(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)
TEMPE — No. 15 Arizona State’s first year participating in the Icebreakers Tournament began with its first win of the season Friday night, with an opportunity to get back to .500 after an 0-2 start to the season. But instead of a ranked matchup against No. 8 Quinnipiac, the Sun Devils faced off against Alaska Fairbanks, which pulled off the shocking upset the night before.
As the Nanooks (1-3-0) took the ice with an opportunity to stack their resume with back-to-back ranked wins, the Sun Devils (2-2-0) quickly crushed their hopes. 60 minutes later, co-captain forwards senior Bennett Schimek and junior Kyle Smolen stood tall at center ice near the officiating box to collect the Ice Breaker Tournament trophy after a 5-2 victory in the championship game.
With fans’ phone cameras covering every angle in Mullet Arena, the team then met at the faceoff circle for their championship photo, capping off a two-win weekend in front of their home crowd.
“We still got a lot of work to do,” head coach Greg Powers said. “We’re going to be a work in progress for a little bit, but it’s always good when you can learn while you win. We’re good enough to do that, so as long as they work and compete, I like what we’re going to become.”
A significant part of the Sun Devils’ offense came off the stick of senior forward Cruz Lucius. After ending the second period with a 2-1 lead, the Minnesota native scored a third-period hat-trick to lead the rest of the way, with his first tally serving as the eventual game-winner.
His third goal that sent hats flying was an empty-net dagger shot way downtown from ASU’s defensive end. Lucius’ third of the night left the ice and did not fall back down until after it hit the nylon, a snipe that even left him a bit surprised.
“I honestly didn’t try to raise it that much,” Lucius said. “I’ve occasionally practiced [the shot]…I think for any guy on our team, when you’re at the blue line and you see the net open, you know you’re going to take the shot. I’m glad I made it, so it wasn’t an icing, but I definitely tried to shoot a little bit lower than that.”
ASU’s victory would not have been possible without some self-inflicted wounds from the Nanooks. In the first period, sophomore forward Noah Powell lost a contested race for the puck, leading to a Sun Devil icing. The call left many fans in Mullet unpleasant; however, their mood would quickly change.
After the puck was brought back to ASU’s end of the ice, freshman defenseman Richard Baran drew a tripping penalty behind the net. The call resulted in a power play goal snipe from sophomore forward Logan Morrell on the right side, earning the Mesa native his second point in as many days.
The Sun Devils entered Saturday night 2-for-18 on the power play, with special teams having been a significant part of their challenges against Penn State last week. To say the team turned it around would be an understatement, as ASU went 5-for-9 on the man advantage versus the Nanooks, collecting every goal on the man advantage.
“[It was] puck luck more than anything,” Powers said. “Really, the only conventional power play goal we scored was the first one. “I’m really relieved that the power play stepped up like it did, but we still have some work to do.”
The Nanooks also got some puck luck for themselves.
With a 2-0 ASU lead, Sun Devil senior forward Johnny Waldron took a penalty for interference. After facing pressure from the Nanooks in its own end, ASU attempted to clear the puck and make a change. However, as ASU was switching lines, the puck deflected off a referee in the neutral zone.
Fairbanks quickly recovered the puck and rushed back into its offensive zone. With tired Sun Devil defenders on the ice, graduate forward Michael Citara sent a puck toward the net, allowing senior forward Chase Dafoe to get the tip-in goal.
Powers had an animated discussion with the refs as he challenged the call for a high-stick. After a lengthy review, the goal was confirmed. It was not the first time Powers had his disagreements with the on-ice officials this weekend, and after being asked about the officiating, he did not have much to add.
“No comment,” Powers said. “But, great question.”
Powers sent out the same lines Saturday night that got him the 5-3 win on Friday, as he saw some consistency with his team. Morrell, Smolen, Schimek and junior forward Sean McGurn were all point-getters in both nights of the back-to-back.
“We have a really balanced group,” Powers said. “We’re going to get scoring from up and down our lineup.”
The one change between the two games was between the pipes. Hasley made the start after needing to come in for freshman goaltender Samuel Urban on Friday night, who experienced cramps against Notre Dame. On Saturday, Hasley made 34 saves to record his first win as a Sun Devil.
“[The team has] made a lot of strides in every aspect, and I think they really shut it down for me,” Hasley said. “[They] let me see the pucks, and I was there when I needed to be.”
With a pair of wins to help push the Sun Devils to a tournament championship, they’ll look to build on their momentum as they head on the road next weekend against Augustana. The Vikings split a pair of games against Minnesota Duluth, welcoming another NCHC opponent in ASU to Midco Arena for their home opener.
“Winning breads winning,” Powers said. “They get a taste of winning a trophy, a young team this early in the season, we’re going to play for another trophy at our Desert Classic in January. Then it’s our goal to get home ice throughout the NCHC playoffs and play for the ultimate trophy in our conference.”
“The more trophies you can stock up and win, the more winning becomes customary, the more losing becomes [unacceptable], and before you know it, maybe you find yourself in Las Vegas at the end of the year.”
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