TEMPE – The No. 12/12 Arizona State ice hockey team (11-3-2) welcomes Dartmouth (2-3-4) to the desert for the first time in program history this weekend for the last home series before the New Year. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. MST on Friday and 5 p.m. MST on Saturday. Friday night's game will be available on Pac-12 Networks and Saturday's will be available through Pac-12 Insider. Both tilts are available on Fox Sports 910, the home of Sun Devil Hockey.
It is the first time that the Sun Devils and Big Green battle on the ice in ASU's nine-year history. ASU is 17-32-3 all-time against ECHC schools.
ASU returns to Tempe after collecting a tie and a shutout win in the mountains of Colorado. TJ Semptimphelter logged two more 30-plus save nights for his fourth-straight appearance. Alex Young netted the game-winning goal on Saturday and Ryan Alexander scored the team's second short-handed goal this season on a breakaway with an assist from Ethan Szmagaj to further seal the victory.
Dartmouth has faced three ranked opponents so far this season, including then-No. 17 Harvard, then-No. 8 Quinnipiac, and then-No. 7 Cornell. In each matchup, Dartmouth took the game to overtime and resulted in a tie. Big Green won one of the three shootouts after the score stalemate through extra time. ASU will face Harvard in the opening game of the Desert Hockey Classic on Jan. 5 and No. 18 Cornell on Jan. 12-13. Each of those games is hosted at Mullett Arena.
The Big Green is 1-3-2 in away games while ASU is 10-2-0 in the desert. ASU is also undefeated (seven games) in overtime at Mullett Arena since its opening in Oct. 2022.
SUN DEVIL NOTABLES
POWERED UP POWER PLAY
The Sun Devils boast a 26.5 power play percentage through the first 16 games, which ranks seventh among all NCAA Division I teams. ASU's 18 power play goals is second-most in the country. Lukas Sillinger leads the power play scoring for the Sun Devils with two goals and nine assists for 11 points. Matthew Kopperud is second on the team in power play scoring with nine points (5G, 4A). Kopperud and Dylan Jackson have been the go-to goal scorers on the man-advantage with five and four PPG, respectively, so far this season. Kopperud tallied his 29th power play goal of his career against Alaska Anchorage to further extend his program record-setting career PPG.
RANKED DEVILS
ASU continues its eighth-straight week in the national polls. Two weeks ago when the Sun Devils were last at Mullett Arena, ASU split a close series with No. 9 Providence and subsequently moved up to No. 12 and No. 13 in the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live polls, respectively. Last weekend after a tie and win at Colorado College, ASU held strong at No. 12 in both polls. The highest national poll ranking ever received by the Sun Devils was No. 9 on Feb. 17, 2020 in the 2019-20 season.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
After eight-straight starts, TJ Semptimphelter continues to hold his spot in the national rankings. His three shutouts this season is tied for first in the NCAA. The New Jersey native collected his eighth career shutout at Colorado College (38 saves) on Saturday, Dec. 2. The feat ties an ASU program record set by alum and current Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (2016-19). Semptimphelter boasts the sixth-best goaltender winning percentage in the country at .731 after collecting a tie and shutout win at Colorado College last weekend. The junior goaltender also tallied his 20th and 21st career 30-plus save nights at CC.
CAREER MILESTONES
Lukas Sillinger and Alex Young are in the chase for 100 career points. Both currently boast 91 total points through four years of college hockey. Through his two years at Bemidji State and two at ASU, Sillinger tallied 37 goals and 54 assists for 91 points. Young transferred to ASU this year after three seasons at Colgate and has 43 goals and 48 assists for his 91 career points.
CENTURY CLUB CHASE
Tim Lovell encloses on his 100th NCAA game after competing in his 97th game at Colorado College on Saturday night. Matthew Kopperud will reach his 100th NCAA game in four games, after playing in his 96th career game at CC on Saturday. Benji Eckerle followed them in the chase for 100 career games - he played in his 95th on Saturday at CC. Ty Jackson reached his 100th NCAA game at Colorado College on Friday.
SUPER SENIORS CLASS
The senior class is made up of Matthew Kopperud, Ty and Dylan Jackson, Lukas Sillinger, Ryan O'Reilly, Tim Lovell, Alex Young, and Benji Eckerle combine to be ASU's largest point scoring class this season. The seniors scored 31 of ASU's 52 goals this season and assisted on nearly half of all goals (43 of 85). Kopperud and Dylan Jackson lead the class in goal scoring with seven apiece. Sillinger leads the entire team in points and assists with 17 and 12, respectively. Multiple seniors are instrumental in ASU's special teams, especially the power play unit. Fourteen of ASU's 17 power play goals were scored by members of the senior class.
ANOTHER ROUND OF FIRSTS
This weekend's meeting between the Big Green and the Sun Devils is the first-ever. In its nine-year history, ASU has slowly competed against each of the NCAA's 64 Division I programs. The Sun Devils have yet to play 10 fellow Division I teams including Army, Canisius, Bowling Green, Dartmouth (until this weekend), Maine, St. Lawrence, Union, Ferris State, Niagara, and Augustana (until January 2024).
