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Potter plays hero in Hockey’s 3-2 overtime win over #3 Denver

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Potter plays hero in Hockey’s 3-2 overtime win over #3 DenverPotter plays hero in Hockey’s 3-2 overtime win over #3 Denver
by Danny Sullivan
Box Score

TEMPE – Sun Devil Hockey picked up an emphatic 3-2 overtime win over No. 3 Denver on Saturday night at Mullett Arena. Calgary Flames draftee Cullen Potter fired home the game-winning goal with just 22.3 seconds to play in overtime to give Arizona State a well-earned series split. 

The Sun Devils (5-8-1, 3-4-1 NCHC) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of first-period goals from Carmelo Crandell and Jack Beck to land the first punches of the evening. The Pioneers (9-4-1, 5-1-0 NCHC) later responded with two unanswered goals of their own to knot things up at 2-2 halfway through the third period. 

ASU goaltender Connor Hasley was once again tremendous between the pipes. The senior tied a season high with 42 saves on 44 shots, which included a plethora of timely stops to keep Denver from ever holding a lead in the contest. 

Co-Captain Kyle Smolen played a part in each of ASU’s three goals, as he recorded a season-best three assists on the night. Of the three helpers, none was more important than the entry pass to Potter in overtime. The tape-to-tape feed found its way into the back of the net as Potter ripped one past the Pioneers’ goalie to send the Mullett faithful into a frenzy and the Sun Devils into the win column. 

ASU will return to action at Mullett Arena on Friday, Nov. 28, to host Ohio State. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. MST and can be found on NCHC.tv. Radio broadcasts will be available locally via FOX Sports 910 AM, featuring Alex Coil and Tyler Paley on the mic.

Game notables

  • Since the inception of Mullett Arena in 2022, ASU has moved to 4-4 against top-3 opponents at home.
  • The Sun Devils improved to 12-4-5 in overtime games at Mullett Arena since 2022, and own a 3-1 overtime record against Denver at Mullett.
  • Cullen Potter extended his point streak to four games with the OT winner. 
    • Additionally, it was the second game-winning goal of Potter’s career.
  • ASU snapped Denver’s six-game win streak, handing the Pioneers their first loss since Oct. 31. 
    • Notably, Denver dropped its first NCHC game of the season.  
  • Senior Connor Hasley tied a season high with 42 saves - 19 of which came in the second period - for his second-straight win against a top-ten opponent (Nov.15 at. North Dakota). 
  • Kyle Smolen set a career high with three assists on all three goals for the Sun Devils. It’s the sixth game of his career with two or more assists, and he’s the first Sun Devil to have three or more assists in a game this year. 
  • For Smolen, he tied a career high with three points, last reached on Jan. 5, 2024, against Harvard. 
  • Smolen was a game-high +2 on the ice, and the Sun Devils are 12-0-1 when he’s recorded a multi-point game.  
  • Freshman forward Carmelo Crandell recorded his second goal of the season and his first since Oct. 10 against Notre Dame (W, 5-3).
  • Fellow freshman Ben Kevan notched his first career assist on Crandell's goal.
  • ASU recorded a season-high 27 blocks on the night. Defenseman Richard Baran accounted for a season-high five blocks tonight.
  • The Sun Devils move to 4-2 when leading their opponent after two periods of play. 
  • The Sun Devils earned their 36th-ranked win under head coach Greg Powers.
    • Additionally, it was the 18th top-10 win under Powers.

Period breakdown
First period 
The game opened with each side trading possessions until Denver committed a costly turnover that allowed Ben Kevan and Kyle Smolen to find a wide-open Carmelo Crandell, who buried his second goal of the year at the 13:26 to give ASU a 1-0 lead. 

Between the Pipes, Connor Hasley was tested, facing ten shots on net throughout the period, but managed to keep Denver off the board. Denver took the game’s first penalty for hooking, where the Sun Devils took advantage of the power play opportunity as freshman Jack Beck ripped his fourth goal of the season to double ASU’s lead, 2-0.

