TEMPE, Ariz. – It was a question floating around in the off-season: who was going to score the first goal in the brand-new Mullett Arena on opening night? For those who love college hockey for the magic it ignites, the Friday night inaugural Arizona State men's ice hockey game against Colgate University did not disappoint. Just like the hockey gods drew it up themselves, hometown hero and captain Josh Doan lit the lamp for the very first time in Mullett Arena. ASU (2-3-0) defeated Colgate (0-3-0), 2-0, in Hollywood style as TJ Semptimphelter recorded his second career shutout, his second in only five games played.
The winning ways at home pick up where the Sun Devils left off when it comes to home ice advantage, after their impressive 36-11-2 record in the last four seasons at Oceanside carried over to the new ice and added one to the win column.
Head coach Greg Powers praised his team--and the fans-- performance as Mullett Arena recorded its first sellout at 5,026 attendees.
"What an atmosphere, what an experience. It is one all of us will remember for the rest of our lives."
The Sun Devils had their first two power plays of the night thanks to a Raiders hooking call midway through the first period and an interference call with five minutes remaining in the first period, but the Colgate penalty kill kept the Devils off the board both times. Shots were fairly even early but ASU pulled away to take the 13-6 shot advantage after the opening 20 minutes.
It was only a matter of time until the Sun Devils scored, and who better than the hometown kid, Josh Doan, to get the first goal in Mullett Arena? We couldn't have drawn it up any better as Doan's goal came 19:14 in the first period with assists from Lukas Sillinger and Jackson Niedermayer put ASU up 1-0 to end the first frame at 19:15.
When speaking on Doan's goal, Powers noted the importance of the captain scoring first at home, "There's hockey gods, and they were here tonight."
ASU came out hot in the second, and junior forward Ryan O'Reilly notched his first goal of the year with help from Jack Jensen at the 5:44 mark to put the Sun Devils up by two. Back-and-forth penalties ensued for both teams, including a little four-on-four action to close out the second period.
ASU entered the third period on the kill, but again, the Sun Devils held the Raiders scoreless. The final Sun Devil penalty came with just under nine minutes left in the game to improve to three-for-three on the night in kill opportunities. The Sun Devils had their fourth power play with four minutes left in the game, but did not record a goal with a man-up advantage on the night. Colgate went empty net with 1:15 left, and the Sun Devils just missed on an empty net goal to tack on some insurance but held on to the 2-0 win.
The Sun Devils will face Colgate again tomorrow at Mullett Arena and look to collect a sweep for the first time this season. The puck drop for game two is at 7:00 p.m. MST, and can be viewed via Pac-12 Insider here.
it was meant to be ??@JTDoaner19 | #BeTheTradition pic.twitter.com/f7FW3b0vF1
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 15, 2022
that first win feeling ??#BeTheTradition /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/POxPUgBy83
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 15, 2022
The winning ways at home pick up where the Sun Devils left off when it comes to home ice advantage, after their impressive 36-11-2 record in the last four seasons at Oceanside carried over to the new ice and added one to the win column.
Head coach Greg Powers praised his team--and the fans-- performance as Mullett Arena recorded its first sellout at 5,026 attendees.
"What an atmosphere, what an experience. It is one all of us will remember for the rest of our lives."
first game, first sellout ??#BeTheTradition /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/Jn7ZFfzH9k
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 15, 2022
The Sun Devils had their first two power plays of the night thanks to a Raiders hooking call midway through the first period and an interference call with five minutes remaining in the first period, but the Colgate penalty kill kept the Devils off the board both times. Shots were fairly even early but ASU pulled away to take the 13-6 shot advantage after the opening 20 minutes.
It was only a matter of time until the Sun Devils scored, and who better than the hometown kid, Josh Doan, to get the first goal in Mullett Arena? We couldn't have drawn it up any better as Doan's goal came 19:14 in the first period with assists from Lukas Sillinger and Jackson Niedermayer put ASU up 1-0 to end the first frame at 19:15.
When speaking on Doan's goal, Powers noted the importance of the captain scoring first at home, "There's hockey gods, and they were here tonight."
First goal-scorer at the brand new ASU rink? Josh Doan. ??
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 15, 2022
His dad Shane scored a ton of goals in Arizona as well
(via @SunDevilHockey) pic.twitter.com/7oI9wyjat4
ASU came out hot in the second, and junior forward Ryan O'Reilly notched his first goal of the year with help from Jack Jensen at the 5:44 mark to put the Sun Devils up by two. Back-and-forth penalties ensued for both teams, including a little four-on-four action to close out the second period.
O'Reilly feeling dangerous ??#BeTheTradition /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/CPGX8dCXIv
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 15, 2022
ASU entered the third period on the kill, but again, the Sun Devils held the Raiders scoreless. The final Sun Devil penalty came with just under nine minutes left in the game to improve to three-for-three on the night in kill opportunities. The Sun Devils had their fourth power play with four minutes left in the game, but did not record a goal with a man-up advantage on the night. Colgate went empty net with 1:15 left, and the Sun Devils just missed on an empty net goal to tack on some insurance but held on to the 2-0 win.
The Sun Devils will face Colgate again tomorrow at Mullett Arena and look to collect a sweep for the first time this season. The puck drop for game two is at 7:00 p.m. MST, and can be viewed via Pac-12 Insider here.