TEMPE – The No. 17 Arizona State ice hockey team (18-6-6) dominated Lindenwood (5-15-4) in the series finale with a 5-1 win on Saturday. Sophomore netminder Gibson Homer made his sixth career start in goal and achieved his first 30-plus save game in a show stopping effort behind the offensive effort from four different Sun Devil goal-scorers.
Two Sun Devils had two-point games as Jackson Niedermayer scored two goals and Ryan Alexander tallied two assists. Matthew Kopperud scored the second goal of the night marking his third goal this weekend. Ethan Szmagaj and Lukas Sillinger both added goals to the Sun Devils' total.
Tim Lovell extended his point-scoring streak to five games after his assist to Sillinger's opening goal. He now has two goals and three assists as he continues to extend his record for most single season assists by a defenseman with 25 so far. Last night, Lovell broke the tie to surpass Sun Devil alum Brinson Pasichnuk (23A).
ASU put up 29 total shots to Lindenwood's 34, but Gibson Homer held down the fort with 32 saves. Chase Hamm also made his first NCAA appearance towards the end of the game along with his first NCAA career save.
There was no shortage of action tonight with a total of 33 penalties called between the two teams with ASU owning 20 of those. The last time ASU logged 10 or more penalties was against then-No. 11/12 Denver in December 2021 where they were called for 10. The third period saw the most with 26 total called. The previous high this season was eight penalties when ASU traveled to Colorado College.
Ty Murchison broke a record tonight for most penalty minutes served (210 minutes) in their Sun Devil career. The Previous record was held by alum Tyler Busch at 208 minutes.
ASU is back at Mullett Arena as it facse Alaska Fairbanks in a two-game series on Friday, February 9 and Saturday, February 10. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. MST on Friday night and 5 p.m. MST on Saturday night. Both games can be streamed through Pac-12 Insider and heard on Sun Devil Hockey Radio Network, Fox Sports 910.
GAME NOTABLES
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
The first period scoring-action came late in the second round against the Lions. Lukas Sillinger scored the opening goal off of a wrap-around pass from Tim Lovell. Ryan Alexander tallied an assist on the play as well. A minute and a half later, Matthew Kopperud made it 2-0 when he lit the lamp off a pass from Charlie Schoen. In the final seconds of the period, several penalties were called and resulted in a one-man advantage for the Lions.
Second Period
The Sun Devils struck first again in the second period when Jackson Niedermayer took the puck down the left side of the ice and slotted it home to give ASU a 3-0 lead. Lindenwood challenged a previous play for contact to the head and earned a five minute power play. The penalty was no problem for the Sun Devils as they were able to successfully kill off Lindenwood's attempts. ASU closed off the period by extending their lead to 4-0 thanks to Jackson Niedermayer's tap in from Ryan Alexander's pass.
Third Period
ASU started the period on another penalty kill, but were able to blank the Lions once again. A few minutes later, a battle on the crease commenced where Ethan Szmagaj netted his second goal of the season in diving fashion. Tony Achille and Cole Helm claimed an assist each, also marking Helm's first career point. Tensions flared at the halfway point and a total 16 penalties were assessed between the two teams. The third period ended with nine more penalties called. With three minutes left in the game, Lindenwood snuck one in to make it 5-1. The goal was only confirmed after video review. Recent ACHA call-up Chase Hamm made his first collegiate appearance and immediately made his first career NCAA save to protect ASU's' 5-1 victory.
QUOTES OF THE GAME
Head Coach Greg Powers
On the significance of tonight's win:
"It was just a win, right? A win is a win. We gotta keep stacking wins. If we're gonna have a chance to get into this thing, we're not gonna throw in the towel. Our guys are gonna fight until the very end, and we'll see where we're at after tonight. But, we've got a hell of a record. We're 18-6-6. It's one of the best records in college hockey. And, we just gotta keep getting wins."
On the special teams unit:
"PK was unbelievable. They're unbelievable. [Lindenwood] didn't generate much on their power play. Except for the one, found a seam there in the third and Gibby (Gibson Homer) made a big save… The kill was really good and really sharp.
On Gibson Homer's performance:
"He was great. He was steady, he was athletic, he competed; made some really big saves early and then he just made all the saves that he's supposed to make. Right. That's what we want out of our goalies. Just make the saves you're supposed to make and let us take over the game as it goes. And tonight, he did that for us and that's what happened."
Sophomore goaltender Gibson Homer
On staying composed throughout the game:
"It's a little tough. Obviously, I've never seen a game like that in my whole career. So, it's definitely a first for me. But I think the way the team played in front of me and the way I was feeling all game long, I felt like nothing could phase me."
On coming into the game tonight:
"I think it's just built up over the past two years. It's finally nice to get the opportunities to just show my growth and it's just all kind of coming together now. It's fun."
Junior forward Jackson Niedermayer
On tonight's game after the tie:
"It's huge. Right. You scrap and call all day yesterday, they score one, we score one, they score one, we score one and going through that is, it's draining for sure. It's all about how you respond and we responded well today. Credit to this kid (Gibson Homer), he kept us in it. Watching him work every day in practice, he's a hell of a goalie and we have all the faith in him, so he won us that game."
On the biggest difference between the first and second period offensively:
"Being a little sloppy and still getting the two goals, that gives you a lot of trust and confidence that what you're doing is working. If you kind of just stick with it, the puck will figure itself out. We mentioned before the game that the puck bounces haven't been going our way and that comes with work and I think that kind of all just clicked today. After the first period, we were fumbling a little bit and we figured it out for sure."
Two Sun Devils had two-point games as Jackson Niedermayer scored two goals and Ryan Alexander tallied two assists. Matthew Kopperud scored the second goal of the night marking his third goal this weekend. Ethan Szmagaj and Lukas Sillinger both added goals to the Sun Devils' total.
