TEMPE -- The Sun Devils of the Wild West are suiting up for a showdown against the Mavericks at Mullett Arena as Arizona State ice hockey (11-12-0) hosts No. 17 Minnesota State (12-9-1) on January 13-14. Both matchups commence at 7 p.m. MST and air on Fox Sports 910, home of Sun Devil Hockey. Friday will air on the ASU Live Stream and Saturday is shown on Pac-12 Arizona.
The Sun Devils and the Mavericks have met five times in the last five years and ASU has yet to defeat the Mavericks. ASU and MSU clashed in Mankato for a two-game series this time last year. The eventual 2022 NCAA championship runner-ups swept ASU in a duo of two-goal differential games. Matthew Kopperud and Josh Doan each enjoyed two-goal games.
The 2022-23 season is the first time in program history that ASU plays against four CCHA teams in a single season. The Sun Devils faced off against Bemidji State (1-1-0) and Michigan Tech (0-1-0) and will host St. Thomas two weeks after the series against MSU.
SHUTOUT SEMPTIMPHELTER
After shutting out Air Force, 2-0, in the third place game of the Desert Hockey Classic last weekend, Semptimphelter boasts a career record of four shutouts this season and s tied for first in shutouts in the NCAA. Joey Daccord currently holds the ASU record for most shutouts in a single season with seven in the 2018-19 season. Semptimphelter stopped 32 shots against the Falcons, his second- most saves in a shutout behind his 40 saves against Bemidji State on October 7, 2022. Semptimphelter is also ranked fourth in the country for save percentage (.921) amongst goalies with at least 20 games.
MASTRO MAGIC
Senior forward Robert Mastrosimone leads the team in shots, points, goals, and assists. Within the 23 games that Mastrosimone has played in, he has 88 shots, 25 points, eight goals, and 17 assists. On top of these leads, Mastrosimone also leads in shots per game with 3.8. The Boston University transfer is reveling in the best statistical season of his career. Through only 23 games he outpaces all other seasons in goals and assists and ties his career high of 25 points in a single season from 2021-22. With two game-winning goals this season (at No. 6 North Dakota and vs. No. 2 Minnesota), he ties junior forward Ryan O'Reilly for the team lead in GWG. Mastrosimone is tied for the team lead in power play scoring with Lukas Sillinger. Each boasts three goals and six assists on the power play for a total of nine points on the man-advantage.
SENIOR D-MEN
Good things happen when senior defensemen Jacob Semik and Jack Judson are on the ice. The pair lead the team in plus/minus with Semik tallying a +9 and Judson shortly behind with a +8. Judson is having the best season of his season, slowly easing into the offensive defenseman role with four goals and ten assists in 22 games. Semik is the only skater on the team who has not been assessed a single penalty this season (Schoen did not record a penalty in his nine games before filing a medical redshirt for 2022-23).
PENALTY KILL SUCCESS
ASU's penalty kill has found success as of late, landing in the top-10 in all NCAA penalty kill units with a 85.7 percentage (ranked 9th). The Sun Devils jumped up two percentage points after holding Boston College's power play unit silent last weekend. Heading into the New Year's Eve series, the Eagles boasted the sixth-ranked power play unit in the country, but were unable to muster a power play goal at Mullett Arena. On Saturday night of both the Minnesota and Denver series, the penalty kill unit held the top teams in the country without a successful man-advantage opportunity. On Saturday at No. 1 Denver, ASU survived seven DU power play opportunities. The group went on a 14-kill streak from October 29 against No. 6 North Dakota to November 18 at Clarkson and is currently on a 14-kill streak dating back to BC on Dec. 30.
OH, OH, OH, O'REILLY
Junior forward Ryan O'Reilly continues to make a scoring impact on this Sun Devil hockey team. Two weekends ago, O'Reilly racked reeled in goals in back-to-backB2B goals in their two games against Boston College. O'Reilly has also knocked home two game- winning goals this year. One against Colorado College on October 22, 2022 and another against Boston College on December 31, 2022. These two game winning goals also put him in second among all of Sun Devil hockey players with six game winning goals in his career.
HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA STATE
L, 2-4 - Jan. 28, 2022 at No. 1 Minnesota State
L, 3-5 - Jan. 28, 2022 at No. 1 Minnesota State
L, 1-3 - Oct. 11, 2019 at No. 3 Minnesota State
L, 0-5 - Oct 12, 2019 at No. 3 Minnesota State
T, 2-2 - Dec. 29, 2018 vs. No. 3 Minnesota State (Desert Hockey Classic Third Place Game)
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Head Coach Greg Powers:
On Minnesota State coming to Tempe:
"We drew it up and it is a great opportunity for us to, again, showcase to our fans really high-end college hockey and they are just that. They are one one of the gold standards in college hockey. Hastings, the job he has done building the program is second to none and almost won a national championship last year, came within inches from doing it. I know they are fighting to get back in this year, but they are playing really well right now so we will have our hands full."
On Desert Hockey Classic:
"I'm proud of our guys. I think Saturday, especially with what happened to Timmy (Lovell), for them to kind of be able to successfully compartmentalize what happened and finish that game and get a win, I think speaks volumes to their mental toughness. But again, so many guys out, more than we have ever had, in these last four games we are finding ways to get splits and keeping ourselves in the mix. Hopefully we get a couple back this weekend and we can get on a run because that is what we need to do."
On how they keep TJ Semptimphelter sharp:
"He keeps himself sharp. He's played every game, that's a big reason for that number (the number of saves he has). Even with two less games, he's probably not the leader but he's played every game, he wants to play in every game, he takes great care of his body, he's always mentally sharp. You look at the last two weekends, we've lost Friday, then he comes back on Saturday and completely shuts the door. That speaks volumes to him. His mental toughness really showed Saturday, shutting Air Force down. With complete control of the game even with what happened with Timmy. Half of our bench was up in outer space, which is totally normal. And TJ just was able to, again, compartmentalize what happened, stay focused and dialed in and saw the game through."
On Tim Lovell:
"He is totally fine, he will have no long term effects of the hit. But, I don't think he will be in. I think that we'll probably look at one series, just for him to get back on the mend and get healthy. But we are just happy that he is okay."
Graduate Forward Chris Grando:
On Desert Hockey Classic:
"Personally, I thought I played pretty well. More importantly, I thought Saturday night was a big win for us. Obviously, we would have loved to bring home the hardware here in our home, but I think everything that happened last weekend is in the past now. We are just looking forward to this weekend and taking everything one day at a time."
On Minnesota State:
"In the locker room we are just talking about one shift at a time, one game at a time, and it doesn't really matter who the person is. If we can all buy into the blue collar mentality and have everybody on the same page, then I think we will be successful."
On importance of hitting the net, getting the rebound, and scoring dirty goals:
"Getting the dirty goals is just as important. They don't ask how. Hopefully we have more than them. Getting into the blue paint and getting to the dirty area is something that I've always found success in doing. Hopefully everyone can do that this weekend and get some big wins for us."
Sophomore Goaltender TJ Semptimphelter:
On his past Saturday's performance and rising to the occasion:
"I think for me I just worry about stopping the next puck. Obviously we'd like to win the Friday game coming into the tournament, we had our sights set to get into the championship and you just have to take it 200 feet at a time. We talk about that a lot in the locker room. Next game at a time kind of mentality and after we unfortunately lost to Michigan Tech and so it was just getting ready for Air Force and coming in third place for our tournament. Same thing with Boston College, we were ready to put the game behind us and get ready for Saturday so it's important to get a win so obviously we don't get swept at home and we want to keep that going this weekend."
On staying active as a goalkeeper and staying sharp:
"Possession is really important as it makes a difference on the power play. Anytime we can get in, get set, that's the goal there of a breakout so I do my best to help them out. Like I said possession too. If face-offs aren't going our way there's definitely times where I've managed the puck and given it to our defensemen to contain possession. That was my goal when I was kind of moving the puck there, they would change and dump a lot of pucks in so I knew it was important to keep the puck alive and put our defense in the best position to move it forward. So that was what I was thinking there. Something I was improving on day-by-day so I think it helps a lot with our defensemen and it's good to incorporate that."
On being able to play in every game:
"We started working with our coach Brian Cain, he's our mental performance coach and even before then I was using a lot of stuff that we use today. Now, after the new year and after meeting with him. I think goaltending is such a huge mental and preparatory position. So for me and my whole career I put a lot of time and importance in preparing for each game. Like I said you can always worry about stopping the next shot and you're only as good as your last save so it's a huge part of the position and about not getting too high or getting too low. I've been a part of a lot of great hockey minds in my career with Brian Boucher, Mike Condon and now I'm lucky to work with Eddie Lack so to have those people in my corner that I can lean on helps me be prepared for each and every night."
