TEMPE – The No. 17 Arizona State ice hockey team (17-6-5) returns from an off weekend for a tilt with the Lindenwood Lions (5-14-3) on Feb. 2-3. The Sun Devils look to start a new winning streak as they head into the final stretch of the regular season spearheaded by two Hobey Baker nominees and a Mike Richter Award candidate.
Puck drop on Friday night is slated for 7 p.m. MST on ASU Live Stream-2 and 5 p.m. MST on Saturday night on ASU Live Stream. Both games can be heard on Sun Devil Hockey Radio Network, Fox Sports 910.
ASU first met fellow independent program Lindenwood last season and currently owns a 2-0-0 record against the Lions. The Sun Devils earned the sweep at Mullett Arena with dominant 8-2 and 5-3 wins. ASU's eight goals became a new program record for most goals scored in a single game (tied this season at Robert Morris). Two weeks ago, ASU earned a 3-2 win on Saturday to grab the series split against Augustana after a last-second loss the night before.
During the off weekend, the Hobey Baker Award announced its nominees which included Sun Devil seniors Lukas Sillinger and Tim Lovell. Both skaters are top in the nation in points and assists.
TOP IN THE COUNTRY
The ASU team continues to rank among the top in the country in numerous categories:
SUN DEVIL NOTABLES
RANKED DEVILS
ASU continues its 16th-straight week in the national polls. Polls placed the Sun Devils at No. 17 after their off-week. The highest national poll ranking ever received by the Sun Devils was No. 9 on Feb. 17, 2020 in the 2019-20 season.
RECORD CHASE
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Goaltenders TJ Semptimphelter and Gibson Homer both saw action this past weekend. Semptimphelter remains in the top ten nationally for best goalie winning percentage with a .705. In mid-January, the Mike Richter Award announced its watch list pool for 2024, listing Semptimphelter as one of 41 NCAA goaltenders in the running for the annual award. The New Jersey native's three shutouts this season is tied for second in the NCAA as he looks to break Joey Daccord's career record for an Arizona State netminder. Homer made his sixth and seventh appearance during the series with Augustana where he helped the team earn the series split and logged a career high of 27 in their Saturday night win.
LOVE'IN IT
Defenseman Tim Lovell became one of the key components to the Sun Devils' success this season. He currently ranks ninth nationally for most assists this season and sits at No. 11 in the nation for assists per game with 0.88. Lovell has tallied 23 assists so far and tied Sun Devil hockey alum Brinson Pasichnuk's single season record for most assists by a defenseman set in the 2019-20 season. During the Sun Devils' series with Augustana, Lovell lit the lamp twice with a goal in each game. It was the second time this season that Lovell's scored goals in back-to-back games (last vs. No. 2 Denver and Alaska Anchorage).
ACADEMIC WEAPONS
Off the ice, the hockey team competes in the classroom as the team earned a collective semester GPA of 3.44. The group carries a cumulative GPA of 3.52, including eight players who earned a 4.00 semester GPA in Fall 2023. Eighty-six percent of the team earned a 3.00 or higher.
Puck drop on Friday night is slated for 7 p.m. MST on ASU Live Stream-2 and 5 p.m. MST on Saturday night on ASU Live Stream. Both games can be heard on Sun Devil Hockey Radio Network, Fox Sports 910.
ASU first met fellow independent program Lindenwood last season and currently owns a 2-0-0 record against the Lions. The Sun Devils earned the sweep at Mullett Arena with dominant 8-2 and 5-3 wins. ASU's eight goals became a new program record for most goals scored in a single game (tied this season at Robert Morris). Two weeks ago, ASU earned a 3-2 win on Saturday to grab the series split against Augustana after a last-second loss the night before.
During the off weekend, the Hobey Baker Award announced its nominees which included Sun Devil seniors Lukas Sillinger and Tim Lovell. Both skaters are top in the nation in points and assists.
TOP IN THE COUNTRY
The ASU team continues to rank among the top in the country in numerous categories:
- Tied-No. 5: ASU's 17 wins is tied for fifth-best in the country and ranks seventh overall for best winning percentage (.696)
- No. 4: ASU has scored 29 power play goals in 28 games
- Tied-No. 3: Currently tied for third-fewest losses in the NCAA at 6
- Tied- No. 9: ASU has scored 93 goals in 28 games so far this season with an average of 3.32 goals per game
- Tied-No. 8: Power play unit converts at a 25.7 percent success rate
- No. 1: Matthew Kopperud is in a three-way tie for most powerplay goals across the NCAA this season with 11.
- No. 1: Matthew Kopperud is tied for first in the NCAA for most game-winning goals (6)
- No. 2: Brandon Tabakin is tied at No.2 in the nation with a +23 on the season
- No. 6: Brian Chambers has won 279 faceoffs through 28 games, the sixth-best in the nation
- No. 7: TJ Semptimphelter remains in the top-ten in the nation for winning percentage (.705)
- No. 8: Lukas Sillinger has 24 assists and ranks 8th in the NCAA
- No. 9: Tim Lovell's 23 assists ranks 9th in the NCAA with an average of 0.88 assists per game
SUN DEVIL NOTABLES
- Junior defender Ty Murchison is set to play his 100th game this weekend in the Maroon and Gold.
- Senior Matthew Kopperud is two points away from reaching his 100th NCAA point
RANKED DEVILS
ASU continues its 16th-straight week in the national polls. Polls placed the Sun Devils at No. 17 after their off-week. The highest national poll ranking ever received by the Sun Devils was No. 9 on Feb. 17, 2020 in the 2019-20 season.
RECORD CHASE
- Tim Lovell (23A) is one assist away from breaking Brinson Pasichnuk's single season record for assists by a defenseman (23A) set in 2019-20.
- Matthew Kopperud is two power play goals away from breaking the program record he set for most power play goals in a single season with 13 in 2021-22. He is also two points away from joining the century club for career points.
- TJ Semptimphelter is one shutout away from setting a program record for career shutouts. The record is set at eight by ASU alum and current NHL Seattle Kraken netminder Joey Daccord.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Goaltenders TJ Semptimphelter and Gibson Homer both saw action this past weekend. Semptimphelter remains in the top ten nationally for best goalie winning percentage with a .705. In mid-January, the Mike Richter Award announced its watch list pool for 2024, listing Semptimphelter as one of 41 NCAA goaltenders in the running for the annual award. The New Jersey native's three shutouts this season is tied for second in the NCAA as he looks to break Joey Daccord's career record for an Arizona State netminder. Homer made his sixth and seventh appearance during the series with Augustana where he helped the team earn the series split and logged a career high of 27 in their Saturday night win.
LOVE'IN IT
Defenseman Tim Lovell became one of the key components to the Sun Devils' success this season. He currently ranks ninth nationally for most assists this season and sits at No. 11 in the nation for assists per game with 0.88. Lovell has tallied 23 assists so far and tied Sun Devil hockey alum Brinson Pasichnuk's single season record for most assists by a defenseman set in the 2019-20 season. During the Sun Devils' series with Augustana, Lovell lit the lamp twice with a goal in each game. It was the second time this season that Lovell's scored goals in back-to-back games (last vs. No. 2 Denver and Alaska Anchorage).
ACADEMIC WEAPONS
Off the ice, the hockey team competes in the classroom as the team earned a collective semester GPA of 3.44. The group carries a cumulative GPA of 3.52, including eight players who earned a 4.00 semester GPA in Fall 2023. Eighty-six percent of the team earned a 3.00 or higher.