(Tempe, AZ) The No. 16 Arizona State ice hockey team (17-6-5) fought hard to grab a 3-2 victory over Augustana (7-12-3) on Saturday night and earn the series split. Brian Chambers came up big in the final frame to earn the Sun Devils’ game-winning goal in front of sophomore goaltender Gibson Homer’s 27 saves.
Matthew Kopperud played a key role in snatching tonight’s win with two points by solo-assisting Charlie Schoen’s goal and the game-winner by Chambers. Kopperud is now close to joining the century club as tallied his 98th career point.
Tim Lovell kicked off Saturday night’s scoring to tie the game in the second after ripping a rebounded shot into the back of the net, giving him his 28th point of the season. Lovell is now on a three-game point scoring streak with two goals in two consecutive games and an assist. He is one assist away from breaking Brinson Pasichnuk’s single season record for assists by a defenseman (23A) set in 2019-20.
Sophomore goaltender Gibson Homer made his fifth start of the season tonight and played a crucial part in stopping Augustana’s scoring chances with 27 saves, including a diving effort to help breakup a potential game-tying opportunity.
Two Sun Devils hit career milestones tonight including Brandon Tabakin’s 100th NCAA game and Phoenix-native David Hymovitch’s first NCAA game.
ASU will be back at Mullett Arena to take on Lindenwood in a two-game series on Friday, February 2 and Saturday, February 3. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. MST on Friday night and can be streamed on ASU Live Stream-2 and 5 p.m. MST on Saturday night with streaming available on ASU Live Stream. Both games can be heard on Sun Devil Hockey Radio Network, Fox Sports 910.
GAME NOTABLES
Saturday night marked graduate defenseman Brandon Tabakin’s 100th NCAA game
Tabakin currently owns a +23 on the season, tied for second-best in the nation
Freshman forward and Phoenix native David Hymovitch competed in his first NCAA game
Brian Chambers’ game winner was his fourth career GWG and his first of the year
Chambers is tied with Jackson Niedermayer for second-best +/- on the team with a +8
Tim Lovell’s goal puts him at 28 points this season. He is fourth in points among defensemen in the nation, third in assists.
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
The Sun Devils kicked off the game on the power play due to a bench minor called on the Vikings, however four-on-four hockey commenced a minute into the period after an interference penalty was called on ASU. Augustana was able to sneak a goal in to take an early lead at 1-0.
Second Period
After a cross-checking call was made against ASU to end the first period, the Sun Devils kicked off period two on the penalty kill. After successfully killing off the opening penalty, ASU regained momentum and had several looks at the net down on the Vikings’ end. Tim Lovell took advantage of a rebound from Ryan Alexander and Lukas Sillinger to even up the game at 1-1, his second goal of the weekend. Thirty-eight seconds later, Matthew Kopperudcaught Augustana’s goalie behind the net by surprise when he stole the puck and found Charlie Schoen wide open in front of an empty net to give ASU the lead.
Third Period
Augustana opened up the third period scoring by stealing back a goal in the first half of the frame to even the score at 2-2. The Sun Devils’ momentum wasn’t dampened as Matthew Kopperud found Brian Chambers right in front of the net. There, Chambers wrapped one past the goalie to give ASU a 3-2 lead and the ultimate game winning goal.
QUOTES OF THE GAME
Head Coach Greg Powers
On the 17th win of the year and whether it feels any different:
“It’s just a good gutty win. Our guys are tired. They’re tired and to get a win tonight, obviously, without our captain, was a big thing for us to bounce back after a really tough loss last night. We obviously played a much better game last night. It was about as complete of a game as you could play without winning, and tonight they found a way to get it done. I thought Augustana was much better tonight. They played really well.”
On how much of a springboard this win is for the rest of the season:
“It’s huge. We’re still in the fight and we’re right in the middle of it. We started the weekend at No. 17, we ended the weekend at No. 17. Last night stings because of the nature of how we lost and how well we think we played. But we put it behind us and got a win tonight. Now we just have to parlay this into the next 10 games. The off week could not be coming at a better time to heal up and give our guys some rest. We didn’t have a break over the holidays. We played at Robert Morris late in the semester, came back here for a few days, went to Lake Placid, came back, did a tournament, played Cornell. Our guys are beat up and tired and you could feel it a little bit tonight. So the week off is going to be very good for us.”
On how the next ten games need to go to make the tournament:
“We need to win them. That’s our expectation. Do we have to win out? Probably not, but there’s very, very little margin for error. It’s just one game at a time and go win 10 games and whatever happens happens. We can’t control that. We have 17 wins. 17-6-5 is a very good record. There’s a lot to be proud of. This team doesn’t quit. There’s murmurs of people wanting to quit on this team. Have at it, I dare you, because these guys aren’t gonna quit.”
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Paige Shacklett
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