On Minnesota State this weekend:
"Minnesota State is a really good team and a lot of times they make a lot of good runs in the tournament so its important that we come in as we're playing a really good team. They're obviously aren't going to take us lightly and they'll come prepared. We just have to work hard and do everything we can to win those games. We're going in expecting two wins which are important for our season."
The Sun Devils and the Mavericks have met five times in the last five years and ASU has yet to defeat the Mavericks. ASU and MSU clashed in Mankato for a two-game series this time last year. The eventual 2022 NCAA championship runner-ups swept ASU in a duo of two-goal differential games. Matthew Kopperud and Josh Doan each enjoyed two-goal games.
The 2022-23 season is the first time in program history that ASU plays against four CCHA teams in a single season. The Sun Devils faced off against Bemidji State (1-1-0) and Michigan Tech (0-1-0) and will host St. Thomas two weeks after the series against MSU.
SHUTOUT SEMPTIMPHELTER
After shutting out Air Force, 2-0, in the third place game of the Desert Hockey Classic last weekend, Semptimphelter boasts a career record of four shutouts this season and s tied for first in shutouts in the NCAA. Joey Daccord currently holds the ASU record for most shutouts in a single season with seven in the 2018-19 season. Semptimphelter stopped 32 shots against the Falcons, his second- most saves in a shutout behind his 40 saves against Bemidji State on October 7, 2022. Semptimphelter is also ranked fourth in the country for save percentage (.921) amongst goalies with at least 20 games.
MASTRO MAGIC
Senior forward Robert Mastrosimone leads the team in shots, points, goals, and assists. Within the 23 games that Mastrosimone has played in, he has 88 shots, 25 points, eight goals, and 17 assists. On top of these leads, Mastrosimone also leads in shots per game with 3.8. The Boston University transfer is reveling in the best statistical season of his career. Through only 23 games he outpaces all other seasons in goals and assists and ties his career high of 25 points in a single season from 2021-22. With two game-winning goals this season (at No. 6 North Dakota and vs. No. 2 Minnesota), he ties junior forward Ryan O'Reilly for the team lead in GWG. Mastrosimone is tied for the team lead in power play scoring with Lukas Sillinger. Each boasts three goals and six assists on the power play for a total of nine points on the man-advantage.
SENIOR D-MEN
Good things happen when senior defensemen Jacob Semik and Jack Judson are on the ice. The pair lead the team in plus/minus with Semik tallying a +9 and Judson shortly behind with a +8. Judson is having the best season of his season, slowly easing into the offensive defenseman role with four goals and ten assists in 22 games. Semik is the only skater on the team who has not been assessed a single penalty this season (Schoen did not record a penalty in his nine games before filing a medical redshirt for 2022-23).
PENALTY KILL SUCCESS
ASU's penalty kill has found success as of late, landing in the top-10 in all NCAA penalty kill units with a 85.7 percentage (ranked 9th). The Sun Devils jumped up two percentage points after holding Boston College's power play unit silent last weekend. Heading into the New Year's Eve series, the Eagles boasted the sixth-ranked power play unit in the country, but were unable to muster a power play goal at Mullett Arena. On Saturday night of both the Minnesota and Denver series, the penalty kill unit held the top teams in the country without a successful man-advantage opportunity. On Saturday at No. 1 Denver, ASU survived seven DU power play opportunities. The group went on a 14-kill streak from October 29 against No. 6 North Dakota to November 18 at Clarkson and is currently on a 14-kill streak dating back to BC on Dec. 30.
OH, OH, OH, O'REILLY
Junior forward Ryan O'Reilly continues to make a scoring impact on this Sun Devil hockey team. Two weekends ago, O'Reilly racked reeled in goals in back-to-backB2B goals in their two games against Boston College. O'Reilly has also knocked home two game- winning goals this year. One against Colorado College on October 22, 2022 and another against Boston College on December 31, 2022. These two game winning goals also put him in second among all of Sun Devil hockey players with six game winning goals in his career.
HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA STATE
L, 2-4 - Jan. 28, 2022 at No. 1 Minnesota State
L, 3-5 - Jan. 28, 2022 at No. 1 Minnesota State
L, 1-3 - Oct. 11, 2019 at No. 3 Minnesota State
L, 0-5 - Oct 12, 2019 at No. 3 Minnesota State
T, 2-2 - Dec. 29, 2018 vs. No. 3 Minnesota State (Desert Hockey Classic Third Place Game)
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Head Coach Greg Powers:
On Minnesota State coming to Tempe:
"We drew it up and it is a great opportunity for us to, again, showcase to our fans really high-end college hockey and they are just that. They are one one of the gold standards in college hockey. Hastings, the job he has done building the program is second to none and almost won a national championship last year, came within inches from doing it. I know they are fighting to get back in this year, but they are playing really well right now so we will have our hands full."
