Sun Devils defeat no. 1 Minot State 2-1

(Photo: Allyson Cummings/WCSN)

Before any matchup of two top teams in any sport, the atmosphere around the building can grip you just as much as the game itself. The energy inside Oceanside Ice Arena for Thursday’s game, in which No. 2 Arizona State defeated No. 1 Minot State 2-1, gripped those who walked in and did not let go until the final horn blew.

Freshman goaltender Robert Levin was stellar in the victory, making 29 saves. Freshman forward Michael Cummings scored the eventual game-winning goal with 16:36 remaining in the second period to push the Sun Devils to 17-0-0 on the season.

It looked as though Arizona State was going to have to play from behind very early on. Just ten seconds into the game, Minot State took the puck deep into the offensive zone and had goaltender Robert Levin down and out. Beavers’ freshman forward Brett McNevin had a wide open net and wristed a shot right off of the crossbar and out, which allowed Levin to compose himself enough to cover up the puck and freeze it. The Minot State bench argued the call with the officials to no avail and the game would stay scoreless just fifteen seconds in.

The Sun Devils struck first thanks to a very familiar pairing. With just over eight minutes remaining in the first period, Faiz Khan centered a pass in front of the net, which Colin Hekle tipped past senior goaltender Wyatt Waselenchuk for a one-goal advantage.

In the second period, Arizona State found twine once again. Senior defenseman Brett Prechel took a shot from the point which was easily turned away by Waselenchuk, but the rebound went right to the blade of Michael Cummings’ stick and then found its way to the back of the net to give the Sun Devils a 2-0 advantage three-and-a-half minutes into the second period.

“We talked about it before the game that we just needed to get pucks on net and rebounds would come,” Cummings said. “It just happened to be right on my stick.”

The Beavers would not go away that easily, however. Just forty-two seconds later, freshman forward Jeremy Johnson took a shot from the right of Levin, which junior captain Michael Jordan batted out of the air and past the freshman goalie to cut the lead in half.

The game took a physical turn as the second stanza went on. Both Faiz Khan and Cummings went down with injuries and had to leave the ice. Jawing ensued between the players on the ice and both benches.

“I didn’t agree with the hit and I wasn’t happy about it,” Cummings said, on his interactions with the Beavers’ bench.

Levin was sensational between the pipes, as usual, making 29 saves on 30 shots in the ASU victory.

“The defense did a great job for me tonight, everything was to the outside, helped clear the front of the net, made my job easy,” Levin said after the game.

Even with the win, the Sun Devils are treating the game like any other.

“We don’t want to get overexcited about it and let it distract us,” Cummings said after the game.

“We’re not going to crown ourselves national champions because we beat Minot State, we have to continue to get better and we will,” Coach Greg Powers said. “At the end of the day, this is a great win working towards the goal of winning a national championship.”

The Sun Devils will hit the ice again on Friday night in the first half of a two game series against Williston State with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 PM.

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