2021–22 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season

2021–22 Michigan State Spartans
men's ice hockey season
Conference7th Big Ten
Home iceMunn Ice Arena
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall12–23–1
Conference6–18–0
Home9–11–0
Road3–11–1
Neutral0–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachDanton Cole
Assistant coachesChris Luongo
Joe Exter
Dylan Strom
Captain(s)Dennis Cesana
Alternate captain(s)Mitchell Lewandowski
Josh Nodler
Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey seasons
« 2020–21 2022–23 »

The 2021–22 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey season was the 80th season of play for the program. They represented Michigan State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. This season marked the 32nd season in the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Danton Cole, in his fifth season, and played their home games at Munn Ice Arena.

Season

Michigan State began the season well, posting a winning record through the first month of the season. After dropping both games to arch-rival Michigan, the Spartans dipped below .500 but they responded with four consecutive wins to get back onto the plus side of the ledger. MSU ended the first half of their season with a split against Notre Dame, putting them in a strong position to make a run for a home game in the postseason.

Unfortunately, both the team's offense and defense faltered in the back half of their campaign and the Spartans lost 13 consecutive games. Both goaltenders played during the stretch and performed well, but neither received much help. MSU allowed an average of 37 shots per game, while recording just 27 of their own. While most of their losses were against ranked teams, that would provide little solace as Michigan State finished last in the conference for the fourth time in five years.

They faced Michigan in the first round of the conference tournament and were thoroughly beaten, losing both games by a combined 1–12 score.

Departures

Player Position Nationality Cause
Tommy Apap Forward  United States Graduation (Signed with Indy Fuel)
Charlie Combs Forward  United States Graduation (Signed with Wichita Thunder)
Gianluca Esteves Forward  Canada Graduation (Signed with Cincinnati Cyclones)
Austin Kamer Forward  United States Graduation (retired)
Tommy Miller Defenseman  United States Graduate transfer to Northeastern
Jake Smith Forward  United States Graduation (retired)
Brody Stevens Forward  United States Graduation (retired)

Recruiting

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Christopher Berger Forward  United States 23 Amherst, NY; graduate transfer from Brown
Jeremy Davidson Forward  United States 21 Schoolcraft, MI; transfer from Massachusetts
David Gucciardi Defenseman  Canada 18 Toronto, ON
Tanner Kelly Forward  United States 19 San Diego, CA
Griffin Loughran Forward  United States 22 Orchard Park, NY; transfer from Northern Michigan
Erik Middendorf Forward  United States 21 Scottsdale, AZ; transfer from Colorado College
Jesse Tucker Forward  Canada 21 Thunder Bay, ON

Roster

As of August 12, 2021.[1]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Michigan Drew DeRidder Senior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-05-01 Fenton, Michigan USNTDP (USHL) —
2 Michigan Aiden Gallacher Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-03-20 Rochester Hills, Michigan Youngstown (USHL) —
4 Ontario Nash Nienhuis Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 1999-12-05 Sarnia, Ontario Omaha (USHL) —
5 British Columbia Powell Connor Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2000-05-04 Vernon, British Columbia Trail (BCHL) —
6 Illinois Cal Dybicz Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2000-07-16 Elk Grove Village, Illinois Tri-City (USHL) —
7 Ontario David Gucciardi Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 2002-10-09 Toronto, Ontario Waterloo (USHL) —
8 Michigan Cole Krygier Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 2000-05-05 Novi, Michigan Lincoln (USHL) FLA, 201st overall 2018
9 Michigan Mitchell Lewandowski (A) Graduate F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1998-04-17 Clarkston, Michigan Chicago (USHL) —
10 Colorado A. J. Hodges Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 2001-08-24 Littleton, Colorado Sioux City (USHL) —
11 Michigan Jeremy Davidson Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-02-28 Kalamazoo, Michigan Fargo (USHL) —
13 Hungary Kristóf Papp Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2001-06-27 Budapest, Hungary Des Moines (USHL) —
14 Michigan Adam Goodsir Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 1998-09-22 Okemos, Michigan Tri-City (USHL) —
15 Michigan Christian Krygier Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-05-05 Novi, Michigan Lincoln (USHL) NYI, 196th overall 2018
16 Ontario Jesse Tucker Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 2000-03-01 Longlac, Ontario Green Bay (USHL) —
17 Vermont Kyle Haskins Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-02-16 Huntington, Vermont Waterloo (USHL) —
18 New York (state) Griffin Loughran Junior F 5' 6" (1.68 m) 141 lb (64 kg) 1998-11-13 West Seneca, New York Northern Michigan (WCHA) —
19 Switzerland Nicolas Müller Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 1999-06-21 Arisdorf, Switzerland Modo J20 (J20 SuperElit) —
20 Michigan Josh Nodler (A) Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 2001-04-27 Oak Park, Michigan Fargo (USHL) CGY, 150th overall 2019
21 New York (state) Chris Berger Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-04-14 Amherst, New York Brown (ECAC) —
22 Rhode Island Dennis Cesana (C) Senior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 1998-04-04 Providence, Rhode Island Brooks (AJHL) —
23 Michigan Jagger Joshua Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-03-29 Dearborn, Michigan Muskegon (USHL) —
24 Arizona Erik Middendorf Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 191 lb (87 kg) 2000-07-11 Scottsdale, Arizona Chicago (USHL) —
26 California Tanner Kelly Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-05-11 San Diego, California Muskegon (USHL) —
27 Minnesota Mitchell Mattson Senior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1998-01-02 Grand Rapids, Minnesota Sioux Falls (USHL) CGY, 126th overall 2016
29 Ontario Pierce Charleson Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 2000-02-27 Aurora, Ontario Brooks (AJHL) —
30 Illinois Jon Mor Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-07-20 Highland Park, Illinois Langley (BCHL) —

