(Photo: Sammi Maxwell/WCSN)
Arizona State men’s ice hockey is fortunate to return home from Colorado still with only three losses on the season.
The 12th-ranked Sun Devils put forth a solid overall performance in last Friday’s 2-2 tie at Colorado College, but the same can’t be said for game two the next day. If not for junior netminder TJ Semptimphelter’s incredible 36-save shutout that sealed a 2-0 series-clinching victory — which saw him consistently make big saves as his team mustered just 25 shots attempts — ASU would’ve almost certainly been looking at a 0-1-1 record against an unranked Tigers squad.
Instead, the Sun Devils (11-3-2) remain at No. 12 in the latest U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Poll following the series win and shift their focus to this weekend’s series against Dartmouth (2-3-4, 2-1-4 ECAC), an opponent they have never faced.
Currently occupying sixth place in the ECAC, the Big Green have exceeded expectations in their solid start to the season, as they were picked to finish second-to-last in the 12-team conference. This prediction may prove a slight overreaction come March, but such a pessimistic outlook does come with reasonable justification.
Last season, the Big Green was one of the country’s youngest teams with an average age of 22 years old, and it was extremely apparent. Dartmouth was an ECAC bottom-feeder in, posting four conference victories and a dreadful 5-24-1 overall record. This difficult year followed a 7-22-3 overall mark in the prior season, and heavily-tempered expectations in Hanover come as no surprise.
Judging by early results, however, head coach Reid Cashman’s program appears to have taken a step forward in his third year behind the bench.
Save for a 6-1 blowout at the hands of Connecticut on Nov. 25, Dartmouth has looked competitive in every game this season, most notably against ranked teams. The Big Green have tied each of the three top-20 opponents it’s faced so far — even defeating defending national champions Quinnipiac in an exhibition shootout — so ASU will be dealing with a team accustomed to keeping up with tough opponents.
A tremendous benefit to fielding such a young team is that the roster likely won’t see much turnaround in the offseason, as most players are underclassmen who have multiple years of eligibility. This is the case for Dartmouth: aside from losing two integral pieces in defenseman Tanner Palocsik (22 points) and forward Matt Hubbarde (16 points), it is almost completely returning its core from last season.
Junior Braiden Dorfman and sophomore Luke Haymes were both integral parts of last year’s forward group, totaling 17 and 16 points in 30 games respectively, good for second and third-most points on the team. The duo has looked just as good to start this campaign, with Haymes logging seven points in nine games and Dorfman recording four in seven contests. Dartmouth is anchored in net by sophomore Cooper Black — who posted a .925 save percentage along with a 2.26 goals against average as a freshman in 2022-23 — another key returner.
The Big Green has also benefited from the services of some impactful newcomers. Freshman forward Nikita Nikora has established himself as a productive playmaker tallying a goal and six assists in nine games, while first-year defenseman CJ Foley’s six points make him an offensive spark on Dartmouth’s blue line.
So far, the Big Green have been middle-of-the-pack in most statistical categories, but one area in which they excel is on the penalty kill. Getting a man advantage against Dartmouth is difficult enough, as it averages the 23rd-fewest penalty minutes in the country, and cashing in on a power play is an even taller task. While nine games represent a small sample size compared to most other teams, the Big Green owns the 14th-best penalty kill in the nation, operating at an 85.7% success rate, which will prove yet another challenging matchup for the Sun Devils’ top-five power play.
For ASU, the key to success this weekend is keeping Black busy early and often. This shouldn’t be a difficult assignment, with Dartmouth allowing the 17th-most shots per game in the country, but the Sun Devils have struggled to generate scoring chances in the past — look no further than last Saturday in Colorado Springs.
Powers announced that seniors and first-line forwards Ty and Dylan Jackson will not be active this weekend. Powers said on his radio show ‘Hell has Frozen Over’ that Ty would be out for at least 6-8 weeks, and Dylan will be out until the Adirondack Winter Invitational, starting on Dec. 28th.
It is a tough loss for ASU as the twins combined for five shots on goal in Friday’s contest but were both absent from the Sun Devils’ lineup for game two. Dylan Jackson has scored seven goals and four assists in 15 games, while Ty Jackson has eight points to his name through 13 contests.
Friday’s series opener will begin at 7 p.m. MST, while puck drop for Saturday’s game is set for 5 p.m. MST.
