COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The No. 20 Arizona State ice hockey team (1-0-0) grounded Air Force Academy (0-1-0) in an 8-1 win as they opened the 2024-25 season at Cadet Ice Arena on Friday night.
Special teams contributed to five out of the eight goals on the night, and 12 players logged at least one point. ASU's seven-goal differential is also the largest margin of victory in program history — beating out the previous record of six in their 8-2 victory over Lindenwood that came on February 17, 2023.
HOW BOUT THEM DEVS ??#BeTheTradition /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/814F4qn15A
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 5, 2024
Special teams dominated the ice for the Sun Devils, setting a new record 40 minutes into the season as ASU scored three short-handed goals, the most in a single game in program history. Junior transfer Bennett Schimek netted two of the three, becoming the first player to score multiple short-handed goals in a single game for the Maroon & Gold. In the final minutes of the game, Schimek grabbed his third goal of the night on the power play to earn his first career hat trick.
Kyle Smolen grabbed two goals to kick off his second year, collecting both a short-handed and a power play goal. Last season, Smolen logged seven goals and nine assists in 28 games.
Graduate forward Dylan Jackson grabbed two points on the night with a goal and an assist in his first game back since Dec. 1, 2023. Another graduate returner, forward Benji Eckerle, earned his first point this season after an assist on Smolen's short-handed goal.
The 17 year-old freshman, Cullen Potter, immediately made an impact on the ice with his first goal of his collegiate career 28 seconds into the third period. Potter is the second-youngest player across the NCAA and is only seven days older than the youngest player (Sascha Boumedienne, Boston University).
FIRST NCAA GOAL FOR POTTER ?? #BeTheTradition
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 5, 2024
?? @FloHockey pic.twitter.com/h4WFOdLyf6
With 38 seconds remaining in the game, sophomore Cole Gordon helped cap off the season opener with his fourth career goal.
GAME NOTABLES
- Tonight's score marked the program's largest margin of victory with the seven-goal differential.
- ASU tied the program record for most goals scored in a single game, it is the fifth game where the Sun Devils netted eight goals.
- Three short-handed goals is the most in a single game in program history.
- Bennett Schimek netted the first short-handed goal since Ryan O'Reilly on February 24, 2024. With his second SHG, Schimek became the first Sun Devil to net two in the same game.
- In his four-point night, Schimek earned his first career hat trick, just the ninth in program history.
- Graduate defensemen Noah Beck earned his first three-point night as a Sun Devil with a career-high three assists.
- Junior netminder Gibson Homer started in goal, tallying 27 saves.
- Sophomore forward David Hymovitch earned the first point of his collegiate career after his assist on Cole Gordon's goal.
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
Period 1
The Sun Devils earned their first penalty kill of the season after freshman Joel Kjellberg got caught on a tripping penalty. After Kyle Smolen was sent to the box, junior Bennett Schimek broke through Air Force's defense to find the back of the net for the season's first goal to give ASU a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, Dylan Jackson made it 2-0 from distance with assists from Ty Jackson and Noah Beck.
Period 2
Cole Helm was sent to the box, sending the Sun Devils back on the kill. With less than a minute on Air Force's power play, Schimek grabbed his second short-handed goal of the night to put ASU up 3-0 with help from Beck. Despite the original no-call on the ice for an Air Force goal, a review reversed the call putting the score at 3-1. ASU went back on the kill after a Ty Jackson penalty, but the Sun Devils grabbed their third short-handed goal of the game thanks to Kyle Smolen to extend the lead to 4-1, Benji Eckerle also collecting a point on the assist.
Period 3
28 seconds into the final period, Cullen Potter extended the Sun Devils' lead on a back-handed goal to make it 5-1, while Schimek logged his third point of the night on the assist. On ASU's first power play of the night, Smolen netted his second goal of the night to push the Sun Devils' lead to 6-1. Dylan Jackson and Noah Beck picked up assist's on his goal.
As the clock ticked down on the power play, Schimek earned his first hat trick in the Maroon & Gold, with Ryan Kirwan and Lukas Sillinger picking up a point on the assists. Seconds later Gordon snuck one last goal in to put the game to bed at 8-1, assisted by David Hymovitch and Cole Helm.
Up next
Puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m. AZT on Saturday and streamed on FloHockey for a pay-per-view fee. Fans in the local Colorado area can watch Saturday's game on AltitudeTV.