Nasty Nieds ??@jniedermayer27 /// #BeTheTradition pic.twitter.com/Q3b9ngraAC
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) February 4, 2024
Tim Lovell extended his point-scoring streak to five games after his assist to Sillinger's opening goal. He now has two goals and three assists as he continues to extend his record for most single season assists by a defenseman with 25 so far. Last night, Lovell broke the tie to surpass Sun Devil alum Brinson Pasichnuk (23A).
ASU put up 29 total shots to Lindenwood's 34, but Gibson Homer held down the fort with 32 saves. Chase Hamm also made his first NCAA appearance towards the end of the game along with his first NCAA career save.
Gibby keeping it clean ??@GibsonHomer1 /// #BeTheTradition pic.twitter.com/jBDR2wM8I2
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) February 4, 2024
There was no shortage of action tonight with a total of 33 penalties called between the two teams with ASU owning 20 of those. The last time ASU logged 10 or more penalties was against then-No. 11/12 Denver in December 2021 where they were called for 10. The third period saw the most with 26 total called. The previous high this season was eight penalties when ASU traveled to Colorado College.
Ty Murchison broke a record tonight for most penalty minutes served (210 minutes) in their Sun Devil career. The Previous record was held by alum Tyler Busch at 208 minutes.
ASU is back at Mullett Arena as it facse Alaska Fairbanks in a two-game series on Friday, February 9 and Saturday, February 10. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. MST on Friday night and 5 p.m. MST on Saturday night. Both games can be streamed through Pac-12 Insider and heard on Sun Devil Hockey Radio Network, Fox Sports 910.
GAME NOTABLES
- Ty Murchison now holds the Sun Devil all-time individual record for most penalty minutes, surpassing alum Tyler Busch (208 minutes).
- Cole Helm earned his first career point when he assisted Ethan Szmagaj's goal in the third period.
- Chase Hamm made his first NCAA appearance in the net tonight. Hamm upon entering the game made his first career save.
- Brandon Tabakin is currently tied for first place in the NCAA for plus/minus, owning a +24.
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
The first period scoring-action came late in the second round against the Lions. Lukas Sillinger scored the opening goal off of a wrap-around pass from Tim Lovell. Ryan Alexander tallied an assist on the play as well. A minute and a half later, Matthew Kopperud made it 2-0 when he lit the lamp off a pass from Charlie Schoen. In the final seconds of the period, several penalties were called and resulted in a one-man advantage for the Lions.
Second Period
The Sun Devils struck first again in the second period when Jackson Niedermayer took the puck down the left side of the ice and slotted it home to give ASU a 3-0 lead. Lindenwood challenged a previous play for contact to the head and earned a five minute power play. The penalty was no problem for the Sun Devils as they were able to successfully kill off Lindenwood's attempts. ASU closed off the period by extending their lead to 4-0 thanks to Jackson Niedermayer's tap in from Ryan Alexander's pass.
Third Period
ASU started the period on another penalty kill, but were able to blank the Lions once again. A few minutes later, a battle on the crease commenced where Ethan Szmagaj netted his second goal of the season in diving fashion. Tony Achille and Cole Helm claimed an assist each, also marking Helm's first career point. Tensions flared at the halfway point and a total 16 penalties were assessed between the two teams. The third period ended with nine more penalties called. With three minutes left in the game, Lindenwood snuck one in to make it 5-1. The goal was only confirmed after video review. Recent ACHA call-up Chase Hamm made his first collegiate appearance and immediately made his first career NCAA save to protect ASU's' 5-1 victory.
QUOTES OF THE GAME
Head Coach Greg Powers
On the significance of tonight's win:
"It was just a win, right? A win is a win. We gotta keep stacking wins. If we're gonna have a chance to get into this thing, we're not gonna throw in the towel. Our guys are gonna fight until the very end, and we'll see where we're at after tonight. But, we've got a hell of a record. We're 18-6-6. It's one of the best records in college hockey. And, we just gotta keep getting wins."
On the special teams unit:
"PK was unbelievable. They're unbelievable. [Lindenwood] didn't generate much on their power play. Except for the one, found a seam there in the third and Gibby (Gibson Homer) made a big save… The kill was really good and really sharp.
On Gibson Homer's performance:
"He was great. He was steady, he was athletic, he competed; made some really big saves early and then he just made all the saves that he's supposed to make. Right. That's what we want out of our goalies. Just make the saves you're supposed to make and let us take over the game as it goes. And tonight, he did that for us and that's what happened."
Sophomore goaltender Gibson Homer
On staying composed throughout the game:
"It's a little tough. Obviously, I've never seen a game like that in my whole career. So, it's definitely a first for me. But I think the way the team played in front of me and the way I was feeling all game long, I felt like nothing could phase me."
On coming into the game tonight:
"I think it's just built up over the past two years. It's finally nice to get the opportunities to just show my growth and it's just all kind of coming together now. It's fun."
Junior forward Jackson Niedermayer
On tonight's game after the tie:
"It's huge. Right. You scrap and call all day yesterday, they score one, we score one, they score one, we score one and going through that is, it's draining for sure. It's all about how you respond and we responded well today. Credit to this kid (Gibson Homer), he kept us in it. Watching him work every day in practice, he's a hell of a goalie and we have all the faith in him, so he won us that game."
On the biggest difference between the first and second period offensively:
"Being a little sloppy and still getting the two goals, that gives you a lot of trust and confidence that what you're doing is working. If you kind of just stick with it, the puck will figure itself out. We mentioned before the game that the puck bounces haven't been going our way and that comes with work and I think that kind of all just clicked today. After the first period, we were fumbling a little bit and we figured it out for sure."