TEMPE – The No. 18 Arizona State ice hockey team (19-6-6) blanked Alaska (10-13-2) in a 2-0 victory on Friday night at Mullett Arena. Gibson Homer earned his first NCAA career shutout and collected a career high of 37 saves against the Nanooks.
The Sun Devils are now undefeated in their last four games (3-0-1). ASU's win against the independent rival is the first since the 2019-20 season when the Sun Devils collected a 4-0 shutout.
Sophomore netminder Gibson Homer made his presence known tonight with his second-straight start in the net, grabbing his first career shutout and second career 30-plus save game. He totaled 37 saves, beating his previous high of 32 from last weekend against Lindenwood. This marks the Sun Devils' fourth shutout of the season and the ninth 30-plus save game. Homer now owns the No. 4 spot for most saves made in a shutout by a Sun Devil netminder, the current high is held by alum Joey Daccord with 45 saves in his 4-0 shutout against Princeton in 2018.
MOST SAVES IN A SHUTOUT
45 saves - Joey Daccord - W, 4-0 at Princeton, Dec. 7, 2018
40 saves - TJ Semptimphelter - W, 3-0 at Bemidji State, Oct. 7, 2022
38 saves - TJ Semptimphelter - W, 2-0 at Colorado College, Dec. 2, 2023
37 saves - Gibson Homer - W, 2-0 vs. Alaska Fairbanks, Feb. 9, 2024
Ty Jackson made an immediate impact upon his return to the ice since the forward was injured against Colorado College on Dec. 1. He collected two points from an assist on Charlie Schoen's opening goal and his own power play goal in the second period.
Tim Lovell extended his point-scoring streak to six games (2G, 4A) after he collected his 26th assist of the season. Lovell is also currently tied with fellow Hobey Baker nominee, Lukas Sillinger, for most assists in a single season after Sillinger assisted on the same goal. The two are five assists away from breaking Robert Mastrosimone's record of 31.
The Sun Devils will go for the sweep back at Mullett Arena on Saturday night. Puck drop is slated for 5 p.m. MST and can be streamed on Pac-12 Insider or listen in on the Sun Devil Hockey Radio Network, Fox Sports 910.
GAME NOTABLES
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
After going end-to-end in the first half of the period, Charlie Schoen found the back of the net off of a face-off win from Ty Jackson to give the Sun Devils the lead 1-0. Gibson Homer started in his second-consecutive game and made nine saves in the opening period.
Second Period
The first penalty called in the game came at the 12-minute mark against the Nanooks for cross-checking. The special teams unit came on the ice where Ty Jackson scored with help from Tim Lovell and Lukas Sillinger to put ASU up 2-0. The Sun Devils went on their first penalty kill of the night after a five-minute major was called for contact to the head by Kyle Smolen. With the help of Gibson Homer and company, ASU cleared the penalty with ease.
Third Period
The Sun Devils went back on the kill halfway through the final period where they successfully blanked the Nanooks for a second time tonight.
QUOTES OF THE GAME
Head Coach Greg Powers
On Gibson Homer's performance:
"He was awesome. He was sharp. A lot of stuff from the perimeter that he was just in control of. Squared, everything controlled, not a lot of odd man rush opportunities or backdoor type stuff, but Gibby (Gibson Homer) made some big saves when he had to and he was just in control of the game. With how sharp he was and how square he was and how controlled he was in the crease, it felt like they weren't going to get one by him and they didn't."
On Ty Jackson's return:
"He was awesome. People discount how good those two players are in Ty and Dylan Jackson. We've gone without him for two and a half months, so to go without our top line center and right wing for two and a half months and be in the position that we're in, 19-6-6, says a lot about our group. He's just an energizer bunny, huge IQ and gives us so much more depth down the middle. He was awesome tonight. Silly (Sillinger) plays so well with him. Charlie Schoen was really good. So that line was really good… They didn't get a lot of ice in the back half of the game. So they're gonna be fresh tomorrow and I expect that they'll be better tomorrow."
On the history between the two teams:
"They just play hard. They're well coached and they're always above pucks and they track hard and their gaps are good. They're not fun or easy to play against at all. We got three straight against them, starting tomorrow and four straight overall. There's a reason why they should have made the tournament last year and they got bumped out by some upsets and they've had some huge wins this year. He's a great coach and he's got that program in a really good position."
Sophomore goaltender Gibson Homer
On the shutout:
"The guys battled for me, that's for sure. A lot of blocked shots. A lot of no second chances that our team gave up. So that was good. And, I just felt like it was fated after last week to get that one."
On what was going through his head during the penalty kill:
"They were a very spread look. I knew that they were looking for a lot of scenes and I just had confidence in our PK to block the shots they needed to and I had the confidence in myself to make the saves I needed to."
Senior forward Ty Jackson
On his return:
"Conditioning felt not at the level I wanted to be. But, otherwise I thought I felt really good. I was lucky enough to play with Charlie (Schoen) and Silly (Sillinger) and they were really moving tonight so that made it a lot easier for me."
On what Schoen and Sillinger bring to the line:
"Charlie (Schoen) is a lot like Dylan (Jackson), so it was kind of easy to just step back in with those two guys because me and Dylan (Jackson) were playing with silly (Sillinger) at the start of the year. We kind of already had that chemistry. I also love how quick and fast Charlie is, he plays really intensely. It makes it a lot easier for me, especially as a center man."
The Sun Devils are now undefeated in their last four games (3-0-1). ASU's win against the independent rival is the first since the 2019-20 season when the Sun Devils collected a 4-0 shutout.
