(Tempe, AZ) Mullett Magic is alive and well once again for the No. 19 Arizona State hockey team (8-7-1, 5-3-0 NCHC) as the Sun Devils extend their winning streak to five games with a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday night. Sophomore Kyle Smolen scored the game-winning goal against the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (5-10-0, 2-6-0 NCHC) to push ASU into sole ownership of second place in NCHC standings.
ASU earned two conference points since the game went to overtime. UMD won one conference point for the overtime loss. The Sun Devils tallied 15 conference points through eight conference games so far this season, only four short of Western Michigan’s lead at 19.
Luke Pavicich made his seventh consecutive start between the pipes for the Sun Devils, putting up 33 saves for a combined 68-save weekend.
The twins, Ty and Dylan Jackson, let the twin telepathy fly against the Bulldogs. Together, they combined for seven points in the series. Both scored a goal and tallied an assist on Friday before continuing to cook on Saturday as Dylan put up another one goal, one assist night and Ty tallied an assist.
Kyle Smolen’s game-winner broke his scoring dry spell that spanned 13 games. He went on a two-game goal scoring streak with three goals at Air Force to start the season. As a rookie last year, he tallied seven goals including two clutch game-winners.
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
Back and forth battle ensued for the entirety of the opening frame. The Bulldogs got a jump on the shot chart with 13 shots on net compared to six for the Sun Devils. Both teams were held scoreless heading to the first intermission.
Second Period
A back-and-forth battle ensued in Tempe that forced the Sun Devils to continue pushing the offensive pace. ASU opened the scoring with a goal from Dylan Jackson in the second period. He was assisted by twin Ty Jackson and Noah Beck. By the end of the middle frame, the Sun Devils held a 1-0 lead.
Third Period
UMD answered with a goal five minutes into the period. ASU answered three minutes later with a goal from Ryan Kirwan with assists from Sam Court and Dylan Jackson. UMD once again tied the game to push the showdown to overtime.
QUOTES
Head coach Greg Powers
On winning five in a row heading into the break:
“I told the guys, ‘Let’s focus on only the positives.’ We were here not even a month ago after losing to Omaha on a Friday night, playing good hockey and things not going our way and we just couldn’t find ways to finish games. We’ve played five games since then and we’re back above .500. We’re at the top of our conference standings and we’re in a really good spot in the Pairwise. We’re in a really good place at the break with a lot in front of us.”
On the performance tonight:
“We found a way last night to win our first game where we didn’t have our a-game. I thought we were really bad tonight. I thought we were disjointed and lacked execution and intensity. Our guys found a way, our goalie held us in it and, and we had found a nice steady win.”
Senior goaltender Luke Pavicich
On winning back to back nights:
“Winning back-to-back, it’s a great feeling, really nothing else to say about it. We were struggling in the beginning of the season finding ways to win games and now it’s finding ways to keep winning games. We’re not losing anymore which is fantastic and it’s a great feeling to go into the break.”
On keeping focus:
“My mentality is to just focus on the next shot every single time. Whether I let in the goal or make a save. The same routine. As a goalie, you find yourself in the back by yourself, so it’s a mental game and you just gotta stay dialed in.”
Sophomore Forward Kyle Smolen
On the game winning goal:
“I was on the bench, he called my name, and Dylan (Jackson) got off on a great change. I saw them dragging, they were kind of tired and I know he heard me (Beck), I was screaming and he just kind of threw it out. He missed the paddle and it came right out to me and instinct took over at that point.”
On making adjustments throughout the game:
“We turned the game around and just worked harder. We weren’t doing what we normally do. We’re dogs with a bone every night and we were kind of more passive. We were worried about things that we shouldn’t have been worried about and we were just getting back to our mentality and doing what we do best.”
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Paige Shacklett
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