TEMPE, Ariz. -- What started as a leak turned into full dam breach as Sun Devil Hockey (7-7-0) flooded the No. 20 Bemidji State Beavers (8-6-0) to collect the 6-4 win on Friday night at Oceanside Ice Arena.
Goals from six different Sun Devils fueled the sixth home win for ASU and past a ranked opponent for the first time this season.
"It was overall our best 60-minute effort so far this season," said head coach Greg Powers.
BSU scored an early power play goal less than a minute into a chippy first period but Sean Dhooghe immediately replied, scoring his own with an assist from Jack Becker just 74 seconds after to tie the game. After an action-packed initial five minutes, the Sun Devils couldn't quite take the lead despite three power play opportunities, outshooting the Beavers 14-5.
Colin Theisen found the back of the net at even strength, which was good for the 2-1 lead to open the first two minutes of the second period.
Tim Theocharidis or Iron Devil? He got it done on both sides of the puck and followed Theisen's goal with a goal of his own two minutes later, and sent a Beaver into the glass at the blue line that shattered the glass, leading to a minor delay in game.
Back-to-back goals from Bemidji and a third ASU goal from Josh Doan kept the Sun Devil lead afloat at two. Doan scored his fifth goal of the season 11 minutes into the second with an assist from Colin Theisen.
Ryan O'Reilly hopped on the scoring train with a goal of his own in the third, to give ASU a 5-3 lead. Five goals is the most an opponent has scored against BSU despite Bemidji's five games against top-10 opponents.
"We played hard. When you play hard like that it doesn't matter what team you're going to shove it down their face and we capitalize on our chances" said Colin Theisen, who contributed three points to tonight's effort.
ASU held off BSU's late efforts of a 6-on-4 as Demetrios Koumontzis's took advantage of the empty net and scored his second goal in as many games with an assist from Theisen.
"We haven't shown near what we know we can be, what we will be and tonight they did." said Coach Powers, who has coached his team to a 6-2 record at Oceanside Ice Arena this season. "We were really tough to beat tonight."
FIRST PERIOD
Head Coach Greg Powers
Opening Statement:
"It was a must win. Our guys knew it and it was a big gut check win. I'm very proud of them, it was good. I thought it was overall our best 60-minute effort. We were really good tonight from start to finish. Obviously we wanted to get through that last three minutes without giving one up but took the penalty and it is what it is. This guy (Ben Kraws) stood tall for us and closed the door."
On what changed from Wednesday night:
"We haven't shown near what we know we can be, what we will be and tonight they did. I thought our leaders were incredible tonight. All the upperclassmen did a really good job setting the table. We knew we needed this and the guys got it done."
On what the team knows they can and will be:
"Just play with a chip, finish every check, be heavy and be hard. We pride ourselves on being near impossible to play against in this building. To be quite frank, I told the guys Wednesday was probably the worst period I've seen a team play here in 14 years. We were very proud of our record here and how hard we are to beat and tonight we played that way. We were really tough to beat tonight."
On the response after playing their best 60 minutes:
"It was our best one. Now we've got to go. Were back to even 7-7, tough schedule but we have to continue to win here. We've got four straight, a really good team coming in next week. It's a huge week for this program."
On defensemen getting shots on goal:
"You got to have a five man offense. We want our D to be active and jump into the play and they did a better job than all season. We're tough to play against when everyone is getting involved and our d did a tremendous job just jumping in on the weak side coming out of the zone and activating in the offensive zone and keeping it in and sustaining O-zone pressure. That was fun tonight and that's how we want to play. That's how we're supposed to play. That's how we're designed to play and the guys had fun tonight you could feel it."
On carrying this momentum into the rest of the season:
"Just have a great day of practice Monday. It's one day at a time and its cliche and all of that stuff. But, we know if we play that way it doesn't matter who we play in here, they're going to have a really tough time beating us."
On the message during the broken glass break:
"Don't let it kill what we did. We were feeling really good and just popped two and had a big hit and that was the message. The leaders in the room did a great job of making sure it didn't happen. They popped the first one but just 20 seconds later we got it right back. It didn't change anything for us."
On the power play:
"They're a really good kill. They were isolating Kopperud pretty good and we had some chances. But the power play is not going to be perfect, it was damn near perfect for how a power play goes through the first twelve games. It single handedly won us games and tonight we didn't get a power play goal, but he (Colin Theisen) scored one in the second just three seconds after it expired and sometimes you just need the power play to not give everything up and give you some momentum. I thought it did tonight."
Colin Theisen
On the mood of the team:
"We talked as a team, and we have a good team but we needed to be better. Out there, it looked like some swagger to me so I think moving forward we're going to play with that mojo."
