh Nodler

Kristof Papp

Brody Stevens

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