(Photo: Marina Williams/WCSN)
TEMPE – Following the overwhelming first-half success in its final season as an independent team, the last several weeks have not gone as planned for No. 18 Arizona State, compiling a 2-3-1 record in its past three series — all at home against No. 18 Cornell, Augustana and Lindenwood, respectively. A team that once controlled its own destiny en route to a third appearance in the NCAA Tournament has been left with a steep uphill battle in the final stretch of the season.
On Friday, ASU (18-6-6) will host Alaska Fairbanks (12-10-2) in its penultimate home series of the year. The Nanooks are a program that has challenged the Sun Devils as of late, defeating or tying them in all eight matchups since the 2019-20. Last season, Fairbanks swept ASU twice, scoring eight more goals through four games.
This year, Fairbanks is 8-6-1 on the road with notable wins over then-ranked Michigan Tech and then-No. 20 St. Cloud State. Since the Holidays, the Nanooks have only earned three wins — a sweep at LIU and a third-place consolation victory over Ferris State in the Great Lakes Invitational.
The Sun Devils’ series against Lindenwood last weekend provided several career milestones including senior forward Matthew Kopperud’s 100th career point, junior defenseman Ty Murchison’s 100th career game and record for most career penalty minutes (210) served by a Sun Devil, and senior defenseman Tim Lovell’s 24th assist — which set the program record for the most assists in a season by a defenseman.
Kopperud continues to lead the country in power-play goals with 12, just ahead of three athletes tied for second with 11. Overall, Kopperud paces the team in goals with 17 and ranks third with 29 points. In the last five games, he’s scored five goals and two assists, highlighted by a two-goal performance last Friday against Lindenwood. Lovell and senior forward Lukas Sillinger lead the Sun Devils in assists, each with 25.
“I’ve just started to play my game,” Kopperud told the media on Tuesday. “Before Christmas, I was doing fine, but now that I finally have my body fully healthy, everything feels completely normal and I’ve gotten comfortable with my linemates.”
Across the ice, junior forwards Brady Risk and Harrison Israels have earned a team-leading 29 and 21 points, and respective goal counts of 11 and 16 on the season. Risk compiled seven points through five games in January, while Israels recently notched a hat trick in the Nanooks’ 7-3 win over LIU on Jan. 26.
Between the pipes, senior Pierce Charleson will be the projected starter for Alaska, currently allowing 2.5 goals per game over 24 appearances. Meanwhile, two possibilities are in play for ASU: sophomore Gibson Homer and junior TJ Semptimphelter. Homer got his sixth start of the season in the Lindenwood series finale, holding the Lions to one goal and notching 32 saves.
“Talk about humble-working, being quiet, and being ready to be ready, that’s (Homer),” assistant coach Dana Borges said. “He’s worked hard every day, and he’s earned everything that he’s done, and some opportunity has come. He’s striking at the right times, and the guys have full confidence in him when he’s in that net.”
Alternatively, TJ Semtimphelter has seen the majority of the minutes in the net this season while averaging just over 24 saves per game in spite of recent struggles against Augustana and Lindenwood.
Friday night games have been a challenge for the Sun Devils in their last three games, losing in overtime to then-No. 18 Cornell, suffering a defeat to Augustana allowing five goals on just 15 shots, and squeaking out a 4-4 tie with Lindenwood while only giving up 20 shots on goal. Following the latter two Friday night games, ASU head coach Greg Powers praised his team’s performance with one exception — the lack of saves in the net. In salvaging any remaining postseason hopes, that will serve as the key to success to earning the Devils’ first Friday night victory since Harvard in the Desert Hockey Classic on Jan. 5.
“The guys know where things are at and what they’re up against,” Borges said. “But it’s really staying grounded, staying consistent in the process and what we’re doing every day. If we get too far ahead of ourselves, it’s kind of like driving, you can only see the 200 feet in front of you. If you try to look too far past it, then you might hit a hole or something like that.
“So we just have to keep our eyes forward and focus on the task at hand — practice, the next practice, the game, things like that. And I think that’s the really big focus, is kind of staying where our feet are and taking it as it comes.”
Friday’s puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., followed by a 5 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Both games can be streamed live on Pac-12 Insider or 910 AM Fox Sports.
