(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)
TEMPE – As No. 15 Arizona State entered Mullet Arena on Friday for the NCAA Icebreaker tournament, it looked to wipe away one value from its record — the goose egg in the win column. ASU’s foe was a Notre Dame team that had been waiting anxiously for its first official game of the season after beating the US National Development Team in an exhibition game last week, having to wait an extra weekend to face an NCAA opponent.
After three periods, 88 total shots, a plethora of penalties, and eight goals between the two teams, the Sun Devils (1-2-0) soared into the glass in front of the Inferno with their first win of the season, a 5-3 victory over the Fighting Irish (0-1-0).
“It’s huge,” head coach Greg Powers said. “Notre Dame is a really good team. They are a Big Ten team with a ton of talent…Anytime you can beat a Big Ten team, it’s a huge win.”
Believe it or not, a huge part of the Sun Devils’ success might have been pickle juice. True freshman goaltender Samuel Urban stopped 36 of Notre Dame’s 38 shots in his NCAA debut before a series of cramps forced him into the locker room.
“It started at the end of the second period,” Urban said. “It started in the legs, but I tried to drink pickle juice and electrolytes in the locker room.”
When asked about how it tasted, Urban said, “I almost threw up, it was so bad.”
Urban had an incredible first showing for ASU. However, the Slovakian was only able to play 6:46 in the final frame before senior Connor Hasley entered the game in relief. Hasley held strong, posting eleven saves on twelve shots, securing the win for the Sun Devils.
“Urbs was awesome,” Powers said. “It sucked that he cramped up on us. It’s a tough position for Halsey to go into, and he did it really well.”
Another shift to the lineup card also made a tremendous impact on Friday. Freshmen Carmelo Crandell and Ben Kevan joined sophomore Cullen Potter on the team’s second line. Crandell and Kevan combined for three out of the five Sun Devil goals against Notre Dame, both netting their first career goals.
Kevan and Potter spent some time together over the summer, first winning bronze for Team USA in the U18 World Junior Classic before both being selected in the 2025 NHL Draft.
“[Crandell] made some unbelievable plays,” Powers said. “He used his speed great, and [Kevan is just going to get more and more as we go here. Really talented line, you got a first and second rounder on it, and they were dangerous tonight.”
Although Potter was the only linemate not to find the scoresheet, he still showcased how dangerous he is without shooting the puck. On multiple ASU power plays, Potter was delivering passes through tight windows, coming inches away from a few assists.
Potter still took four quality shots Friday night, as his balance of offense and playmaking spoke to his maturity as a sophomore.
“I thought [Potter] was easily our overall best player tonight,” Powers said. “He didn’t score, but he did so many things off the puck and drove the play.”
Another glaring issue for the Sun Devils in their season-opener was their lackluster performance on the power play. After six power play chances only leading to one tally — putting them at two-for-18 on the year — special teams is still an area that needs improvement for the Maroon and Gold.
ASU still improved its chances on the man advantage, with many players shooting the puck closer to the crease, compared to last week when the Sun Devils stayed around the perimeter, taking shots 15-20 feet away from the net.
“Power play has got a lot of work to do,” Powers said. “It could have buried them early and put the game away, and it didn’t.”
Even with a lack of power play production, ASU scored a lot of high-quality goals throughout the night. Senior forward Bennett Schimek sent a beautiful saucer pass to spring Crandell on a breakaway, which he finished by sliding the puck through the wickets of Notre Dame’s sophomore goaltender Nicholas Kempf.
Schimek’s co-captain junior forward Kyle Smolen also potted his first goal of the season, getting a feed from freshman forward Samuel Alfano before wiring a wrist-shot past the outstretched blocker of Kempf.
However, the Irish had ASU hearing footsteps late, with junior forward Carter Slaggert blasting a one-timer past the ear of Hasley to cut the lead to two. Closing out games has been an early struggle for the Sun Devils, as they held third-period leads in both of their losses against Penn State.
“We had some great skill plays tonight and did a lot of really good things,” Powers said. “But our guys have to learn how to close out games the right way, or we are going to blow more leads.”
Despite claiming their first win of the season, the Sun Devils’ next focus is Saturday’s game, as they will play Alaska-Fairbanks (1-0-0), with the winner bringing home hardware. The two teams have an extensive history, having played 17 total games, with the series lead in favor of the Nanooks, who hold nine wins compared to ASU’s seven.
Alaska is coming off an upset win against No. 8 Quinnipiac on Friday, where it eked out a 2-1 victory. The key player for the Nanooks was senior goaltender Lassi Lehti, who thwarted 33 out of the Bobcats’ 34 shots, posting a stellar 0.971 save percentage. A marquee win and a hot goaltender could be the shot of momentum they need to head back to the Yukon with an Ice Breaker triumph.
“[Quinnipiac] had a ton of chances and [Fairbank’s] goalie played really well, and once Fairbanks kind of found its legs and started really competing…they’re going into tomorrow, without a doubt, expecting to beat us.”
ASU and Alaska-Fairbanks will face off in the Ice Breaker Tournament’s championship tomorrow night at 7:00 pm MST. With both teams coming off of their first wins of the year, they look toward tomorrow night with hopes to scale the summit to the tournament trophy.
“It’s always nice to get your first,” Kevan said, “but we need to get ready for Saturday. I said before, you are playing for a championship tomorrow, so you gotta be ready.”
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