(Tempe, AZ) In the final home weekend of the 2023 calendar year, No. 12 Arizona State (11-3-4) went to the brink with Dartmouth (2-3-6) for the second consecutive night at Mullett Arena on Saturday Night with a 1-1 draw, the fourth this season. Jackson Niedermeyer won the shootout for the Sun Devils, ASU’s third shootout victory this year.
The Sun Devils scored first for the third-straight game and the ninth time this season. Graduate center Brian Chambers snuck his second goal of the year in the second frame, assisted by Jackson Niedermayer and Benji Eckerlel.
“I thought we were good. I thought that their goalie was unbelievable. He’s 6′ 8” and athletic and he was tremendous,” said head coach Greg Powers. “I felt like they weren’t gonna score. It was just one of those games. I thought we were really good defensively and we were really stout, we weren’t giving up really many opportunities at all.”
After Dartmouth equalized later in the second period, the game remained 1-1, and neither side could net the game-winning goal in either regulation or overtime. The shootout went seven rounds, with Gibson Homer standing tall in net stopping six of seven attempts from the Big Green. The sophomore netminder registered 20 saves in regulation on the night.
First Period:
Despite a stagnant opening five minutes, Ryan Alexander presented the Sun Devils their first scoring chance off of a rebound at 17:08. But the puck ricocheted off the top-pipe, keeping the game scoreless. ASU would then be put on the penalty kill whereas it was later nullified at the 11:54 mark of the period.
Entering the second half of the opening frame, the Sun Devils faced their first power play opportunity but only managed three shots on net. Play later returned to full-strength with 7:51 remaining. Dartmouth thought they managed to score the game’s first goal at the 2:33 mark, but a challenge by Coach Powers drew the reversal of the goal and registered a five-minute major for head contact, putting ASU on the power-play. It marked the third overturned goal for the opposition of the weekend.
The Sun Devils managed to fire three shots in the final two minutes on goal, but went into the intermission with 2:19 remaining on the man-advantage with the game scoreless.
Second Period:
Coming out of the intermission Dartmouth was aggressive on the penalty kill, neutralizing the ASU power play with 17:38 remaining in the frame when play returned to full-strength.
About eight minutes passed with only five shots combined in the period when Chambers snuck beyond Dartmouths’ netminder to slip in the game’s first goal, assisted by Niedermayer to give the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead with 9:42 left in the middle frame.
ASU enjoyed the lead for a measly three minutes after Tim Lovell was penalized for Cross Checking, which then Dartmouth turned into a power-play goal with 6:25 left in the period, tying the game 1-1.
The Sun Devils found their next scoring opportunity on a breakaway around the closing minutes of the period but the contest remained tied going into the second intermission.
Third Period:
Battle for control of the puck was clear in the opening minutes of regulation with each side presented opportunities to take the lead early in the frame. The first action of the period pressured ASU’s penalty-kill unit to diminish Big Green’s opportunity to take their first lead of the game, which the unit was successful with 10:06 left in regulation.
After more scrappy hockey, Dartmouth took a timeout at the 2:45 mark in regulation with the game tied 1-1. The Sun Devils controlled the puck for the remainder of regulation but was unable to find the net with the game heading to overtime.
Overtime:
For the second straight night overtime took place against Dartmouth, whereas the Sun Devils took control of the puck for the majority of the period and outshot the opposition. The Big Green challenged a five-minute major penalty call with 1:15 left, but the call was upheld. The Sun Devils had a breakaway attempt with 30 seconds in the game, but Dartmouth’s tendie withstood the breakaway. Ultimately, the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Zach Wargo
Click on Logo