Standings

2021–22 Big Ten ice hockey Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#5 Minnesota † 24 18 6 0 1 2 0 55 90 50 39 26 13 0 138 91
#2 Michigan * 24 16 8 0 0 3 0 51 91 59 42 31 10 1 167 94
#9 Notre Dame 24 17 7 0 5 1 0 47 74 55 40 28 12 0 122 75
#16 Ohio State 24 13 9 2 1 1 1 42 76 59 37 22 13 2 125 87
Penn State 24 6 17 1 1 1 1 20 63 92 38 17 20 1 117 122
Wisconsin 24 6 17 1 1 2 0 20 53 96 37 10 24 3 76 132
Michigan State 24 6 18 0 1 0 0 17 51 87 36 12 23 1 76 119
Championship: March 19, 2022
† indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated April 7, 2022

Schedule and results

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Exhibition
October 2 7:00 PM at USNTDP* USA Hockey Arena • Plymouth MI (Exhibition)     L 0–3   
Regular Season
October 8 7:00 PM Air Force* Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   DeRidder L 2–3  4,420 0–1–0
October 9 7:00 PM Air Force* Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   Charleson W 5–1  4,918 1–1–0
October 15 7:00 PM Miami* Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   Charleson W 3–1  6,511 2–1–0
October 16 7:00 PM Miami* Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   DeRidder W 2–1  5,010 3–1–0
October 22 7:15 PM at Massachusetts Lowell* Tsongas Center • Lowell, MA   DeRidder T 2–2 OT 4,658 3–1–1
October 23 6:05 PM at Massachusetts Lowell* Tsongas Center • Lowell, MA   Charleson L 0–4  3,468 3–2–1
October 29 6:00 PM at Ohio State Value City Arena • Columbus, OH   DeRidder W 2–1  3,324 4–2–1 (1–0–0)
October 30 2:00 PM at Ohio State Value City Arena • Columbus, OH   DeRidder L 1–5  2,826 4–3–1 (1–1–0)
November 5 7:30 PM at #3 Michigan Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry) BTN Charleson L 2–7  5,800 4–4–1 (1–2–0)
November 6 7:30 PM #3 Michigan Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI (Rivalry)   DeRidder L 2–3  6,705 4–5–1 (1–3–0)
November 11 7:00 PM Ferris State* Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   DeRidder W 2–0  4,622 5–5–1
November 13 7:07 PM Ferris State* Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   DeRidder W 4–3  2,490 6–5–1
November 19 7:00 PM Wisconsin Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   DeRidder W 3–2  5,653 7–5–1 (2–3–0)
November 20 8:00 PM Wisconsin Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   DeRidder W 5–2  5,009 8–5–1 (3–3–0)
December 3 7:00 PM at Penn State Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, PA   DeRidder L 2–4  6,008 8–6–1 (3–4–0)
December 4 5:00 PM at Penn State Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, PA   Charleson W 4–3  6,144 9–6–1 (4–4–0)
December 10 7:30 PM at #8 Notre Dame Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, IN NBCSN Charleson L 2–3  4,046 9–7–1 (4–5–0)
December 11 7:00 PM at #8 Notre Dame Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, IN NBCSN DeRidder W 1–0 OT 4,445 10–7–1 (5–5–0)
Great Lakes Invitational
December 29 7:00 PM #4 Western Michigan* Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI (Great Lakes Invitational)   DeRidder L 1–3  5,538 10–8–1
December 30 5:00 PM #18 Michigan Tech* Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI (Great Lakes Invitational)   DeRidder W 3–2 OT 5,564 11–8–1
Regular Season
January 7 6:30 PM #9 Minnesota Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI BTN DeRidder L 1–4  4,922 11–9–1 (5–6–0)
January 8 7:30 PM #9 Minnesota Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI BTN Charleson L 3–6  5,209 11–10–1 (5–7–0)
January 14 8:00 PM at Wisconsin Kohl Center • Madison, WI BSW DeRidder L 2–5  8,572 11–11–1 (5–8–0)
