TEMPE, Ariz. – What says Arizona State ice hockey better than a New Year's Eve banger at Mullett Arena against one of the most storied programs in college hockey history? ASU (9-10-0) is ringing in the New Year in Mullett Maniac fashion as hosts to the Boston College Eagles (6-5-4) on Friday, December 30 and Saturday, December 31. The matchups start at 7 p.m. MST and 3 p.m. MST, respectively, and air on the ASU Live Stream and Fox Sports 910 radio, the home of Sun Devil Hockey.
After a two week hiatus over the holidays, ASU looks to get back in the win column with help from Mullett Arena's home ice advantage. The Sun Devils are 6-2-0 at home this year, including two sweeps and an upset victory over No. 2 Minnesota.
The Eagles and Sun Devils have met three times in ASU's short history. The last time the two came together, ASU collected a home sweep in games at Oceanside Ice Arena and Gila River Arena, former home of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes. ASU won in dominating style with final scores of 5-2 and 2-0 on Friday and Saturday night, respectively. The grandfather of maroon and gold goaltending, Joey Daccord, recorded the Saturday night shutout. Before that, ASU made the trip to Boston in November 2016 to face then-No. 3 BC and eventually lost the single game, 3-1.
Sun Devil forward Chris Grando and defenseman Tim Lovell are desert transplants from Boston College. Grando played for the Eagles from 2017-19 and had to redshirt the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer rules. He played 74 games, scoring nine goals and tallying 16 assists. Grando is nearing his 150th NCAA career game and will play in his 147th on Friday night against his former team. Lovell played one season for the Eagles during the COVID season (2020-21) including 18 games and two assists.
MASTRO MAGIC
Robert Mastrosimone continues to lead the team in points and assists, a status he's held the entire season. In his senior season, and first at Arizona State, Robert Mastrosimone is enjoying one of the best seasons of his collegiate career. Through only 19 games played, the New York native is outpacing his previous seasons in assists (15), shot percentage (.082), game-winning goals (2), blocks (23), and faceoff percentage (.504). His two-game winning goals came at clutch blockbuster moments that pushed ASU to topple then-No. 6 North Dakota and then-No. 2 Minnesota.
JUST JUDDER
Senior Jack Judson is having the best season of his career and heading into this series is a top-four scorer on the ASU stat sheet. The defenseman boasts 12 points from three goals and nine assists through 18 games played (one game missed for suspension). An integral part of the penalty kill unit, Judson went on the offense to net a shorthanded goal against Alaska Anchorage in the eventual 5-2 victory.
SHORTIE SUCCESS
ASU is ninth in the nation in shorthanded goals with three scored through 19 games. The shortie's have been scored by three different ASU skaters: Jack Judson, Demetrios Koumontzis, and Josh Doan. Last season the Sun Devils scored six shorthanded goals through 35 games of the regular season.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Sophomore TJ Semptimphelter leads the nation in saves with 583 through 19 starts in the maroon and gold. His three shutouts are tied for second in the NCAA, he is led by Michigan Tech's Blake Pietila and Princeton's Ethan Pearson who both have four shutouts this year. Semptimphelter has played all games from puck drop to final whistle this season except for one time, at No. 1 Denver. He was pulled during the second intermission and replaced by senior Ben Kraws, his first appearance of the year.
ACADEMIC WEAPONS
Five hockey players recorded a 4.00 GPA or above at the conclusion of the Fall 2022 semester: Jacob Semik, TJ Semptimphelter, Tanner Hickey, Gibson Homer and Cade Stibbe. Twenty-four of 28 players are scholar athletes, which requires a 3.00 or above. This fall, the team tallied a 3.46 GPA, the highest met by the team in the post-Covid era. TJ Semptimphelter finished the semester with a 4.13 GPA and awarded the ASU Student-Athlete of the Semester for Fall 2022.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
In a transition year following the retirement of longtime legendary coach Jerry York, the Eagles hold a 6-5-4 record. However, they are fresh off the highest scoring Battle of Comm Ave since 1986 which BC came away with a 9-6 victory against No. 6 Boston University. ASU hosts BU next weekend as a participant in the Desert Hockey Classic. Cutter Gauthier leads the Eagles in points with 16 (10G, 6A) through 13 games played. Mitch Benson has led the charge between the pipes for BC this season, notching 916 minutes with a 2.88 goals against average and .904 save percentage. He's also recorded one shutout this season. The Eagles boast a top-10 power play unit that functions at a 26.3 percent success rate, ranked sixth in the NCAA. The team's penalty kill is tied for 11th in the nation at 84.3 percent and it's faceoff percentage is 53.1, tied for tenth.
