(Tempe, AZ) Fresh off a holiday tournament win in the Adirondack Mountains, the No. 12/13 Arizona State hockey team returns to the desert to host the annual Desert Hockey Classic at Mullett Arena on Jan. 5-6. The tournament features Harvard, UMass Lowell, and ASU’s future National Collegiate Hockey Conference opponent, Omaha. All tournament games will air on the ASU Live Stream.
The tournament starts at 3:30 p.m. MST on Friday, Jan. 5, with the action kicking off between Omaha (9-5-2) and UMass Lowell (6-11-2). Following game one, ASU (14-3-5) plays Harvard (1-7-3) at 7:00 p.m. MST. The winner of each Friday game advances to the championship game on Saturday. Regardless of a win or loss on Friday night, ASU will play at 7:00 p.m. MST on both nights.
| Friday, January 5 | Saturday, January 6 | |
| Game 1 3:30PM MST |
Omaha vs. UMass Lowell | Harvard vs.Omaha or UMass Lowell |
| Game 2 7:00PM MST |
#12 ASU vs. Harvard | #12 ASU vs. Omaha or UMass Lowell |
RECORD vs. PARTICIPATING TEAMS
Harvard: 1-4-2; Last meeting: T, 4-4 on Dec. 29, 2019
Omaha: 3-6-1; Last meeting: L, 8-4 on Dec. 22, 2019
UMass-Lowell: 2-4-0; Last meeting: L, 2-4 on Oct. 3, 2021
The most innovative school in the country, Arizona State, first competed against Harvard in its second NCAA season in 2016-17.
In its nine year history, ASU has played Omaha 10 times, which is tied for third-most meetings between an opponent for the Sun Devils. ASU has met Alaska Fairbanks in 13 games, Denver in 12, and Omaha, Clarkson, and Colorado College in 10.
TOP IN THE COUNTRY
The Sun Devils completed an undefeated month of December with four wins and four ties, punctuated by the championship victory at the inaugural Adirondack Winter Invitational to end 2023. The ASU team continues to rank amongst the top in the country in numerous categories:
- No. 1: ASU has scored 27 power play goals in 22 games which leads the NCAA
- No. 2: ASU’s 14 wins is second-best in the country
- No. 4: ASU has scored 76 goals in 22 games so far this season
- Tied-No. 4: Winning percentage at 75 percent (tied with Quinnipiac)
- No. 5: Power play unit converts at a 29.0 percent success rate
- Tied-No. 12: ASU is tied at 12 for fewest goals against per game at 2.4
- No. 27: ASU’s penalty kill unit boasts a 81.7 percent success rate
PLAYERS IN THE NATION’S TOP 15
- Team points leader Lukas Sillinger stands at third in the NCAA with 27 pts. His 101 career points is ranked No. 8 amongst active career point scorers.
- Matthew Kopperud’s nine power play goals this season ranks No. 1. His 34 career power play goals makes him the active career leader in PPG in the country. His 53 goals is third in active career goal scoring.
- Lukas Sillinger and Tim Lovell are tied at No. 2 in assists with 21
- Brian Chambers’ 232 faceoff wins ranks fifth in the NCAA
- TJ Semptimphelter is tied at No. 4 in the country in goaltender winning percentage at 75 percent. His 12 wins this season is second in the NCAA. With eight career shutouts, Semptimphelter is tied at fifth in the NCAA in career shutouts. His three shutouts this season is tied for second in the country
- Tyler Gratton and Matthew Kopperud are tied at No. 6 in the country in goals with 12 each
Brandon Tabakin’s +18 plus/minus is No. 2 in the country. He has never finished a game less than even this season.
SUPER SENIORS CLASS
The senior class is made up of Matthew Kopperud, Ty and Dylan Jackson, Lukas Sillinger, Ryan O’Reilly, Tim Lovell, Alex Young, and Benji Eckerle combine to be ASU’s largest point scoring class this season. The seniors scored 42 of ASU’s 76 goals this season and assisted on more than half of all goals (72 of 131). Kopperud leads the class in goal-scoring with 12. Sillinger leads the entire team in points and assists with 27 and 21, respectively. Multiple seniors are instrumental in ASU’s special teams, especially the power play unit. Nineteen of ASU’s 27 power play goals were scored by members of the senior class. Benji Eckerle was the latest Sun Devil to join the 100 Club after skating in his 100th NCAA game last weekend. He became the 15th skater in history who collected at least 100 games played at Arizona State.
KING OF PIM’s
As junior defenseman Ty Murchison nears 100 games played in the maroon and gold, the California native also creeps up on a program record for career penalty minutes held by ASU alum Tyler Busch (2016-20). Busch holds the record with 208 minutes and Murchison reached 204 minutes last weekend at the Adirondack Winter Invitational.
RECORD CHASE
- Tim Lovell (21A) is three assists away from breaking Brinson Pasichnuk’s single season record for assists (23A) set in 2019-20.
- Matthew Kopperud is four power play goals away from breaking the program record he set for most power play goals in a single season with 13 in 2021-22.
- TJ Semptimphelter is one shutout away from setting a program record for career shutouts. The record is set at eight by ASU alum and current NHL Seattle Kraken netminder Joey Daccord.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
TJ Semptimphelter, still stands within the national rankings in goalie winning percentage, most wins, and save percentage. In game two at Colorado College last month, Semptimphelter tied a program record for career shutouts set by ASU alum and current NHL Seattle Kraken netminder Joey Daccord (8). He completed his last shutout with 38 saves against the Tigers. His counterpart, sophomore Gibson Homer got the nod to start on Saturday vs. Dartmouth – his fourth NCAA start. He boasts an undefeated record at 2-0-2, complete with 92 saves and a 1.90 goals against average and .920 save percentage.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Paige Shacklett
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