Maize Out on Tap for Thursday's Series Opener With MSU

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PROMOTIONS
• Nov. 14: Maize Out
• Full Promotions Schedule

The University of Michigan ice hockey team (3-5-2, 0-3-1 Big Ten) plays a home-and-home series with Michigan State (3-5-0, 1-1-0 Big Ten) with the opener on Thursday (Nov. 14) at Yost Ice Arena. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. Thursday's game with the Spartans also is a Maize Out, with Michigan hockey maize T-shirts being given away to help create an electric atmosphere at Yost as the Wolverines face rival MSU.

The series finale will be in East Lansing, Michigan, on Saturday (Nov. 16) at Munn Ice Arena. The contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on BTN Plus.

The Series

Two of college hockey's most storied programs, Michigan and Michigan State, face off for the 320th time in program history. U-M and MSU, then the Michigan Agricultural College, first met in January 1925 when Michigan defeated their eventual in-state rivals, 6-3, in East Lansing.

Overall, Michigan has gone 161-134-24 against the Spartans while maintaining a 75-44-5 advantage in Ann Arbor. In addition to sharing the state, the teams have shared conferences five times (MCHL, WIHL, WCHA, CCHA, Big Ten) throughout. Last season, U-M went 2-1-2 against Michigan State, ending the series on a strong note with a sweep in early February.

Scouting the Spartans

Last weekend, Michigan State squared off for its Big Ten opener inside Pegula Ice Arena at No. 6 Penn State.

The Spartans upset the Nittany Lions on Friday night, 2-0, but fell on Saturday by a 6-4 score. Junior forward Patrick Khodorenko, who leads MSU with a 4-6-10 scoring line, finished a highlight-reel goal in the Saturday rematch but could not propel the Spartans to a second consecutive win.

Before traveling to Happy Valley last weekend, highlights of Michigan State's early schedule included venturing up to Northern Michigan to open the season before hosting Cornell in a big non-conference series at home. The Spartans began their year by splitting on the road in Marquette against a talented NMU squad. In their two games played against the highly-ranked Big Red, the Spartans were defeated but showed flashes of offensive potential as they look to replace the highly productive "KHL line."

Senior John Lethemon has spent the most time in net for MSU, starting in five of the team's eight games. Lethemon has performed well thus far, posting a .926 save percentage and 2.62 goals-against average while capturing all three Spartan victories. Sophomore Drew DeRidder has played in the team's other three games, collecting 58 saves while posting a .866 save percentage and 3.46 GAA.

Ticket Information

Individual game tickets are on sale for all remaining Michigan home games at Yost Ice Arena. Ticket packs, including Victors Pack and Family Pack plans, are also available. For group ticket information, call (734) 764-0247 or (866) 296-MTIX, or email gobluegroupsales@umich.edu. For more information, visit the ice hockey tickets page.

Wolverine Bites

• Michigan hosted the University of Minnesota this past weekend at Yost Ice Arena, dropping 5 of 6 possible points to the youthful Golden Gophers. U-M goaltender Strauss Mann was phenomenal in both contests but the offense was unable to generate enough offense to secure a win. On Friday night, it was a battle of familiar faces as Mann faced former Michigan goaltender Jack LaFontaine. The game went into the books as a 1-1 tie, but Minnesota took the extra conference point with a game-winning goal in the 3-on-3 OT session. In Saturday's rematch, the Wolverines fell, 3-1, after the Gophers buried an empty-net goal to seal the game and the weekend.

• Strauss Mann has stopped 273 of the 292 shots that he has faced in his nine starts for the Wolverines. His 273 saves are the eighth most in the country. Mann's stellar play has him ranked 11th in save percentage (.935) and 13th in GAA (1.89).

• Freshman Johnny Beecher scored his first career goal in a win against No. 18-ranked Western Michigan on Friday, Oct. 25. The goal proved to be the game-winner in a 4-0 shutout victory. Beecher's four assists in addition to the GWG has him tied for the team lead in points (five) with fellow newcomer and USNTDP alum, Cam York.

Up Next

Friday, Nov. 22 -- at New Hampshire (Durham, N.H.), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 23 -- at New Hampshire (Durham, N.H.), 7 p.m.