The Golden Gophers came in at No. 2 in both the USCHO.com Poll and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Polls, which are only updated weekly. The PairWise ranking system updates after each game and is used by the NCAA to formulate the selection of teams for the NCAA Tournament. The PairWise listed Minnesota at No. 1 on Saturday morning after Denver, formerly ranked No. 1, lost to Omaha on Friday.
Twenty-eight days since winning against the odds in a 3-2 victory versus then-No. 6 North Dakota in Las Vegas, ASU relentlessly pressed Minnesota to come back from two one-goal deficits to pull off the highest ranked win in program history, and the second top-10 victory of the season.
"Another benchmark win for us, huge to do it at home in front of our fans. They were awesome tonight. It was awesome to be here," said head coach Greg Powers. "We needed it, we needed it badly. It was a must-win.To get it tonight, where during stretches it didn't feel like it was going to happen, was really good."
It marked the first time this season Minnesota has lost a game when holding a lead in the third period, and was the first time since Oct. 23, 2021 the Sun Devils have won a game in overtime. It also marked the first time an ASU team has upsetted a top-two opponent since Water Polo defeated No. 2 Stanford on March 6, 2021.
Robert Mastrosimone proved to be the hero for the Sun Devils and struck a team-leading sixth goal of the season in overtime. It marks Mastrosimone's second game-winning goal of the season. Freshman Ryan Alexander notched his first two-goal game of his career to make it his third-straight game with a point. Team captain Josh Doan achieved his eighth multi-assist game of his career with two on the night.
"It's a team effort. We scored six goals regardless. Nothing about me, it's just a team effort honestly. Just in the right place at the right time," said Mastrosione. "This is one of the best crowds I have ever been a part of and it's unbelievable to play in front of everyone."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The beginning of the Saturday night grudge match provided opportunities for both sides, but ultimately it was the Sun Devils who struck first about eight minutes into the first period as Alexander redirected the puck with assists by Doan and defenseman Jack Judson. Alexander now has back-to-back goals bringing his total to three on the season in addition to his three-game point streak.
the lead? yeah, we'll take it ??@ryanalex333 /// #BeTheTradition pic.twitter.com/JVbAKEdjte
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 27, 2022
Minnesota responded with two unanswered goals of its own and took a 2-1 lead to end the opening period. The Golden Gophers lead the shot chart, 12-8.
UMN continued its barrage of shots in an attempt to extend the lead to kick off the second period. The Sun Devils soon found the back of the net with a goal from alternate captain Demetrios Koumontzis to tie the game, 2-2, with assists from Ryan O'Reilly and Tim Lovell.
A minute and 20 seconds later, Ty Jackson smoothly slid his way through the UMN defense to send Mullett Arena into a frenzy with his third goal of the season to push ASU to the 3-2 lead with Scottsdale native Josh Doan notching his ninth assist of the season.
#TwitterlessTy has Mullett ROCKING rn ?? pic.twitter.com/nDu5db7MhU
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 27, 2022
UMN equalized the game at three-all less than a minute later, but the Sun Devils fought back with Alexander burying his second goal of the game for ASU to regain a 4-3 lead with an assist from senior forward Robert Mastrosimone. It would make it the third time this season the Sun Devils have scored three goals in a single period
The Golden Gophers wouldn't go down without a fight as they scored 39 seconds later to bring the game to 4-4 apiece. To cap off the second period, ASU was penalized for a hooking call and faced an aggressive Minnesota power play unit, but sophomore goaltender TJ Semptimphelter and the Sun Devil defensive line successfully killed off the power play to keep the game tied going into the second intermission.
Around three minutes into the final period of regulation UMN resumed the lead for the second time of the night. Both teams traded opportunities to add to their tally, but with about three minutes left in regulation junior forward Dylan Jackson sent in the equalizer to tie the game at 5-5 with the assist by Matthew Kopperud to bring the energy back to the Mullett. The game would remain tied through the end of 60 minutes despite efforts by both sides to prevent the game going to overtime.
