TEMPE, Ariz. -- A sold-out Oceanside Ice Arena turned into a battlefield on Friday night, as the Sun Devil Hockey captains led their squad to victory in its 2017-18 season opener against the Minutemen of UMass.
The captain's line of redshirt junior Dylan Hollman and alternatives Anthony Croston and Louie Rowe dominated the ice, combining for two goals and six assists in a thrilling 5-3 victory. Rowe earned the first star of the night with a goal and two assists.
"They were great, they put us on their backs and that's what you need, that's why they're wearing letters," said head coach Greg Powers. "They literally put us on their back and got us a win, it was awesome."
In the 2016-17 season from late November to the end of the season, Hollman, Rowe and Croston totaled 17 goals and 26 assists in the 17 games as a line. This is the second consecutive year Hollman dons the 'C' along with his fellow assistants Rowe and Croston.
"This is our third year together; we're practicing all the time and just talking to each other out there," said Rowe. "We've kind of been a line for three years, just in and out always talking, always kind of on the same page, so it's kind of like we don't have to give each other tips anymore at this point. We just do our thing and good stuff will happen."
ASU defenseman Jakob Stridsberg scored the first goal of the night midway through the first period, accepting a lead pass from Rowe for a breakaway and beating UMass goaltender Ryan Wischow's high glove. UMass freshman forward Mitchell Chaffee answered minutes later to knot the game up at one through 20 minutes of play.
Late in the second, sophomore defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk finally broke the tie on the power play after 20 minutes of scoreless play. Rowe sent another into the net just over a minute later for his third point of the night, giving the Devils a 3-1 lead going into the third.
Sophomore goaltender Joey Daccord totaled 18 saves on the night, standing tall through five penalty kills.
"We're always confident with him back there, and I think it shows," said Rowe. "You can see us being more aggressive and being more offensive, maybe taking more risks. We know we got a solid guy back there that we trust, and we can kind of lean on him when we need to."
The third period brought two more goals for the Sun Devils, kicked off by a backdoor pass for a big one-timer by junior defenseman Joey Raats. UMass answered with two goals late in the third, cutting the deficit to 4-3 with just minutes left in the game.
In an attempt for overtime, the Minutemen pulled their goaltender with 33 seconds left on the clock. With 11 seconds remaining, Hollman wrapped around the empty net to secure his first goal and second point of the night for a 5-3 Sun Devil win. It was only fitting that the assists went to Rowe and Croston.
The Devils leave the rink with a 'W' attached to their season opener, the first time in the program's young history. A win on Saturday would not only extend the Devils' three-game winning streak against UMass but also make history as their first-ever NCAA weep at home.
"We really wanted this one so we could try and play downhill," said Powers. "Tomorrow's a big game for us, and our guys can be better. They can be better, they can be harder, and they will be. They've got to be desperate to get our first home-sweep tomorrow, and we're going to ingrain that into their heads and I think you'll see a better 60-minute effort from our guys."
The two-game series will resume Saturday, October 7th at 7:05 p.m. at Oceanside. Tickets still remain for Saturday night's contest.
The captain's line of redshirt junior Dylan Hollman and alternatives Anthony Croston and Louie Rowe dominated the ice, combining for two goals and six assists in a thrilling 5-3 victory. Rowe earned the first star of the night with a goal and two assists.
"They were great, they put us on their backs and that's what you need, that's why they're wearing letters," said head coach Greg Powers. "They literally put us on their back and got us a win, it was awesome."
In the 2016-17 season from late November to the end of the season, Hollman, Rowe and Croston totaled 17 goals and 26 assists in the 17 games as a line. This is the second consecutive year Hollman dons the 'C' along with his fellow assistants Rowe and Croston.
"This is our third year together; we're practicing all the time and just talking to each other out there," said Rowe. "We've kind of been a line for three years, just in and out always talking, always kind of on the same page, so it's kind of like we don't have to give each other tips anymore at this point. We just do our thing and good stuff will happen."
ASU defenseman Jakob Stridsberg scored the first goal of the night midway through the first period, accepting a lead pass from Rowe for a breakaway and beating UMass goaltender Ryan Wischow's high glove. UMass freshman forward Mitchell Chaffee answered minutes later to knot the game up at one through 20 minutes of play.
Late in the second, sophomore defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk finally broke the tie on the power play after 20 minutes of scoreless play. Rowe sent another into the net just over a minute later for his third point of the night, giving the Devils a 3-1 lead going into the third.
Sophomore goaltender Joey Daccord totaled 18 saves on the night, standing tall through five penalty kills.
"We're always confident with him back there, and I think it shows," said Rowe. "You can see us being more aggressive and being more offensive, maybe taking more risks. We know we got a solid guy back there that we trust, and we can kind of lean on him when we need to."
The third period brought two more goals for the Sun Devils, kicked off by a backdoor pass for a big one-timer by junior defenseman Joey Raats. UMass answered with two goals late in the third, cutting the deficit to 4-3 with just minutes left in the game.
In an attempt for overtime, the Minutemen pulled their goaltender with 33 seconds left on the clock. With 11 seconds remaining, Hollman wrapped around the empty net to secure his first goal and second point of the night for a 5-3 Sun Devil win. It was only fitting that the assists went to Rowe and Croston.
The Devils leave the rink with a 'W' attached to their season opener, the first time in the program's young history. A win on Saturday would not only extend the Devils' three-game winning streak against UMass but also make history as their first-ever NCAA weep at home.
"We really wanted this one so we could try and play downhill," said Powers. "Tomorrow's a big game for us, and our guys can be better. They can be better, they can be harder, and they will be. They've got to be desperate to get our first home-sweep tomorrow, and we're going to ingrain that into their heads and I think you'll see a better 60-minute effort from our guys."
The two-game series will resume Saturday, October 7th at 7:05 p.m. at Oceanside. Tickets still remain for Saturday night's contest.