No. 16 Sun Devils continue winning streak in historic fashion

(Photo: Grace Johnson/WCSN)

TEMPE — On November 16, 2024, the Sun Devils were 3-7-1 and were 0-3 to start their first season in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The team was missing key pieces to the lineup due to injury and they were searching for answers.

As ASU started to get players back from injury, it started winning and has not stopped. On the night where junior forward Cruz Lucius made his highly-anticipated Sun Devil debut, it was only fitting that ASU set a program record winning its eight straight game.

The No. 16 Sun Devils (11-7-1, 6-3-0) put an exclamation mark on its current winning streak as it took game one of the weekend series against No. 14 North Dakota (11-8-1, 6-3) by a score of 4-1 on Friday night at Mullet Arena.

“We still have not had one game where we’re completely healthy, but that’s what depth is,” head coach Greg Powers said.

That depth that Powers mentioned was on full display tonight, as the Sun Devils’ four goals each came from a different line.

ASU struck first just over eight-and-a-half minutes into the game when junior forward Bennett Schimek showed off his skating and skill as he took the puck from the top of the left circle and skated backwards around the North Dakota defense to behind the net where he then sent a no-look pass to freshman Cullen Potter at the bottom of the left circle. Potter ripped a one-timer into the back of the net, earning himself a present on his 18th birthday.

With 1:16 left in the opening frame, freshman defenseman Brasen Boser dragged the puck across the blue line to the right side and fired a wrist shot through heavy traffic in front of the North Dakota goal and scored his first career goal to make it a 2-0 game.

North Dakota got one back in the second period’s dying moments with a goal that had the potential to sway the momentum heading into the third period. Senior forward Louis Jamernik V took a roughing penalty after the whistle to give the Sun Devils a power play with 1:11 left in the second period, but a turnover at North Dakota’s blue line sent North Dakota junior forward Dylan James on a race with graduate defenseman Noah Beck to the loose puck. James won the race, resulting a partial breakaway where he beat junior goaltender Gibson Homer glove side to make it a one-goal game.

The Sun Devils did not let the late goal fester and scored again just under five minutes into the third period when senior forward Ryan Kirwan sent a stretch pass through the neutral zone to graduate forward Artem Shlaine, who went five-hole to score on the breakaway.

“Their guy was coming to high ice as a forward and I tried to poke check and he tried to dump it in but Kirwan was in the spot that he had to be and that guy finds me every time he has the puck so I decided to rush the zone right away” Shlaine said.

ASU wrapped things up on the power play with just under seven minutes left when sophomore forward Kyle Smolen got the puck at the bottom of the left circle and went to the front of the goal crease. His initial shot was saved, but Smolen jammed in his own rebound as he fell to the ice to make it 4-1 Sun Devils.

“I thought we played just a really good solid 60 minutes,” Powers said. “Everybody was going, everybody was competing. That’s a hell of a team. I love the way our entire D-corps played tonight. I thought they defended really well and kept things simple and were just really direct with how they played and north.”

Heading into Friday night’s game, North Dakota ranked 19th in the nation in goals per game and the fourth best power play in the nation as well. ASU’s defense and penalty kill were able to limit high-danger scoring chances from North Dakota’s offense and power play, allowing 28 shots on goal and holding the power play scoreless.

“I thought the penalty kill really embraced the opportunities, big moments with the lead to get kills and get us momentum swings,” Powers said. “I thought that we were aggressive and made really nice bumps and releases to get pucks cleared.”

Another key to tonight’s game for the Sun Devils was their second line of Lucius, Potter and Schimek. That line provided numerous high-danger scoring chances throughout the night and produced 11 out of ASU’s 31 shots on goal. Potter and Schimek are already having productive seasons, but adding Lucius to the mix elevates their line.

“Obviously, Cruz just started practicing really a week ago, and it doesn’t take a hockey novice to see how good that kid is,” Powers said. “He’s not even close to 100% from his conditioning and all that stuff, but, boy, he makes plays.”

The Sun Devils also once again got stellar goaltending from Homer. The defense in front of him allowed Homer to stop 27 of 28 shots faced, earning him his third straight win and improving his season to a 1.89 goals against average and a .932 save percentage.

With ASU’s win Friday night, it leapfrogs North Dakota in the NCHC standings and now sits at second place in the conference with 18 points. The Sun Devils look to complete the sweep Saturday, but the 4-1 score does not show how close this game was. ASU only outshot North Dakota 31-28 and North Dakota has the talent to respond.

“I feel like we had a lot of chances that we left on the table and I think they would probably say the same thing,” Lucius said. “But we need to keep our composure and be in the moment, I’m sure it’s going to be even more loud and physical so we can’t get sucked into the things they’re saying and doing.”