Before the end of the period, Denver took their second penalty of the game after being called for interference. The Sun Devils outshot the Pioneers 10-9 in the frame and would have 1:35 on the power play entering the second period.

Second period
The Sun Devils committed their first penalty of the game for slashing with 10:02 left, where Denver later punched back with a man-up goal to make it 2-1 at the 8:47 mark. However, ASU’s challenge for offside was successful, wiping the goal as the game remained 2-0. 

Following the challenge, Potter was called for a slash of his own to put the Sun Devil penalty kill unit in a 5-on-3 situation for 30 seconds. Despite the Denver attack putting numerous shots on Hasley, the Sun Devils returned to full strength. Denver would later score its first goal of the night to make it 2-1. The Sun Devil penalty kill carried ASU into the third period with a one-goal lead, as Denver would have 25 seconds on the man advantage to begin the third period.

Third period
Play quickly returned to full strength at the 18-minute mark to open the third period. Both teams generated chances while the Sun Devils remained ahead 2-1 with 10 minutes left in regulation. Denver would score the equaliser with 7:28 left in the third, tying it 2-2. Neither team could find the regulation winner, as the score remained tied, sending the game to overtime. 

Overtime
Both goalies fiercely defended their respective nets in the overtime period, with multiple chances to seal the game. Following a Hasley save, Jack Beck came up the ice, dealt the puck to Smolen and set Potter up on the left side of the playing surface to rip the game-winning goal to send Mullett Arena into a frenzy, giving ASU the 3-2 victory. 

Quotables
Arizona State Head Coach Greg Powers
On the team’s effort in tonight’s game
“Really proud of our guys, the response was really good. We broke down what we did really well last night, and we did a lot of things well. It just didn’t reflect it on the scoreboard. When that happens, you have to peel it back obviously, and it’s so cliche now, but focusing on what part of the process that we’re trying to put together worked. And tonight was easily our best 60-minute effort of the season.”

On Connor Hasley’s performance
“I think he'd want the first goal back, but man, did he lock it down after that. He was tremendous. He made those two huge saves in overtime, which were huge for us and gave us a fighting chance to win. He was great.”

On tonight’s special teams
“The kill was as good as it gets. It was really good. You need your goalie to be your best penalty killer, and he was, but the guys on the kill got the job done. They had an extended 5-on-3, which put us down. The kill was great, and then we scored a power play goal. We won the special teams battle.” 

Arizona State Forward Kyle Smolen:
On watching Freshman Carmelo Crandell grow as the season continues
“When you’re a freshman coming into this league, it’s hard. It’s really hard to get adjusted. I can try to say that I can relate, but it’s even harder than it was when I was a freshman coming into this league. He’s done a great job of growing every single week. There are going to be times when he’s going to make mistakes, and he has been exceptional at putting those mistakes behind him and finding ways to get better down the stretch. I know in my heart down the stretch he’s going only to get better. He’s only going to get sweeter for us. He’s going to find more opportunities, and you know what, he’s going to cash in.”

On being versatile for the team
“I’ll play anywhere I need to play. I don’t view the lineup in the same way as some people do. I just enjoy playing hockey. I’ll play with anyone and try to make every line as good as I can. I think it’s my job as that older guy on that line to help kind of lift those guys, and they stepped up to the plate today. They really did. They did an exceptional job, and I love those guys.”

Arizona State Forward Cullen Potter
On scoring the game-winning goal
“It’s always good to score and to get that big win for us; it’s huge. It’s always good to win on a Saturday night.”

On what he saw during the game-winning shot:
“I was just flying down the left side, got a pass from Smolen and just shot. I practiced a lot in practice. Just rip it where I know and it went in, it was a good feeling.”

On starting the game with a two-goal lead:
“I think it’s huge. In many of our past games, we haven’t scored first, and that hurts the team a little bit. So just to get out in front right away and just keep building on that is really big for us. I think we need to try to do that every game. Like I said, we’re building and building and just getting better every weekend.”