Sophomore netminder Gibson Homer made his presence known tonight with his second-straight start in the net, grabbing his first career shutout and second career 30-plus save game. He totaled 37 saves, beating his previous high of 32 from last weekend against Lindenwood. This marks the Sun Devils' fourth shutout of the season and the ninth 30-plus save game. Homer now owns the No. 4 spot for most saves made in a shutout by a Sun Devil netminder, the current high is held by alum Joey Daccord with 45 saves in his 4-0 shutout against Princeton in 2018.
MOST SAVES IN A SHUTOUT
45 saves - Joey Daccord - W, 4-0 at Princeton, Dec. 7, 2018
40 saves - TJ Semptimphelter - W, 3-0 at Bemidji State, Oct. 7, 2022
38 saves - TJ Semptimphelter - W, 2-0 at Colorado College, Dec. 2, 2023
37 saves - Gibson Homer - W, 2-0 vs. Alaska Fairbanks, Feb. 9, 2024
.@GibsonHomer1 took care of business ?? #BeTheTradition pic.twitter.com/Io9Ksr2Wxi
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) February 10, 2024
Ty Jackson made an immediate impact upon his return to the ice since the forward was injured against Colorado College on Dec. 1. He collected two points from an assist on Charlie Schoen's opening goal and his own power play goal in the second period.
Tim Lovell extended his point-scoring streak to six games (2G, 4A) after he collected his 26th assist of the season. Lovell is also currently tied with fellow Hobey Baker nominee, Lukas Sillinger, for most assists in a single season after Sillinger assisted on the same goal. The two are five assists away from breaking Robert Mastrosimone's record of 31.
The Sun Devils will go for the sweep back at Mullett Arena on Saturday night. Puck drop is slated for 5 p.m. MST and can be streamed on Pac-12 Insider or listen in on the Sun Devil Hockey Radio Network, Fox Sports 910.
GAME NOTABLES
- Ty Jackson earned two points in his first game since Dec. 1 against Colorado College.
- Lukas Sillinger and Tim Lovell are inching closer to the record for most assists logged by a Sun Devil in a single season. They each own 26 assists after their aid to Jackson's power play goal.
- Gibson Homer earned his first career NCAA shutout, complete with 37 saves.
- Homer grabbed his second-consecutive 30-plus save game and beat his previous single-game high (32) with a total of 37.
- Brandon Tabakin currently has a plus/minus of +24, tied for first in the nation.
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
After going end-to-end in the first half of the period, Charlie Schoen found the back of the net off of a face-off win from Ty Jackson to give the Sun Devils the lead 1-0. Gibson Homer started in his second-consecutive game and made nine saves in the opening period.
Second Period
The first penalty called in the game came at the 12-minute mark against the Nanooks for cross-checking. The special teams unit came on the ice where Ty Jackson scored with help from Tim Lovell and Lukas Sillinger to put ASU up 2-0. The Sun Devils went on their first penalty kill of the night after a five-minute major was called for contact to the head by Kyle Smolen. With the help of Gibson Homer and company, ASU cleared the penalty with ease.
Third Period
The Sun Devils went back on the kill halfway through the final period where they successfully blanked the Nanooks for a second time tonight.
QUOTES OF THE GAME
Head Coach Greg Powers
On Gibson Homer's performance:
"He was awesome. He was sharp. A lot of stuff from the perimeter that he was just in control of. Squared, everything controlled, not a lot of odd man rush opportunities or backdoor type stuff, but Gibby (Gibson Homer) made some big saves when he had to and he was just in control of the game. With how sharp he was and how square he was and how controlled he was in the crease, it felt like they weren't going to get one by him and they didn't."
On Ty Jackson's return:
"He was awesome. People discount how good those two players are in Ty and Dylan Jackson. We've gone without him for two and a half months, so to go without our top line center and right wing for two and a half months and be in the position that we're in, 19-6-6, says a lot about our group. He's just an energizer bunny, huge IQ and gives us so much more depth down the middle. He was awesome tonight. Silly (Sillinger) plays so well with him. Charlie Schoen was really good. So that line was really good… They didn't get a lot of ice in the back half of the game. So they're gonna be fresh tomorrow and I expect that they'll be better tomorrow."
On the history between the two teams:
"They just play hard. They're well coached and they're always above pucks and they track hard and their gaps are good. They're not fun or easy to play against at all. We got three straight against them, starting tomorrow and four straight overall. There's a reason why they should have made the tournament last year and they got bumped out by some upsets and they've had some huge wins this year. He's a great coach and he's got that program in a really good position."
Sophomore goaltender Gibson Homer
On the shutout:
"The guys battled for me, that's for sure. A lot of blocked shots. A lot of no second chances that our team gave up. So that was good. And, I just felt like it was fated after last week to get that one."
On what was going through his head during the penalty kill:
"They were a very spread look. I knew that they were looking for a lot of scenes and I just had confidence in our PK to block the shots they needed to and I had the confidence in myself to make the saves I needed to."
Senior forward Ty Jackson
On his return:
"Conditioning felt not at the level I wanted to be. But, otherwise I thought I felt really good. I was lucky enough to play with Charlie (Schoen) and Silly (Sillinger) and they were really moving tonight so that made it a lot easier for me."
On what Schoen and Sillinger bring to the line:
"Charlie (Schoen) is a lot like Dylan (Jackson), so it was kind of easy to just step back in with those two guys because me and Dylan (Jackson) were playing with silly (Sillinger) at the start of the year. We kind of already had that chemistry. I also love how quick and fast Charlie is, he plays really intensely. It makes it a lot easier for me, especially as a center man."