HISTORY VS. BOSTON COLLEGE
W, 2-0 - Jan. 5, 2019 at Gila River Arena
W, 5-2 - Jan. 4, 2019 at Oceanside Ice Arena
L, 1-3 - Nov. 13, 2016 in Boston, MA (BC was ranked No. 3)
After a two week hiatus over the holidays, ASU looks to get back in the win column with help from Mullett Arena's home ice advantage. The Sun Devils are 6-2-0 at home this year, including two sweeps and an upset victory over No. 2 Minnesota.
New year, new uni drop ??
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) December 30, 2022
Introducing: Digi Flame ?? pic.twitter.com/N312Bmll1c
The Eagles and Sun Devils have met three times in ASU's short history. The last time the two came together, ASU collected a home sweep in games at Oceanside Ice Arena and Gila River Arena, former home of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes. ASU won in dominating style with final scores of 5-2 and 2-0 on Friday and Saturday night, respectively. The grandfather of maroon and gold goaltending, Joey Daccord, recorded the Saturday night shutout. Before that, ASU made the trip to Boston in November 2016 to face then-No. 3 BC and eventually lost the single game, 3-1.
Sun Devil forward Chris Grando and defenseman Tim Lovell are desert transplants from Boston College. Grando played for the Eagles from 2017-19 and had to redshirt the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer rules. He played 74 games, scoring nine goals and tallying 16 assists. Grando is nearing his 150th NCAA career game and will play in his 147th on Friday night against his former team. Lovell played one season for the Eagles during the COVID season (2020-21) including 18 games and two assists.
FLAMIN' HOT ?? pic.twitter.com/4MZcxzN03h
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) December 30, 2022
MASTRO MAGIC
Robert Mastrosimone continues to lead the team in points and assists, a status he's held the entire season. In his senior season, and first at Arizona State, Robert Mastrosimone is enjoying one of the best seasons of his collegiate career. Through only 19 games played, the New York native is outpacing his previous seasons in assists (15), shot percentage (.082), game-winning goals (2), blocks (23), and faceoff percentage (.504). His two-game winning goals came at clutch blockbuster moments that pushed ASU to topple then-No. 6 North Dakota and then-No. 2 Minnesota.
JUST JUDDER
Senior Jack Judson is having the best season of his career and heading into this series is a top-four scorer on the ASU stat sheet. The defenseman boasts 12 points from three goals and nine assists through 18 games played (one game missed for suspension). An integral part of the penalty kill unit, Judson went on the offense to net a shorthanded goal against Alaska Anchorage in the eventual 5-2 victory.
SHORTIE SUCCESS
ASU is ninth in the nation in shorthanded goals with three scored through 19 games. The shortie's have been scored by three different ASU skaters: Jack Judson, Demetrios Koumontzis, and Josh Doan. Last season the Sun Devils scored six shorthanded goals through 35 games of the regular season.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Sophomore TJ Semptimphelter leads the nation in saves with 583 through 19 starts in the maroon and gold. His three shutouts are tied for second in the NCAA, he is led by Michigan Tech's Blake Pietila and Princeton's Ethan Pearson who both have four shutouts this year. Semptimphelter has played all games from puck drop to final whistle this season except for one time, at No. 1 Denver. He was pulled during the second intermission and replaced by senior Ben Kraws, his first appearance of the year.
ACADEMIC WEAPONS
Five hockey players recorded a 4.00 GPA or above at the conclusion of the Fall 2022 semester: Jacob Semik, TJ Semptimphelter, Tanner Hickey, Gibson Homer and Cade Stibbe. Twenty-four of 28 players are scholar athletes, which requires a 3.00 or above. This fall, the team tallied a 3.46 GPA, the highest met by the team in the post-Covid era. TJ Semptimphelter finished the semester with a 4.13 GPA and awarded the ASU Student-Athlete of the Semester for Fall 2022.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
In a transition year following the retirement of longtime legendary coach Jerry York, the Eagles hold a 6-5-4 record. However, they are fresh off the highest scoring Battle of Comm Ave since 1986 which BC came away with a 9-6 victory against No. 6 Boston University. ASU hosts BU next weekend as a participant in the Desert Hockey Classic. Cutter Gauthier leads the Eagles in points with 16 (10G, 6A) through 13 games played. Mitch Benson has led the charge between the pipes for BC this season, notching 916 minutes with a 2.88 goals against average and .904 save percentage. He's also recorded one shutout this season. The Eagles boast a top-10 power play unit that functions at a 26.3 percent success rate, ranked sixth in the NCAA. The team's penalty kill is tied for 11th in the nation at 84.3 percent and it's faceoff percentage is 53.1, tied for tenth.
HISTORY VS. BOSTON COLLEGE
W, 2-0 - Jan. 5, 2019 at Gila River Arena
W, 5-2 - Jan. 4, 2019 at Oceanside Ice Arena
L, 1-3 - Nov. 13, 2016 in Boston, MA (BC was ranked No. 3)