Thursday, March 28, 2024

Wisconsin comes to Munn Arena looking to upset MSU hockey

March 4, 2015
<p>Then, sophomore forward Michael Ferrantino faces off against Wisconsin forward Nic Kerdiles on March 15, 2014, at Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans were defeated by the Badgers, 4-3. Danyelle Morrow/The State News</p>

Then, sophomore forward Michael Ferrantino faces off against Wisconsin forward Nic Kerdiles on March 15, 2014, at Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans were defeated by the Badgers, 4-3. Danyelle Morrow/The State News

Photo by Danyelle Morrow | The State News

With just four games left in the regular season, MSU hockey (14-14-2 overall, 8-6-2 Big Ten) finds itself in contention for its first conference title since the 2000-2001 season.

In order to accomplish that feat, the Spartans will almost certainly have to sweep last place Wisconsin (4-22-4 overall, 2-12-2 Big Ten) this weekend at Munn Ice Arena.

MSU heads into the series having split its last four games. Two of those came at UW, where the Badgers upset the Spartans 2-1 before junior goaltender Jake Hildebrand recorded his eighth career shutout the following night in a 3-0 MSU victory.

“They’ve come a long way from the beginning of the season, and they gave us everything we could handle back at their place,” junior forward Ryan Keller said of the young Badgers squad.

While UW does sport 11 true freshmen on its roster, they have had nearly a full season of experience now. The results are proving the Badgers are slowly gaining confidence, as two of their four wins have come in the last five games.

“They’re a dangerous opponent for us,” head coach Tom Anastos said. “They’ve struggled to score, but they have a goaltender who can win games for them and they’re defending well.”

In terms of defending well, no one in the Big Ten does that better than MSU. The Spartans lead the conference in goals against per game at 2.33, which places them 17th nationally.

While Anastos preaches discipline and a willingness to sacrifice, he points to the Spartans improved offense as the key contributor.

“We’re playing strong defensively, but a big reason for that is because our puck possession is way better than it’s been,”Anastos said.

Both the Spartans offense and defense will be hurt by the absence of junior defenseman Travis Walsh. Last Thursday against Minnesota, Walsh laid down to block a shot and fractured his jaw.

Anastos said the anticipated recovery is four to six weeks.

“It’s a significant loss because he’s playing in every situation,” Anastos said of the assistant captain. “He was on one of our power play units, he’s one of our better penalty killers, he’s one of our best shot blockers, he’s one of our best puck movers and he’s one of the leaders on the team.”

MSU will have to find a way to fill that void if it wants to clinch a bye in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Currently sitting in third place with 28 points, the Spartans trail Minnesota by only two points and U-M by five.

The Wolverines will be the final test MSU faces in the regular season. The in-state rivals have a home-and-home series set for March 13 and 14.

It is setting up to be the most meaningful series the two programs have had in quite some time. Aware of the magnitude that those games might have, the Spartans know they have to focus on the Badgers first.

“We’ve got to take care of our end of the bargain first here this weekend,” junior captain Michael Ferrantino said. “We’ll look to Michigan next week, but it should be a fun one.”

Discussion

Share and discuss “Wisconsin comes to Munn Arena looking to upset MSU hockey” on social media.