(Tempe, AZ) The No. 17 Arizona State ice hockey team (18-6-6) dominated Lindenwood (5-15-4) in the series finale with a 5-1 win on Saturday. Sophomore netminder Gibson Homer made his sixth career start in goal and achieved his first 30-plus save game in a show stopping effort behind the offensive effort from four different Sun Devil goal-scorers.
Two Sun Devils had two-point games as Jackson Niedermayer scored two goals and Ryan Alexander tallied two assists. Matthew Kopperud scored the second goal of the night marking his third goal this weekend. Ethan Szmagaj and Lukas Sillinger both added goals to the Sun Devils’ total.
Tim Lovell extended his point-scoring streak to five games after his assist to Sillinger’s opening goal. He now has two goals and three assists as he continues to extend his record for most single season assists by a defenseman with 25 so far. Last night, Lovell broke the tie to surpass Sun Devil alum Brinson Pasichnuk (23A).
ASU put up 29 total shots to Lindenwood’s 34, but Gibson Homer held down the fort with 32 saves. Chase Hamm also made his first NCAA appearance towards the end of the game along with his first NCAA career save.
There was no shortage of action tonight with a total of 33 penalties called between the two teams with ASU owning 20 of those. The last time ASU logged 10 or more penalties was against then-No. 11/12 Denver in December 2021 where they were called for 10. The third period saw the most with 26 total called. The previous high this season was eight penalties when ASU traveled to Colorado College.
Ty Murchison broke a record tonight for most penalty minutes served (210 minutes) in their Sun Devil career. The Previous record was held by alum Tyler Busch at 208 minutes.
ASU is back at Mullett Arena as it facse Alaska Fairbanks in a two-game series on Friday, February 9 and Saturday, February 10. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. MST on Friday night and 5 p.m. MST on Saturday night. Both games can be streamed through Pac-12 Insider and heard on Sun Devil Hockey Radio Network, Fox Sports 910.
GAME NOTABLES
- Ty Murchison now holds the Sun Devil all-time individual record for most penalty minutes, surpassing alum Tyler Busch (208 minutes).
- Cole Helm earned his first career point when he assisted Ethan Szmagaj’s goal in the third period.
- Chase Hamm made his first NCAA appearance in the net tonight. Hamm upon entering the game made his first career save.
- Brandon Tabakin is currently tied for first place in the NCAA for plus/minus, owning a +24.
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
The first period scoring-action came late in the second round against the Lions. Lukas Sillinger scored the opening goal off of a wrap-around pass from Tim Lovell. Ryan Alexandertallied an assist on the play as well. A minute and a half later, Matthew Kopperud made it 2-0 when he lit the lamp off a pass from Charlie Schoen. In the final seconds of the period, several penalties were called and resulted in a one-man advantage for the Lions.
Second Period
The Sun Devils struck first again in the second period when Jackson Niedermayer took the puck down the left side of the ice and slotted it home to give ASU a 3-0 lead. Lindenwood challenged a previous play for contact to the head and earned a five minute power play. The penalty was no problem for the Sun Devils as they were able to successfully kill off Lindenwood’s attempts. ASU closed off the period by extending their lead to 4-0 thanks to Jackson Niedermayer’s tap in from Ryan Alexander’s pass.
Third Period
ASU started the period on another penalty kill, but were able to blank the Lions once again. A few minutes later, a battle on the crease commenced where Ethan Szmagaj netted his second goal of the season in diving fashion. Tony Achille and Cole Helm claimed an assist each, also marking Helm’s first career point. Tensions flared at the halfway point and a total 16 penalties were assessed between the two teams. The third period ended with nine more penalties called. With three minutes left in the game, Lindenwood snuck one in to make it 5-1. The goal was only confirmed after video review. Recent ACHA call-up Chase Hammmade his first collegiate appearance and immediately made his first career NCAA save to protect ASU’s’ 5-1 victory.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Megan Neely
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