It is the first time that the Sun Devils and Big Green battle on the ice in ASU's nine-year history. ASU is 17-32-3 all-time against ECHC schools.
ASU returns to Tempe after collecting a tie and a shutout win in the mountains of Colorado. TJ Semptimphelter logged two more 30-plus save nights for his fourth-straight appearance. Alex Young netted the game-winning goal on Saturday and Ryan Alexander scored the team's second short-handed goal this season on a breakaway with an assist from Ethan Szmagaj to further seal the victory.
Dartmouth has faced three ranked opponents so far this season, including then-No. 17 Harvard, then-No. 8 Quinnipiac, and then-No. 7 Cornell. In each matchup, Dartmouth took the game to overtime and resulted in a tie. Big Green won one of the three shootouts after the score stalemate through extra time. ASU will face Harvard in the opening game of the Desert Hockey Classic on Jan. 5 and No. 18 Cornell on Jan. 12-13. Each of those games is hosted at Mullett Arena.
The Big Green is 1-3-2 in away games while ASU is 10-2-0 in the desert. ASU is also undefeated (seven games) in overtime at Mullett Arena since its opening in Oct. 2022.
SUN DEVIL NOTABLES
- Through 16 games played, ASU is tied for third in the NCAA (with Western Michigan and Wisconsin) in winning percentage at .750. No. 1 North Dakota and No. 2 Boston College rank first.
- TJ Semptimphelter has made 369 saves through 13 games played this season which ties at 14th in the country.
- ASU's 18 power play goals is tied for second in the NCAA.
POWERED UP POWER PLAY
The Sun Devils boast a 26.5 power play percentage through the first 16 games, which ranks seventh among all NCAA Division I teams. ASU's 18 power play goals is second-most in the country. Lukas Sillinger leads the power play scoring for the Sun Devils with two goals and nine assists for 11 points. Matthew Kopperud is second on the team in power play scoring with nine points (5G, 4A). Kopperud and Dylan Jackson have been the go-to goal scorers on the man-advantage with five and four PPG, respectively, so far this season. Kopperud tallied his 29th power play goal of his career against Alaska Anchorage to further extend his program record-setting career PPG.
RANKED DEVILS
ASU continues its eighth-straight week in the national polls. Two weeks ago when the Sun Devils were last at Mullett Arena, ASU split a close series with No. 9 Providence and subsequently moved up to No. 12 and No. 13 in the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live polls, respectively. Last weekend after a tie and win at Colorado College, ASU held strong at No. 12 in both polls. The highest national poll ranking ever received by the Sun Devils was No. 9 on Feb. 17, 2020 in the 2019-20 season.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
After eight-straight starts, TJ Semptimphelter continues to hold his spot in the national rankings. His three shutouts this season is tied for first in the NCAA. The New Jersey native collected his eighth career shutout at Colorado College (38 saves) on Saturday, Dec. 2. The feat ties an ASU program record set by alum and current Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (2016-19). Semptimphelter boasts the sixth-best goaltender winning percentage in the country at .731 after collecting a tie and shutout win at Colorado College last weekend. The junior goaltender also tallied his 20th and 21st career 30-plus save nights at CC.
CAREER MILESTONES
Lukas Sillinger and Alex Young are in the chase for 100 career points. Both currently boast 91 total points through four years of college hockey. Through his two years at Bemidji State and two at ASU, Sillinger tallied 37 goals and 54 assists for 91 points. Young transferred to ASU this year after three seasons at Colgate and has 43 goals and 48 assists for his 91 career points.
CENTURY CLUB CHASE
Tim Lovell encloses on his 100th NCAA game after competing in his 97th game at Colorado College on Saturday night. Matthew Kopperud will reach his 100th NCAA game in four games, after playing in his 96th career game at CC on Saturday. Benji Eckerle followed them in the chase for 100 career games - he played in his 95th on Saturday at CC. Ty Jackson reached his 100th NCAA game at Colorado College on Friday.
SUPER SENIORS CLASS
The senior class is made up of Matthew Kopperud, Ty and Dylan Jackson, Lukas Sillinger, Ryan O'Reilly, Tim Lovell, Alex Young, and Benji Eckerle combine to be ASU's largest point scoring class this season. The seniors scored 31 of ASU's 52 goals this season and assisted on nearly half of all goals (43 of 85). Kopperud and Dylan Jackson lead the class in goal scoring with seven apiece. Sillinger leads the entire team in points and assists with 17 and 12, respectively. Multiple seniors are instrumental in ASU's special teams, especially the power play unit. Fourteen of ASU's 17 power play goals were scored by members of the senior class.
ANOTHER ROUND OF FIRSTS
This weekend's meeting between the Big Green and the Sun Devils is the first-ever. In its nine-year history, ASU has slowly competed against each of the NCAA's 64 Division I programs. The Sun Devils have yet to play 10 fellow Division I teams including Army, Canisius, Bowling Green, Dartmouth (until this weekend), Maine, St. Lawrence, Union, Ferris State, Niagara, and Augustana (until January 2024).