Finding the back of the net was the talk of the day during head coach Tom Anastos Tuesday’s weekly press conference, following a one-goal night last time out against Ohio State.
Anastos said although his team keeps working on finishing goals throughout games, it must be a bigger area of emphasis as the Big Ten season progresses.
“We had a lot of really good scoring chances … both nights, and we need to come out with more goal scoring.”
It has been no surprise that MSU’s offense has been the biggest concern all season for Anastos and his coaching staff. MSU (6-10-3, 0-2-2-2 Big Ten) ranks 49th out of 59 in the nation and last place in the Big Ten in scoring offense.
MSU also has been held to two goals or less 12 out of 19 games, including three scoreless games.
Despite the lackluster offensive numbers, Anastos has no doubt the team has improved in that area of the game — and the numbers support him. MSU is averaging more goals per game than last year, averaging only 2.11 goals through 19 games last season compared to 2.32 this year.
“The first thing that needs to come is the scoring chances, and the quantity of scoring chances, and we’re seeing that,” Anastos said. “Now we got to take advantage of it.”
Sophomore forward Michael Ferrantino believes another year under the team’s belt is one of the reasons the Spartans have produced more goals this year, including strong efforts against teams like Michigan in the Great Lakes Invitational.
“Guys being a year older, a year stronger, and we have a lot more confidence this year,” Ferrantino said. “We’ve stuck together really well, and guys have been kind of feeding off each other.”
Junior forward Matt Berry is one of the Spartans who is starting to regain his scoring confidence after missing more than half the season because of a lower body injury.
Berry has five goals and one assist in the last four games, and has a team-best four-game scoring streak.
Berry said his recent play has boosted his confidence and believes getting used to playing with his linemates — freshman forward Joe Cox and Ferrantino — has helped him get back to his playing ability before the injury, which took away from significant time to gel with teammates.
“Me, Cox and Ferrantino are really getting to know how each other play and know where each other are going to be out on the ice, (so) that always helps, too.”
This weekend’s two-game series against Penn State (4-12-1, 0-4-0 Big Ten) might be what the doctor ordered for MSU.
The Nittany Lions rank near the bottom of the country in scoring defense.
Penn State averages 3.94 goals against on the season, including 16 goals allowed in the last three games.
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