On scoring six goals:
"We had chances the other game too in the second and third period, so I think its just bearing down on those chances. We played hard. When you play hard like that it doesn't matter what team you're going to shove it down their face and we capitalize on our chances."
On dealing with the break after the glass broke:
"Breaks like that are all mental. You take 20 or 30 minutes off and you got to stay dialed in mentally and whoever does that the best is going to come out on top."
On executing better:
"We had chances in the other game too, in the second and third period, so I think it's just bearing down on those chances. Here he (Greg Powers) said we played hard and if you play hard like that, it doesn't matter what team you're going to shove it down their face and capitalize on our chances."
Ben Kraws
On getting back to back starts:
"We knew what we had to do tonight. We had to come in here play our game, play hard and just run them down. We stuck to our game plan."
On coming out of the glass breaking:
"Nothing really changed. You still have your game plan, you still know what you have to do out there. Just have to go out and execute."
Goals from six different Sun Devils fueled the sixth home win for ASU and past a ranked opponent for the first time this season.
"It was overall our best 60-minute effort so far this season," said head coach Greg Powers.
BSU scored an early power play goal less than a minute into a chippy first period but Sean Dhooghe immediately replied, scoring his own with an assist from Jack Becker just 74 seconds after to tie the game. After an action-packed initial five minutes, the Sun Devils couldn't quite take the lead despite three power play opportunities, outshooting the Beavers 14-5.
Colin Theisen found the back of the net at even strength, which was good for the 2-1 lead to open the first two minutes of the second period.
SHOOTA SHOOTA ??@colin_theisen13 /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/KkmMuHhUqn
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 27, 2021
Tim Theocharidis or Iron Devil? He got it done on both sides of the puck and followed Theisen's goal with a goal of his own two minutes later, and sent a Beaver into the glass at the blue line that shattered the glass, leading to a minor delay in game.
iron devils and glass don't mix ?? pic.twitter.com/Lewd8pXOBz
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 27, 2021
Back-to-back goals from Bemidji and a third ASU goal from Josh Doan kept the Sun Devil lead afloat at two. Doan scored his fifth goal of the season 11 minutes into the second with an assist from Colin Theisen.
Ryan O'Reilly hopped on the scoring train with a goal of his own in the third, to give ASU a 5-3 lead. Five goals is the most an opponent has scored against BSU despite Bemidji's five games against top-10 opponents.
"We played hard. When you play hard like that it doesn't matter what team you're going to shove it down their face and we capitalize on our chances" said Colin Theisen, who contributed three points to tonight's effort.
ASU held off BSU's late efforts of a 6-on-4 as Demetrios Koumontzis's took advantage of the empty net and scored his second goal in as many games with an assist from Theisen.
"We haven't shown near what we know we can be, what we will be and tonight they did." said Coach Powers, who has coached his team to a 6-2 record at Oceanside Ice Arena this season. "We were really tough to beat tonight."
FIRST PERIOD
- 16 seconds into the game, Jack Jensen was called for roughing and Bemidji picked up the PPG for a 1-0 lead.
- Sean Dhooghe answered back with his fifth goal of the season 1:41 into the first with an assist from Jack Becker.
- The Sun Devils were granted a PP early with slashing called on BSU, but weren't able to find the back of the net in their first man-up opportunity.
- ASU had a second PP opportunity in the period when BSU was called for cross checking, but again could not score.
- BSU was called for hooking with one minute left, and ASU could not close out the period with a man-up goal.
- ASU had 58 seconds remaining on the PP and seconds after the man-up opportunity, Colin Theisen scored with an assist from the team's assist leader Josh Doan.
- Tim Theocharidis tacked on a goal two minutes later with Demetrios Koumontzis' assist 3:32 into the second to put the Sun Devils up by two.
- Theocharidis nailed a Beaver into the glass at the blue line and broke the glass to send the game into a delay.
- BSU got a goal back with under 10 minutes left in the second half to pull back within one.
- Not even 30 seconds later, Josh Doan scored a goal to keep the Sun Devils at a two goal lead, with the help of Colin Theisen's assist.
- The Beavers headed back to the box with an interference call to send the Sun Devils to their fourth power play at 14:04.
- 16:20 into the second, BSU was called for high sticking for another man-up opportunity for ASU.
- ASU out shot the Beavers 27-11by the end of the second.
- The two teams started the third with four-on-four after roughing calls were given to both teams at the end of the second period.
- Chris Grando and Ty Murchison assisted Ryan O'Reilly 3:49 into the third to extend the Sun Devil lead to three.
