(Tempe, AZ) The No. 17 Arizona State ice hockey team (17-6-6) staged a late third period comeback to earn a 4-4 tie with the Lindenwood Lions (5-14-4) on Friday. Seniors Matthew Kopperud and Ryan O’Reilly led the offensive efforts for ASU, both with two goals as O’Reilly secured the shootout winner.
Kopperud scored twice in the first period – once on the power play – to extend his NCAA lead in power play goals and reach 100 NCAA career points. Ryan O’Reilly scored ASU’s other two goals, including his first career short-handed goal, and the eventual shootout winner which doesn’t count toward his season stats.
Several Sun Devils reached career milestones in the opening game against Lindenwood. In addition to reaching 100 career points, Matthew Kopperud is now one PPG away from tying his single season record at 13. Kopperud leads all active NCAA skaters in career power play goals as he further extends his program record with 36 PPG. The mark puts him in a tie at 9th all time in power play goals at the NCAA Division I level.
Tim Lovell tallied his 24th assist of the season, taking the top spot for most assists in a season by a defenseman passing Brinson Pasichnuk’s record of 23 set in 2019-20. Junior defenseman Ty Murchison played in his 100th career game and logged one assist.
Game two will be back at Mullett Arena on Saturday night. Puck drop is slated for 5 p.m. MST and can be streamed on the ASU Live Stream or listen in on the Sun Devil Hockey Radio Network, Fox Sports 910.
GAME NOTABLES
- Ty Murchison played in 100th career game.
- Tim Lovell’s assist to Mathew Kopperud marked his 24th assist of the season, breaking the program record for most assists in a season by a defenseman.
- Tim Lovell extended his point-scoring streak to four games, including two goals and two assists.
- Matthew Kopperud earned his 100th collegiate point thanks to his two first period goals. Kopperud joins Lukas Sillinger as the only Sun Devils on the current roster to reach 100 career points.
- Matthew Kopperud is the lone leader in most PPG this season with 12.
- Brandon Tabakin remains No. 2 in the country in plus/minus with a +23.
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
Lindenwood came out hot to start the game, finding the back of the net less than two minutes into the first period. A minute later, Ethan Szmagaj went to the box for interference which sent the Sun Devils to their first penalty kill of the night. ASU regained momentum after coming out of the penalty kill unscathed. The first line re-entered the ice where Brian Chambers and Charlie Schoen found Matthew Kopperud who netted the Sun Devils’ first goal to tie the game, 1-1. Shortly after, ASU found itself back in the penalty box from a hooking call made on Jackson Niedermayer. Lindenwood converted on the powerplay the second time around to regain the lead at 2-1. A tripping call made against the Lions brought out the special teams for the Sun Devils mid-way through the period. Lukas Sillinger and Tim Lovell put in the work in front of Lindenwood’s net where Kopperud lit the lamp for the second time tonight off of Lovell’s pass to tie the game again at 2-2.
Second Period
ASU put up nine shots to Lindenwood’s three before Lindenwood was able to sneak the puck into the net to regain the lead at 3-2 with six and a half minutes to go. Two and half minutes later, Ryan O’Reilly netted his sixth goal of the season on a rebound to tie the game with help from Kyle Smolen and Benji Eckerle.
Third Period
The Lions started off the final period on a power play, ultimately scoring their second PPG of the night to make it 4-3. The Sun Devils went back onto the penalty kill with six minutes remaining in the game after another penalty on Jackson Niedermayer. The special teams unit grabbed the puck in the final seconds of the penalty kill as Kyle Smolen and Ty Murchison connected with Ryan O’Reilly going down the ice on a three-on-two opportunity. Ryan O’Reilly nabbed the game-tying goal with three seconds left on the kill, also marking his first career short-handed goal.
Overtime
The Sun Devils logged three shots in extra five minutes. TJ Semptimphelter came up with two huge saves that would keep ASU alive including an off the line block on a Lindenwood breakaway. The game was logged as a tie, but Ryan O’Reilly put home the shootout winner.
QUOTES OF THE GAME
Head Coach Greg Powers
On Matthew Kopperud scoring two goals to reach 100 career points:
“He’s a goal scorer and he’s playing well. He’s playing with some desperation. I was really happy with his game and he’s been playing the best hockey of his career in the last three to four weeks.”
On the Sun Devil’s play in overtime:
“Overtime is always exciting, playing three-on-three. Both teams are gonna get chances and both goalies were good in the OT. It was exciting, it was fun for the fans.”
On Ryan O’Reilly’s performance:
“He’s just played winning hockey for us all year. You know, he’s a great leader, a great kid and he was really good tonight. Had some huge goals tonight. Two seniors (Matthew Kopperud and Ryan O’Reilly), stepping up the way those two did. It was good for our team.”
On the Sun Devil’s ability to make a comeback:
“Honestly when we tied it up 1-1, it felt like we were gonna go and play downhill and pull away. And we tied it up 2-2, there was never a doubt. Right. There was never a doubt in any situation on the bench. The guys never doubted that we could come back and win that game. We just couldn’t get the lead. And their goalie was really good. He made some monster saves. You look at the metrics of that game, we played our game.”
On his message to the team after tonight’s results:
“Just come out swinging just like last series. Very similar games, like you said. The only difference really tonight was he didn’t give up a breakaway with 30 seconds left. I don’t think there’s a person in the building that watched that game that doesn’t probably think we were the better team tonight. We probably deserved a better fate. But it didn’t go our way and it was a hard earned tie and shootout win. Tomorrow, we can leave nothing to chance. I mean, that was the message going into tonight. It was urgency, desperation and I thought our guys played with it. There was way more good tonight than bad.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Megan Neely
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