(Photo: Denver Athletics)
Arizona State head coach Dave Hakstol spent the last three weeks familiarizing himself with the program after his midseason hiring. Now, he’ll see his team play against one of the premier college hockey programs in the country, by far ASU’s biggest test yet, as No. 4 Denver comes to Mullett Arena for a two-game NCHC series.
The Sun Devils (5-3-0, 1-1-0 NCHC) host the reigning national champion Pioneers (5-2-1, 2-0-0 NCHC) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at noon. There is no Saturday game, since ASU football hosts Colorado that night at 5:30 p.m.
ASU has killed 25 of 26 penalties this season, a 96.2% rate that ranks fourth in the nation and went 5-for-5 last weekend at St. Cloud State. The power play has done its part too, converting 8 of 28 chances (28.6%) to rank 10th nationally, including a pair of power-play goals in Friday’s 3-2 win over the Huskies.
Special teams have been a reliable barometer for ASU. The Sun Devils are 5-0-0 when they score at least one power-play goal. Third-year forward Ben Muthersbaugh leads the team with three, as he and fourth-year forward Kyle Smolen converted on a man advantage in the first period on Friday.
The mill was just as sharp in Saturday’s finale. St. Cloud’s last power play came with less than five minutes left in a one-goal game, and it ended without a shot on goal as second-year defensemen Lincoln Kuehne and Filip Nordberg each blocked an attempt.
That’s an edge worth watching against a Denver power play that ranks 35th nationally (16.7%) and sputtered to 1-for-10 in last weekend’s sweep of Omaha. The Pioneers still won both games, 2-1 and 4-1, and arrived on a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1).
They had to work for it. Denver went 0-for-5 on the power play Friday and needed a late goal to escape. Sophomore Kristian Epperson’s wrist shot from the high slot with 6:07 left broke a 1-1 tie, less than two minutes after Omaha had evened it. On Saturday, Omaha led 1-0 after one period before Denver answered with four unanswered goals.
Goaltending is Denver’s calling card. Second-year goaltender Johnny Hicks missed the Michigan and Boston College series with an injury, then returned to win both games against Omaha, making 20 saves on Friday and 24 on Saturday.
Head coach David Carle said Hicks “played unreal” when Omaha pressed with an extra attacker late in the opener. He is unbeaten in 20 straight college decisions (19-0-1), and Denver has allowed two goals or fewer in six of its eight games.
If there’s a crack in the Pioneers’ armor, it’s up front. Denver has been held to two goals or fewer in three of its last six games, going 1-1-1 in that span. Epperson added an empty-net goal Saturday, while first-year forward Ryan Miller and first-year defenseman Daxon Rudolph tallied a goal and an assist. Rudolph came on the power play, Denver’s only one of the weekend.
That’s not a problem the Sun Devils share. ASU has scored 30 goals in eight games, the second-most in the NCHC, and the production comes from all over the lineup. Second-year forward Jack Beck and first-year defenseman Jonas Woo lead the team with nine points apiece, while Woo’s eight assists lead the team. Muthersbaugh, second-year forward Daniel Shlaine, Smolen, ASU’s team captain, and freshman Nathan Behm each have four goals.
Even Saturday‘s 2-1 loss at St. Cloud was more about a hot goalie than a cold offense. Second-year goaltender Yan Shostak made 42 saves as the Sun Devils outshot the Huskies 43-27. Second-year defenseman Richard Baran scored ASU’s lone goal late in the first period.
In net, second-year goaltender Samuel Urban has a .916 save percentage with 186 saves, including 28 in Friday’s win. Second-year goaltender Sam Hillebrandt started Saturday and stopped 25 of 27 shots.
Denver has the ranking, but ASU has the special teams and a home crowd behind it. If the penalty mill keeps Denver’s power play quiet and ASU’s own power play can find a way past Hicks, the Sun Devils greatly increase their chances of upsetting the reigning national champs. A split would be a statement. A sweep would turn heads across the NCHC.
After this weekend, ASU visits Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 20-21. Denver hosts Lindenwood on Nov. 13.
How to watch: Friday, 7 p.m. MST, and Sunday, noon MST on FOX 10+. Both games are at Mullett Arena in Tempe.
