W(Tempe, AZ) The No. 2-seed Arizona State ice hockey team (20-13-2, 15-9-1 NCHC) defeated No. 7-seed Minnesota Duluth (13-19-3, 9-14-2 NCHC) 4-3, in the first game of the NCHC quarterfinal series on Friday night at Mullett Arena. It was the first postseason contest in Tempe and the Sun Devils have a chance to clinch a spot in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff with a win on Saturday night.
In a back-and-forth battle, ASU took an early 2-0 lead before UMD responded with two goals of its own. The two teams then traded goals before Anthony Dowdnotched the game-winner with over 14 minutes left in the third period.
Dowd’s goal was just his second this season. His first came against Omaha on November 16, 2024. The game’s opening lamplighter was courtesy of Ryan Kirwan who continued his impressive season by notching his NCHC-leading 24th tally.
Luke Pavicich was crucial in net for Arizona State, stopping 28 of 31 shots on the night. The Sun Devils also found success in faceoffs, holding a 31-22 advantage through 60 minutes.
GAME NOTABLES
- Anthony Dowd’s game-winning goal was his second goal of the season.
- Ty Murchison recorded eight of ASU’s 18 blocked shots in the game. He led the NCHC in blocked shots on the season with 59.
- Artem Shlaine has scored a point in every game against UMD this season.
- Lukas Sillinger added another assist to his conference-leading tally.
- Friday’s contest was the first playoff hockey game in the The Valley since the Arizona Coyotes in 2012
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
The leading goal-scorer in the NCHC, Ryan Kirwan, gave the Sun Devils an early 1-0 lead on a one-timer from the right dot. Bennett Schimek and Artem Shlaine were credited with the assists. Propelled by the electric energy in Mullett, Charlie Schoen doubled ASU’s advantage by holding the puck in the offensive zone on a Bulldog’s turnover and scoring unassisted through the five-hole. With 9:22 remaining in the period, Luke Pavicich robbed UMD’s Max Plante in tight to preserve the 2-0 lead. Soon after though, Plante pounced on a loose puck and slotted it home to get UMD on the scoresheet. UMD received a power play with 3:46 left after Ty Jackson was called for tripping, but ASU held strong and the period ended with a 2-1 lead for the home side.
Second Period
The second period began with four-on-four action due to penalties called at the end of the first, but neither team took advantage of the open ice. Just over halfway into the period, the Bulldogs equalized the score at 2-2 after knocking on the door with several good chances. The Sun Devils wasted no time getting back on track though as Bennett Schimek finished a wrist shot from the top of the slot to recapture the lead with 8:40 left in the second period. With 3:31 remaining, UMD once again knotted the score as Sam Plante’s high slot one-timer found twine. The teams headed into the third period tied at three.
Third Period
Five minutes into the final frame of Game 1, the Sun Devils jumped in front as defenseman Anthony Dowdbroke the tie with a slick backhander to retake the 4-3 lead for ASU. With 8:22 left in the period, UMD brought out its power play unit when Tucker Ness was called for slashing. Late in the power play, Max Plante received a tripping penalty which ended the UMD threat. UMD attempted a final push at a tie breaker with 90 seconds left in regulation by pulling its netminder but the effort was to no avail.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Greg Powers
On the atmosphere at Mullett Arena
“The fans were incredible. I credit them with the biggest assist. They just energized our guys and carried us across the finish line tonight. They’ve been doing that all season. So happy we could get that one in front of them. It wasn’t pretty, but the result was good.”
On Charlie Schoen’s performance
“He was awesome. He gave us energy, speed and tenacity. He was good on the wall and he gave us exactly what I wanted him to give us. He was probably our best player today.”
On what was going through his mind when the final horn sounded
“Obviously we’re thrilled to get the win, but not content with how we got the win. The result was great, but the first thing that I thought about was that we better be better. We better be a lot better than we were tonight, or else we’re playing here on Sunday. We don’t want to come here Sunday. We love our fans and we’d love to see them again, but we don’t want to see them on Sunday. Tomorrow if we play more our style and be a little bit more assertive in a lot of areas, I like our chances.”
UP NEXT
Arizona State looks to complete the sweep and move onto the NCHC Frozen Faceoff on Saturday at 6 p.m. MST on NCHC.tv and FOX 10 Xtra.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Paige Shacklett
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