(Photo: Sammi Maxwell/WCSN)
Following a 5-4 overtime victory on Friday, No. 16 Arizona State Men’s Hockey completed the sweep over Stonehill with a late 3-2 win on Saturday. The series marks the Sun Devils’ third sweep of the season and a perfect 6-0 record at home.
On Friday night, ASU showed that no deficit is too large, highlighted by senior forward Mathew Kopperud’s game-tying power-play goal in the middle of the third period. Kopperud’s goal was the third of four unanswered goals by the Sun Devils. With a minute to go in overtime, freshman defenseman Anthony Dowd earned not only the game-winning goal, but also the first of his collegiate career.
“It felt great, especially for my first one to be an overtime winner,” Dowd told the media after the game. “It was awesome, a great feeling so I’m just so happy that we got the win.”
“[Kopperud] stepped up, he’s a clutch kid and he made a good play there in overtime,” ASU head coach Greg Powers told the media about Friday’s performance. “You need that out of your leaders, and I thought specifically tonight, Brian Chambers and Tyler Gratton were our best players. They put the team on their back and they weren’t going to let us lose that game.”
Early in Saturday’s series finale, freshman forward Cole Gordon scored a shorthanded goal on a breakaway pass just 27 seconds into the game, giving ASU an early 1-0 lead. Gordon became the 14th skater to find the back of the net this season, which also marked the first goal of his young collegiate career.
“It felt awesome, especially when my mom and sister were close, so it was a really good way to get it off my chest,” Gordon said.
Gordon is one of several newcomers who hasn’t seen a lot of minutes on the ice, with Friday’s playing time being his first since the opening series against Merrimack on Oct. 13-14.
“He’s the kind of kid you win with,” Powers said. “He’s great in the defensive zone. He’s reliable and finishes checks. He’s going to be a high-level player for us.”
Saturday’s lineup also saw freshman forward Matthew Romer’s collegiate debut and junior defenseman Cade Alami’s debut in a Sun Devil uniform. Alami transferred to ASU over the summer after spending two seasons at Boston College.
“I wanted a harder lineup. Romer looked really good in his first game [Friday night] and was engaged,” Powers said.
Sophomore goalie Gibson Homer earned his third consecutive start on Saturday, ending the weekend with 49 saves and six goals against. This was just the sixth game TJ Semptimphelter has not played in since transferring to ASU ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
The Sun Devils dominated offensively on Saturday, outshooting the Skyhawks 46-25, but struggled to find the net. Stonehill sophomore goalie Dylan Meilun compiled 43 saves, after a 31-save performance on Friday. ASU’s special team was the driving force behind its success, scoring on its only power-play opportunity. The Devils’ penalty kill was also successful, scoring short handed on a major penalty kill and killing all but one penalty Saturday night.
“I thought we were a million times better tonight than last night,” Powers noted. “We just couldn’t score. We completely controlled the play of the game and the pace of the game. [Stonehill] was really opportunistic. That team competed hard and they should have nothing to be ashamed of.”
With just over seven minutes remaining in the third period, graduate forward Tyler Gratton found the back of the net on a slapshot on the left side just in front of the goal to tie the game 2-2. Just three minutes later, Kopperud scored the game-winning goal on a pass from Gratton just outside the crease. His fourth game-winning goal of the season ties a single-season record alongside former Sun Devils Robert Mastrosimone, Josh Maniscalco, Brett Gruber, and Johnny Walker, while ASU is just eight games into its 38-game season.
Saturday’s 3-2 victory, keeps ASU (6-1-1) undefeated through six home games at Mullett Arena, a major recipe to the team’s success. As the Sun Devils continue to embark on their best start in program history, they will look to avenge last season’s series sweep as the juggernaut No. 2 Denver makes its first trip to Mullett Arena.
“We’re 6-0 at home and we have a lot of home games left. We’re winning games. It’s a veteran team that has found ways to win games just about every way you can imagine,” Powers said.