DYLAN JACKSON FIRE ME UP ??#BetTheTradition /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/p5suBv5MUt
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 27, 2022
It marked the third time all season the Sun Devils went into overtime, and the third time was the charm after heroic saves from Semptemphleter to begin the extra period. The 3-on-3 overtime suited the atmosphere Mullett Arena was born to ignite, with Doan winning a faceoff against the Gophers and sending a pass to Mastrosimone to bury the number one team in the country and releasing the Mullett into a frenzy unlike no other to send the Sun Devils onward to victory.
because you need to see @rmastro9424's game winner from another angle ?? pic.twitter.com/PVJlX5gZch
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 27, 2022
Sun Devil Hockey will return to have a chance to continue their momentum as they'll hit the road against Denver. Puck drop will be at 7 p.m. and will be streamed via NCHC.TV.
Postgame Quotes:
Arizona State Head Coach Greg Powers:
On if this was the biggest win in program history:
"Yeah, that team is so good. That's as good as you see in college hockey, they're that good. Another benchmark win for us, huge to do it at home in front of our fans. They were awesome tonight. It was awesome to be here."
On how important this game was:
"We needed it, we needed it badly. It was a must-win. We just haven't had a lot of puck luck this year. We've been right there from having at least 12 wins right now. To get it tonight, where during stretches it didn't feel like it was going to happen, was really good. I think we played better last night. I thought we played good enough to win the game last night. I really believe this was a deserved split. Our guys deserved it."
On Doan winning faceoff in OT:
"We called that timeout to set that up. We knew that if we could win [the faceoff] that he could hit Mastrosimone on the breakaway. That's what we called the timeout to do, they executed. We finally scored on the breakaway."
On bumping Ryan Alexander to the first line:
"He was great. For a freshman to score two goals like that tonight, going to the net like he did was impressive. He's a great player, he's going to be so good for a long time. We missed him and Jack Jensen at Clarkson and this weekend immensely. We felt like we just needed a shot in the arm, switching things up, changing some mojo. We got it going, they made me look smart. Very rarely do they make me look smart."
Sophomore Goaltender TJ Semptimphelter:
On facing an NHL roster like that:
"It was a lot of fun. I talked to Eddie and the goaltending staff going into it and I was excited to play in these types of games. These are the kinds of games that you wake up for. Like all games, they are important for us. It was a lot of fun tonight and the guys battled really hard."
On rushes in overtimes:
"I really like the overtime stuff, it is really exciting. I think it fits my play style. I had a lot of trust with the guys in front of me and I knew they would get it done if I just kind of held up my end of the deal. I kept telling the guys that we were winning this and Duck (Mastro) kind of finished it off for us. It was a great win."
On having to play high teams as an independent and getting these big wins:
"I think it's a great opportunity. You get to play a ton of different opponents year after year. I think it is really good for the guys, for exposure. The coaches and players that have returned, they've stressed to us new guys how important every game is here as an independent team. That's a message that hasn't been lost."
On energy in crowd:
"The fans have been awesome this whole year. It is really exciting to be a player in that environment and you can just tell hockey is picking up like wildfire out here. The fans are electric and being a player in that environment is a lot of fun. Teams aren't going to want to play here because of how loud they are. So it's great. It is a great home environment. That just goes to show you our record at home."
Senior Forward Robert Mastrosimone:
On read on the state of the team:
"I love this team, I love this team to death. I think that we're unbelievably good, unbelievably talented and deep. I think the puck luck thing is true. We've had a few games where we definitely controlled the game, dominated the game, and should have won the game. But pucks just don't go your way, that's hockey. It happens sometimes but I have full faith in my teammates and TJ and even the guys that don't play every night. I have faith in everyone."
On no power plays and needing to generate an offense:
"On the bench we were talking. Alright we are going to get one here, we are going to get one soon. And then it just didn't come but the guys stayed on it and we really worked their D down low. We were dumping pucks in and playing more physical than them. Just trying to wear them down. We got a few pucks on the net when we needed to and that was really it. We just needed to wear their D down because they got a really great D-core."
all my brags turn to facts ??#BeTheTradition /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/bpbOJH2JsH
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 27, 2022
FORKED 'EM ????@asucoachpowers /// #BeTheTradition pic.twitter.com/ZLorSq5y3Z
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 27, 2022
Hockey in the desert!!!! https://t.co/8XHQbnfzJR
— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) November 27, 2022