Spartans prepare for familiar foe in Big Ten tournament

By @StefanKubus –

Michigan State enters the Big Ten tournament in Minnesota set to square off against a foe fresh in the team’s mind.

The No. 5 Spartans face the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday to begin their journey just one week after their weekend series in East Lansing to close out the regular season, and it’ll mark the third consecutive game between the two schools.

“Like all the teams, we’re anxious to get out there and get into tournament play,” MSU head coach Tom Anastos said. “Obviously, our game one is game three against Ohio State in three consecutive games, so both teams are very familiar with each other and if you look at our four games against each other, statistically things are awfully similar, so we’re looking forward to that game”

In the first two meetings, Jan. 29-30 in Columbus, MSU topped the Buckeyes 4-2 before losing the next night, 2-1. In the return match-up in East Lansing, March 11-12, OSU took the first game in overtime, 6-5, and both teams played to a 1-1 tie in overtime the next night, with the Spartans winning the shootout.

With the familiarity there and how tight the games have been, the Spartans’ bench boss said it could very well come down to special teams.

“Their power play has been very good and our penalty kill has been very good and so I think our teams know who we are and we have respect for each other and going into this,” Anastos said. “To me, it’s like so many games; you’ve got to win those key moments in games to win the game. The way our series has gone this year, that’s what happened. I think both teams have played pretty well in the four games that we’ve played in every single game. It’s those key moments that will probably determine who wins the game Thursday.”

And Anastos and the Spartans know they need to not only achieve victory against Ohio State, but also leave Minnesota triumphant if they are to keep their season alive and make the NCAA tournament.

“Every team here, probably with the exception of Michigan, is playing to keep their season alive,” Anastos said. “Our season has not gone to date as we hoped it would and yet I think we’re starting to play our best hockey, which it’s important to be doing that at this time of year. We’re anxious, it’s a time of year that we’ve been practicing so much, so it’s time to play.

“I think some players have just gotten their game to a better place than maybe it was earlier in the season and have built some confidence, so that’s created more depth in our lineup. I think that’s important early in the season. We had some key injuries, so it took some time to recover from that. I think the key for us is how we play defensively, how we move the puck, how we exit our zone, how we’re able to backcheck and how we’re able to manage the puck in the neutral zone… When we do a good job in those areas, then we play much better and give ourselves a much higher probability of winning.”

Of course, the other element is goaltender Jake Hildebrand, who is more than capable of catching fire and stealing games, despite not having the best start to his senior campaign. Hildebrand has a 10-21-3 record this season with a 3.12 goals-against average, but his save percentage still sits above .900 at .904.

“He’s been more himself in the last third of the season than he probably was early in the season, and he’d be the first to admit that, for whatever reason,” Anastos said. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence now and when he has confidence, our team plays with a lot of confidence in front of him.

“A goalie more than any other player can make a huge difference in a game and we’ve seen it so many times.”