(Photo Courtesy – Haley Rogalski)
As the mid-point of Arizona State’s season approaches, the Sun Devils are looking to do whatever they can to build their postseason resume. They already have two wins against ranked opponents in then-No. 6 North Dakota and No. 2 Minnesota, but have deeply struggled on the road this season with only a 1-7 road record ahead of Friday’s series opener in New Hampshire. After No. 1 Denver’s sweep of ASU on Dec. 2-3, a road win was critical for the Sun Devils, as they defeated New Hampshire 4-1 Friday evening.
Friday’s game was a close battle between the two squads, with only a 1-0 score through the first 47 minutes of play, highlighted by ASU’s special teams unit, who killed all six of New Hampshire’s power plays and a power play goal by junior forward Matthew Kopperud just five minutes into the game. Kopperud only trails former Sun Devil Johnny Walker by two for most power play goals in program history.
Sophomore goalie TJ Semptimphelter was a big component of that success, surpassing 40 saves for the fourth time this season, and keeping the puck out of the net, even when thrown off balance and/or losing control of his stick.
“TJ was really good tonight,” ASU head coach Greg Powers said in a postgame interview with sideline reporter Laura Stickells. “We had the best player on the ice. It was our goalie, and that’s why we won.”
An eventful third period on Friday provided three goals by ASU and New Hampshire’s only goal of the night. ASU senior defenseman Jack Judson earned his third goal of the season on a fast break, just under eight minutes into the period, which was later followed by sophomore forward Josh Doan’s wraparound short-handed goal after stealing the puck from the goalie behind the net.
Overall, the Wildcats out-shot the Sun Devils 72-46 and 42-26 on goal, while the Sun Devils were more successful on the faceoffs winning 27, compared with the Wildcats’ 21. Graduate forward Demetrios Koumontzis and Doan were the biggest faceoff contributors for ASU, winning eight of nine attempts and nine of 12, respectively.
For a team looking to make its second tournament appearance in program history, road wins are critical to a team’s resume and Friday’s game is certainly a step in the right direction. Arizona State now improves to 9-9 overall and 2-7 on the road, as it looks to earn its first sweep since Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 11-12 in the final game before a two-week break. Puck drop will be at 2 p.m. MST on ESPN+.