On Desert Hockey Classic:
"I'm proud of our guys. I think Saturday, especially with what happened to Timmy (Lovell), for them to kind of be able to successfully compartmentalize what happened and finish that game and get a win, I think speaks volumes to their mental toughness. But again, so many guys out, more than we have ever had, in these last four games we are finding ways to get splits and keeping ourselves in the mix. Hopefully we get a couple back this weekend and we can get on a run because that is what we need to do."
On how they keep TJ Semptimphelter sharp:
"He keeps himself sharp. He's played every game, that's a big reason for that number (the number of saves he has). Even with two less games, he's probably not the leader but he's played every game, he wants to play in every game, he takes great care of his body, he's always mentally sharp. You look at the last two weekends, we've lost Friday, then he comes back on Saturday and completely shuts the door. That speaks volumes to him. His mental toughness really showed Saturday, shutting Air Force down. With complete control of the game even with what happened with Timmy. Half of our bench was up in outer space, which is totally normal. And TJ just was able to, again, compartmentalize what happened, stay focused and dialed in and saw the game through."
On Tim Lovell:
"He is totally fine, he will have no long term effects of the hit. But, I don't think he will be in. I think that we'll probably look at one series, just for him to get back on the mend and get healthy. But we are just happy that he is okay."
Graduate Forward Chris Grando:
On Desert Hockey Classic:
"Personally, I thought I played pretty well. More importantly, I thought Saturday night was a big win for us. Obviously, we would have loved to bring home the hardware here in our home, but I think everything that happened last weekend is in the past now. We are just looking forward to this weekend and taking everything one day at a time."
On Minnesota State:
"In the locker room we are just talking about one shift at a time, one game at a time, and it doesn't really matter who the person is. If we can all buy into the blue collar mentality and have everybody on the same page, then I think we will be successful."
On importance of hitting the net, getting the rebound, and scoring dirty goals:
"Getting the dirty goals is just as important. They don't ask how. Hopefully we have more than them. Getting into the blue paint and getting to the dirty area is something that I've always found success in doing. Hopefully everyone can do that this weekend and get some big wins for us."
Sophomore Goaltender TJ Semptimphelter:
On his past Saturday's performance and rising to the occasion:
"I think for me I just worry about stopping the next puck. Obviously we'd like to win the Friday game coming into the tournament, we had our sights set to get into the championship and you just have to take it 200 feet at a time. We talk about that a lot in the locker room. Next game at a time kind of mentality and after we unfortunately lost to Michigan Tech and so it was just getting ready for Air Force and coming in third place for our tournament. Same thing with Boston College, we were ready to put the game behind us and get ready for Saturday so it's important to get a win so obviously we don't get swept at home and we want to keep that going this weekend."
On staying active as a goalkeeper and staying sharp:
"Possession is really important as it makes a difference on the power play. Anytime we can get in, get set, that's the goal there of a breakout so I do my best to help them out. Like I said possession too. If face-offs aren't going our way there's definitely times where I've managed the puck and given it to our defensemen to contain possession. That was my goal when I was kind of moving the puck there, they would change and dump a lot of pucks in so I knew it was important to keep the puck alive and put our defense in the best position to move it forward. So that was what I was thinking there. Something I was improving on day-by-day so I think it helps a lot with our defensemen and it's good to incorporate that."
On being able to play in every game:
"We started working with our coach Brian Cain, he's our mental performance coach and even before then I was using a lot of stuff that we use today. Now, after the new year and after meeting with him. I think goaltending is such a huge mental and preparatory position. So for me and my whole career I put a lot of time and importance in preparing for each game. Like I said you can always worry about stopping the next shot and you're only as good as your last save so it's a huge part of the position and about not getting too high or getting too low. I've been a part of a lot of great hockey minds in my career with Brian Boucher, Mike Condon and now I'm lucky to work with Eddie Lack so to have those people in my corner that I can lean on helps me be prepared for each and every night."
On Minnesota State this weekend:
"Minnesota State is a really good team and a lot of times they make a lot of good runs in the tournament so its important that we come in as we're playing a really good team. They're obviously aren't going to take us lightly and they'll come prepared. We just have to work hard and do everything we can to win those games. We're going in expecting two wins which are important for our season."