- At 14:15, Doan was called for interference to send the PK out, and 21 seconds into the PK, Dhooghe was called for interference to give BSU a 5-on-3. Kraws had three-straight saves, but BSU was able to find the back of the net with 34 seconds left of the PK for ASU.
- BSU had a game misconduct and five-minute major at 9:55, and a roughing on ASU gave the Sun Devils three minutes of five on four but BSU killed the penalty.
- BSU emptied their net at 3:45 to skate six-on-five for the remaining minutes in the third down by two goals.
- Koumontzis was awarded the empty net goal to extend the lead to three.
- BSU emptied their net again with two minutes remaining and scored a six-on-five goal.
- Kopperud moved back up into third in the NCAA in points with 21 (10G-11A).
- Josh Doan's 13th assist tonight marks an assist in three straight games.
- ASU is the first team to score six goals against Bemidji State.
- Friday night's game was Doan's first career game with a goal and an assist.
- Three Sun Devils recorded a goal and an assist in the game - Josh Doan, Colin Theisen and Demetrios Koumontzis
Head Coach Greg Powers
Opening Statement:
"It was a must win. Our guys knew it and it was a big gut check win. I'm very proud of them, it was good. I thought it was overall our best 60-minute effort. We were really good tonight from start to finish. Obviously we wanted to get through that last three minutes without giving one up but took the penalty and it is what it is. This guy (Ben Kraws) stood tall for us and closed the door."
On what changed from Wednesday night:
"We haven't shown near what we know we can be, what we will be and tonight they did. I thought our leaders were incredible tonight. All the upperclassmen did a really good job setting the table. We knew we needed this and the guys got it done."
On what the team knows they can and will be:
"Just play with a chip, finish every check, be heavy and be hard. We pride ourselves on being near impossible to play against in this building. To be quite frank, I told the guys Wednesday was probably the worst period I've seen a team play here in 14 years. We were very proud of our record here and how hard we are to beat and tonight we played that way. We were really tough to beat tonight."
On the response after playing their best 60 minutes:
"It was our best one. Now we've got to go. Were back to even 7-7, tough schedule but we have to continue to win here. We've got four straight, a really good team coming in next week. It's a huge week for this program."
On defensemen getting shots on goal:
"You got to have a five man offense. We want our D to be active and jump into the play and they did a better job than all season. We're tough to play against when everyone is getting involved and our d did a tremendous job just jumping in on the weak side coming out of the zone and activating in the offensive zone and keeping it in and sustaining O-zone pressure. That was fun tonight and that's how we want to play. That's how we're supposed to play. That's how we're designed to play and the guys had fun tonight you could feel it."
On carrying this momentum into the rest of the season:
"Just have a great day of practice Monday. It's one day at a time and its cliche and all of that stuff. But, we know if we play that way it doesn't matter who we play in here, they're going to have a really tough time beating us."
On the message during the broken glass break:
"Don't let it kill what we did. We were feeling really good and just popped two and had a big hit and that was the message. The leaders in the room did a great job of making sure it didn't happen. They popped the first one but just 20 seconds later we got it right back. It didn't change anything for us."
On the power play:
"They're a really good kill. They were isolating Kopperud pretty good and we had some chances. But the power play is not going to be perfect, it was damn near perfect for how a power play goes through the first twelve games. It single handedly won us games and tonight we didn't get a power play goal, but he (Colin Theisen) scored one in the second just three seconds after it expired and sometimes you just need the power play to not give everything up and give you some momentum. I thought it did tonight."
Colin Theisen
On the mood of the team:
"We talked as a team, and we have a good team but we needed to be better. Out there, it looked like some swagger to me so I think moving forward we're going to play with that mojo."
On scoring six goals:
"We had chances the other game too in the second and third period, so I think its just bearing down on those chances. We played hard. When you play hard like that it doesn't matter what team you're going to shove it down their face and we capitalize on our chances."
On dealing with the break after the glass broke:
"Breaks like that are all mental. You take 20 or 30 minutes off and you got to stay dialed in mentally and whoever does that the best is going to come out on top."
On executing better:
"We had chances in the other game too, in the second and third period, so I think it's just bearing down on those chances. Here he (Greg Powers) said we played hard and if you play hard like that, it doesn't matter what team you're going to shove it down their face and capitalize on our chances."
Ben Kraws
On getting back to back starts:
"We knew what we had to do tonight. We had to come in here play our game, play hard and just run them down. We stuck to our game plan."
On coming out of the glass breaking:
"Nothing really changed. You still have your game plan, you still know what you have to do out there. Just have to go out and execute."