(Photo: Travis Whittaker)
The faceoff circle is usually an area where two team’s stick-blades clash together fighting for sole possession of a 6-ounce rubber puck. For Arizona State sophomore and forward Johnny Walker, it was his scoring zone.
In the second game of ASU’s series against the University of Nebraska Omaha, Johnny Walker found the back of the net four separate times in a 7-2 Sun Devil victory, his first career hat trick. He is now the lone goal scoring leader in the NCAA with 8 tallies on the season.
“I really didn’t create too much on those [goals],” Walker humbly said after the game. “[Demetrios Koumontzis] made four sweet passes and I did what I was supposed to do. The other four guys worked just as hard and we got it done on the power play.”
It was a record performance on the power play for ASU as well. The Sun Devils racked up a team record five power play goals on 10 chances. All four of Walker’s goals came on the power play and Koumontzis recorded the primary assist for all four goals.
“It’s definitely nice to see a lot go in, finally” Koumontzis said. “We all know our roles, and [Walker] is the goal scorer. If you give it to him, he’s going to score.”
ASU’s top power play line of Walker, Koumontzis and Tyler Busch tallied a total of 11 points and 18 shots on net, 15 coming from Walker.
The Sun Devils also broke another record in Saturday’s game. The team took 53 shots at UNO’s goaltenders; including 47 shots and 7 goals to senior goaltender Evan Weninger and 6 shots to junior tender Matej Tomek. The shot total is the most in the program’s NCAA history.
Johnny Walker opened up the scoring just 5:42 into the first period after receiving a pass to the near-side faceoff dot and gave the Devils a 1-0 lead.
Just under six minutes later, and again on the power play, the second PP line got on the score sheet with a goal from the slot by freshman PJ Marrocco.
“Structurally [the power play’s] been really good,” Powers said. “It’s gotten us a lot of momentum in a lot of games.”
Redshirt senior Dylan Hollman netted his first goal of the season two and a half minutes later at even strength as he and Anthony Croston made quick work of Weninger on a two-on-one breakaway to give the Sun Devils a 3-0 lead heading into the intermission.
Sophomore Dominic Garcia also grabbed his first goal of the year in the second period off an assist from Jake Clifford (his first assist of the year).
Heading into the second intermission the score was 5-2 in ASU’s favor.
The “Johnny Walker Show” continued in the third period, resuming almost immediately after puck drop of the third period.
It only took Koumontzis and Busch 1:49 to find Walker in his faceoff circle home. Hats came flying on the ice to commemorate Walker’s first collegiate hat trick.
Walker kept his emotions in check after game, simply calling his his performance and the confidence it has created as “pretty nice.”
Walker topped off the night and the scoring with his fourth goal a little less than for minutes later. Walker became the first Sun Devil to score four goals in a single game in the program’s NCAA history.
The victory and the sweep over UNO is the team’s first back-to-back sweeps ever, and the team’s four-game win streak is also the longest in history.
ASU focuses to Penn State University in hopes of extending their streak, but just two weeks after PSU, ASU will travel to Omaha for a grudge match with the Mavericks.
“Obviously we picked up on on some of their tendencies,” Powers said. “We’ll pay close attention if they make any changes between now and then.”
If one were to compare to where the Sun Devils were at this point last year, they would find the Devils sitting at 2-6-0, a complete 180 degree turn from the 6-2-0 the team currently sits at.
Walker attributed the team’s early success to the chemistry the players have built with each other through the young season.
“We’re a tight-knit group… When you have guys sacrificing and putting their body on the line when you’re up 7-2, it kind of make you looks around,everyone’s pulling their own weight. If you’re not, you’re the odd man out.”
Walker concluded with: “Everyone’s tugging on the rope, and we’re heading in the right direction.”
