#18 Hockey Brings Gold Rush to Alaska

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Pitchforks are en route to State 49 as the No. 18 Arizona State hockey team storms Alaska on Feb. 23-24 to complete the home-and-home series with the Nanooks. ASU (20-6-6) looks to hit another gold rush after completing a home sweep of UAF (13-13-2) at Mullett Arena two weeks ago. The two wins over the fellow independent boosted ASU to a 20-win season for the third time in program history. 

This weekend's games are slated for 9:07 p.m. MST on both Friday and Saturday and can be heard on Sun Devil Hockey Radio Network, Fox Sports 910. The live stream is available to purchase through FloHockey.

In the first meeting of the home-and-home series between the two independent rivals, the Sun Devils outscored the Nanooks with six goals to two. The series sweep extended ASU's undefeated streak to five games (4-0-1) dating back to January 20 against Augustana. Upon reaching 20 wins, ASU became one of nine NCAA teams to attain a 20-win season so far in 2023-24. It marks the third-most wins for ASU in a single season in program history. 

Most Wins in a Sun Devil Hockey Season
22 - 2019-20 season
21 - 2018-19 season (first NCAA tournament berth in program history)
20 - 2023-24 season 

Sophomore netminder Gibson Homer captured his first career NCAA shutout in ASU's 2-0 victory in game one. He made the shutout complete with 37 saves, just one shy of tying TJ Semptimphelter's 2023-24 season single game high of 38 saves. Game two featured a 4-2 win with the help of Matthew Kopperud's two power play goals. The series marked the first sweep against Alaska since the 2018-19 season and improved the all-time meeting record to 6-8-1. 

A major key to the Sun Devil offense returned as Ty Jackson entered the lineup after more than 70 days out due to injury. Jackson made his presence known and collected four points with a goal and an assist in each game that series. Three out of his four points came from his work on the Sun Devil power play. 

NOTABLES

• The senior class reached 150 points scored this season complete with 56 goals and 94 assists
• Gibson Homer made 37 saves in his first career shutout, the fourth-highest saves by an ASU goaltender in a shutout in program history. