(Photo: Sammi Maxwell/WCSN)
If there’s one word that encapsulates No. 16 Arizona State men’s ice hockey’s efforts this season, it’s resiliency.
Time and time again, the Sun Devils have found themselves facing less-than-ideal circumstances but have managed to battle back and come out on top. Whether it was erasing a multi-goal deficit with less than half of the game to work with or securing series splits against Denver and Providence — two of the top programs in college hockey — there doesn’t appear to be a hurdle head coach Greg Powers’ group can’t overcome.
Over the past two weeks, ASU was faced with the most adversity it’s seen this year, which culminated on Friday night in a heartbreaking defeat to Augustana during which the Vikings scored the go-ahead goal with 31 seconds left in the game. The loss capped off a three-game skid that represented the Sun Devils’ longest losing streak since dropping four straight last January.
What made matters worse was that ASU was without its captain, graduate forward Tyler Gratton, who was absent from the lineup after sustaining a lower-body injury on Friday. The Sun Devils were missing not only a big part of their offensive production — Gratton ranks fourth on the team with 18 points in 27 games — but a veteran presence that has recently been an integral component of their top-six forward group.
But just as it’s done all season, ASU (17-6-5) got back on track thanks to a strong all-around effort, defeating Augustana (7-12-3) 3-2 in a hard-fought affair.
“To get a win tonight, obviously without our captain, was a big thing for us,” Powers said. “To bounce back after a really tough loss last night, we obviously played a much better game last night… And tonight, they found a way to get it done.”
ASU was without another familiar face in junior netminder TJ Semptimphelter on Saturday, but not due to injury. After allowing three goals on six shots on Friday, Powers decided to give his No. 1 goaltender a rest as sophomore Gibson Homer started his fifth game between the pipes this season.
Homer was tested almost immediately, with Augustana scoring a power play goal on its first shot of the game and less than three minutes into the opening period. Junior defenseman Uula Ruikka took advantage of time, space and bodies in front of the net, firing a long-range shot that deflected off of ASU junior defenseman Ty Murchison and past Homer.
“Obviously the goal went off the defenseman’s shin pad,” Homer said. “So when a goal like that happens, you’ve just got to tip your cap and move onto the next shot.”
Fortunately for the Sun Devils, the early goal didn’t prevent the Michigan native from settling into the game, as he stopped 27 of the next 28 shots he faced and came up with multiple key saves down the stretch.
One of those stops came late in the second period with ASU leading 2-1. As the clock dipped under five minutes, Augustana had a promising opportunity with a 3-on-1 rush. Cruising down the left side, junior defenseman Evan McIntyre found the trailer — freshman forward Will Howard — between the hash marks for a one-timer. However, Homer promptly slid across the crease and got in front of the shot.
Homer’s highlight-reel play was part of a 12-save second period, but he made his most impressive stop of the night in the third again in a one-goal game, this time with less than eight minutes remaining and ASU leading 3-2. On another odd-man rush, freshman forward Hunter Bischoff hit sophomore forward Colton Friesen with a tape-to-tape pass, giving him a seemingly open net to tie the game. But a lunging save from Homer proved vital, as it thwarted perhaps Augustana’s best chance at tying the game.
“For a young guy to settle in knowing how important this was to us, we had to win this game in regulation,” Powers said. “So [Homer] held the fort down and it looked like a seasoned guy back there, and we have two great goaltenders. [Semptimphelter] had a rough one last night but he’ll be back, we wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
Despite facing an early deficit, ASU continued its strong play from Friday night, but this didn’t yield immediate results. While the Sun Devils totaled 10 shots in the opening frame and generated some strong scoring chances after allowing the first goal, they came up empty-handed. However, they were finally rewarded for their efforts during the middle stanza.
With nearly three and a half minutes elapsed in the period, freshman defenseman Anthony Dowd bounced a long-range drive off the end boards and right to junior defenseman Tim Lovell on the backdoor. Freshman goaltender Josh Kotai was still recovering from the original shot, giving Lovell an open net to fire a wrister into.
But the Sun Devils weren’t content with merely tying the game at one.
Only 39 seconds after Lovell’s strike, senior forward Matthew Kopperud pickpocketed Kotai as he was corralling a dump-in behind the net thanks to a good forecheck. With Kotai out of position and forward Charlie Schoen driving in, Kopperud simply needed to slide the puck over to the sophomore in front of the net to give ASU its first lead of the night.
“[Kopperud] was really good,” Powers said. “I think [Kopperud] really stepped up and led us in a really positive way… He was forechecking, that’s how we scored the second goal… So he did all the little things right.”
The senior’s effort was again on full display midway through the third period with the score tied at two, as he played an integral role in the Sun Devils’ go-ahead goal. After a scoring chance, Kopperud controlled the puck along the half wall and took it all the way to the blue line, drawing the Vikings’ defense towards him.
However, Augustana failed to account for graduate forward Brian Chambers, who was lurking behind the defense. So when Kopperud flung a pass in his direction as he was diving, Chambers had only Kotai to beat and did just that with a nifty forehand deke.
“It was a tie game, I knew we really needed to win this one, so I kind of cheated for offense just a bit,” Chambers said. “I knew [Kopperud] is a good enough player to make that play to me, so when I got it, I did a little bit of a fake shot, tried to open [Kotai] up and slide it right through the five-hole.”
After Saturday’s win, ASU is back at No. 17 in the PairWise Rankings — a system that emulates the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee — after falling to No. 18 last night. But even with a victory, the Sun Devils still have some work to do. As an independent with no conference tournament to bolster its resume, ASU needs to end the regular season around No. 12, which means there is minimal room for error over the next 10 games.
However, the Sun Devils will have a small break before their next series against Lindenwood on Feb. 2-3, as they are entering a much-needed bye week. This two-week-long period of no games will allow them to enter the most pivotal stretch of the season with fresh legs.
“We’re still in the fight, we’re right in the middle of it,” Powers said. “Last night stings because of the nature of how we lost and how well we think we played. But we put it behind us and got a win tonight. And now we just have to parlay this into the next 10 games. The off week can not be coming at a better time to heal up and give our guys some rest.”
