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Hockey scores four unanswered goals to sweep Ohio State in yet another overtime classic

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Hockey scores four unanswered goals to sweep Ohio State in yet another overtime classicHockey scores four unanswered goals to sweep Ohio State in yet another overtime classic
Peter Vander Stoep

TEMPE – Sun Devil Hockey put Mullett magic on full display to cap off an emphatic sweep of Ohio State after a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday night at Mullett Arena. Arizona State found itself down 3-0 early in the third period, but three goals in a 6:58 span knotted things up and forced overtime for the third straight game. With just 20 seconds remaining in overtime, sophomore forward Cullen Potter ripped home the game winner to complete the comeback in yet another overtime thriller in front of the always electric Mullett faithful. 

The Sun Devils’ (7-8-1, 3-4-1 NCHC) win marks their third-straight overtime victory and first 3-0 comeback since March 15, 2025, against No. 7 Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC Quarterfinal. The sweep of Ohio State (5-9-0, 1-5-0 Big Ten) now becomes the first true series sweep for ASU this season.

Potter secured his second game-winning goal of the season after a pass from senior forward Bennett Schimek in the overtime period. The trio of Potter (2G, 2A), Schimek (3A), and senior forward Cruz Lucius (1G, 3A) combined for 11 points on the weekend and five on the night to do the heavy lifting on offense. 

Freshman forward Jack Beck kickstarted the ASU comeback by scoring his fifth goal of the year with 13:46 left in regulation. Three minutes later, sophomore defenseman Joel Kjellberg scored his first career goal on a feed from Potter to make it 3-2. With the Sun Devils generating a slew of chances and pressure, the dam broke as freshman forward Sam Alfano netted the equalizer with 6:48 left in the third period to tie things at three apiece and force the eventual overtime.

The Sun Devils will have a well-earned week off before heading up north to face NCHC foe No. 5 Minnesota Duluth Dec. 12-13 for a pair of games at Lawson Ice Arena. Puck drop on Friday is slated for 6:07 p.m. MST, and Saturday’s contest will follow at 4:07 p.m. MST.  Fans can tune in on NCHC.TV and follow along on Fox Sports Phoenix 910AM with Tyler Paley and Alex Coil on the mic. 

GAME NOTABLES:

  • The Sun Devils won their third-straight overtime game in Mullett Arena, improving to 3-0-1 this season. Additionally, ASU has won three straight overtime games for the first time since Nov. 3-24, 2023, defeating Stonehill (5-4), then-No. 9 Providence (6-5) and then-No. 2 Denver (4-3).
  • The win marks the first sweep over a Big Ten school since the sweep of Wisconsin on Nov. 28-29, 2020. ASU outscored the Badgers 11-6 in the series.
  • Potter extended his point streak to seven games, which is tied for the second-longest point streak in program history. He joins Tim Lovell, James Sanchez, Robert Mastrosimone and Artem Shlaine in the record books.
  • In Potter’s seven-game span, he’s recorded nine points (4G, 5A).
  • The Sun Devils are now 3-0-0 this season when Potter records a multi-point game.
  • Kjellberg’s goal in the third period was the first of his career in 49 games. Additionally, it was the first goal by an ASU defenseman this season.
  • Freshman defenseman Justin Kipkie tied his career high with two assists. It was his second time this season notching multiple assists (last coming against Alaska Anchorage on Oct. 11, 2025). 
  • Potter and Kipkie were a game-best +3 on the ice tonight. 
  • With two points tonight, Lucius notched his ninth multi-point game of the season.
  • After tallying an assist tonight, sophomore forward Noah Powell finished the weekend with two points against his former team.
  • The Sun Devil underclassman combined for 10 points in the victory (4G, 6A).
  • Senior goaltender Connor Hasley has now recorded three wins in a row between the pipes. 

PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
After one period of play, the game remained scoreless as Hasley notched 10 saves to keep the Buckeyes off the board. The Sun Devils were put on the power play with 4:17 left in the period, but had nothing to show for it heading into the first intermission tied at zero.

Second Period
The Sun Devils had two early power play chances as they kept the Buckeyes penalty kill unit on the ice for a majority of the frame. ASU was unable to find the game’s first goal and continued the scoreless stretch halfway through the second period. Ohio State found the back of the net twice in the late stages to take a 2-0 lead going into the final period.

Third Period
Ohio State took advantage of an ASU penalty to increase its lead to 3-0. Not long after, the Sun Devils found the back of the net as Beck cleaned up a rebound to put ASU on the board at 3-1. The Sun Devils continued to chip away after Kjellberg slotted his first goal to bring the Sun Devils within one, 3-2, with 10:56 left to play in regulation.

The comeback roared on as Alfano’s third goal of the season evened things up at 3-3 with six minutes left in the final period. The Buckeyes and the Sun Devils went into overtime for back-to-back nights with the home team carrying all the momentum into the extra period.

Overtime
Hasley made a huge save on a Buckeye breakaway to keep the game alive for ASU. In the waning moments of overtime, Potter belted home the game-winning goal on a feed from Schimek to give the Sun Devils the 4-3 win with just 19 seconds left.

QUOTABLES
Arizona State Head Coach Greg Powers
On the comeback victory:
“That was impressive. To come back down three with 14 minutes left says a lot. It felt like we almost tied the thing up right after we scored the second (goal) and had a ton of chances to take the lead. Then obviously we thought we won in regulation and it is what it is, but just proud of the group. That is the epitome of resiliency and that's what we want here.”

On this game being a turning point in the season:
“It's a long season, so it's just one game at a time, but I don't know how you can't get such good inner belief after a comeback like that against a really good team. I know that they've lost, I think five straight now, but they just went to Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago and split. They have some nice wins and they're going to win a lot of games. So these wins are going to do us a lot of favors as the season progresses. We have to make the decision and come up with the mindset that this is a turning point. It's our first sweep of the year, and we always talk about Saturdays are for the Sun Devils here and you have to earn your Saturday and tonight our guys earned their Saturday.”

On feeling like the team had things clicking during the game:
“That last 15 minutes, if that's not relentless hockey, I don't know what is. First, the pucks, winning battles, winning races, driving to the net, getting pucks to the net – it was everything that we want it to be. I want to thank our fans because they didn't leave. They could have easily gotten up and started heading for the exits down three in the third period, but they all stayed. They really powered us through that and gave us the juice we needed to come back and win this game. We're building a hell of a program here and it's all because of the people that stuck out that game with us tonight.”

Arizona State Sophomore forward Cullen Potter
On his game-winning goal in overtime:
“Scoring always feels good, especially a game-winner. But it’s a team effort. We came back down three. I’m proud of these guys…Because of my speed, guys will try to keep up with me and we knew that. I can beat anyone off the ice. I drew it up and it worked out like we thought.” 

On what about the third period lights a fire for the Sun Devils:
“We’re all competitors. We want to win, especially in big moments. That’s when we play our best. We’re fighting tooth and nail.” 

On how this team has grown playing tougher opponents:
“We’ve come (closer together) and began to learn the tendencies of other guys on the team and how to support them. We’re going in knowing that we’re a great team too, and we can get some good wins under our belt. We have in the past, and we need to keep doing that.” 

On how to improve performance during the early periods as a team: 
“We have to think about every single minute of every single game like (it’s the third period). Where the game is on the line and we need to put pressure on right away. If we do that, we’ll score first and keep rolling downhill. We play hard when we’re coming back into the game, but we need to do that when we’re out in front and have a chance to get out in front.”