January 15 9:00 PM at Wisconsin Kohl Center • Madison, WI BSW Charleson L 2–3  10,946 11–12–1 (5–9–0)
January 21 7:00 PM #15 Ohio State Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   DeRidder L 1–4  4,728 11–13–1 (5–10–0)
January 22 6:00 PM #15 Ohio State Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   DeRidder L 2–3  6,203 11–14–1 (5–11–0)
February 4 8:00 PM at #8 Minnesota 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BSN Charleson L 2–4  7,824 11–15–1 (5–12–0)
February 5 6:00 PM at #8 Minnesota 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BSN DeRidder L 1–3  8,305 11–16–1 (5–13–0)
February 11 7:00 PM at #4 Michigan Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry)   DeRidder L 2–6  5,800 11–17–1 (5–14–0)
February 12 7:00 PM vs. #4 Michigan Little Caesars Arena • Detroit, MI (Rivalry) BSD DeRidder L 3–7  16,289 11–18–1 (5–15–0)
February 18 7:00 PM #12 Notre Dame Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   Charleson L 1–2  5,635 11–19–1 (5–16–0)
February 19 7:00 PM #12 Notre Dame Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   DeRidder L 2–4  6,068 11–20–1 (5–17–0)
February 25 7:00 PM Penn State Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   Charleson L 3–5  4,940 11–21–1 (5–18–0)
February 26 6:00 PM Penn State Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI   DeRidder W 2–1  6,122 12–21–1 (6–18–0)
Big Ten Tournament
March 4 7:00 PM at #5 Michigan* Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan (Quarterfinal game 1) FS2 DeRidder L 1–4  3,741 12–22–1
March 5 7:00 PM at #5 Michigan* Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan (Quarterfinal game 2) BSD DeRidder L 0–8  5,429 12–23–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[2]

Scoring statistics

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Jesse Tucker C 36 2 22 24 12
Jeremy Davidson F 32 11 11 22 24
Erik Middendorf LW 36 12 8 20 24
Mitchell Lewandowski LW 21 7 12 19 12
Dennis Cesana D 36 8 8 16 14
Joshua Nodler C/RW 26 7 8 15 4
Nash Nienhuis D 36 3 11 14 6
Griffin Loughran F 22 3 9 12 34
Kristóf Papp C 34 2 10 12 8
David Gucciardi D 36 5 6 11 22
Cole Krygier D 35 4 7 11 72
Jagger Joshua F 36 2 6 8 68
Christian Krygier D 36 2 6 8 79
Nicolas Müller C/RW 36 1 5 6 18
Tanner Kelly F 34 3 2 5 8
Adam Goodsir F 36 2 2 4 39
A. J. Hodges F 34 0 4 4 4
Mitchell Mattson C 23 1 2 3 16
Aiden Gallacher D 32 1 1 2 8
Drew DeRidder G 25 0 2 2 0
Kyle Haskins F 27 0 1 1 17
Pierce Charleson G 12 0 0 0 0
Powell Connor D 28 0 0 0 2
Bench - - - - - 10
Total 76 142 218 501

[3]

Goaltending statistics

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Drew DeRidder 25 1449 9 15 1 71 799 2 .918 2.94
Pierce Charleson 12 707 3 8 0 43 406 0 .904 3.65
Empty Net - 12 - - - 5 - - - -
Total 36 2169 12 23 1 124 1205 2 .910 3.29

Rankings

Main article: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings
Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR - NR
USA Today NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.[4]

Players drafted into the NHL

2022 NHL Entry Draft

Round Pick Player NHL team
7 213 David Gucciardi Washington Capitals

References

  1. ^ "2021–22 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Michigan State Official Athletic Site. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  2. ^ "Michigan State 2021-22 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "Michigan State Univ. 2021-2022 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  4. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.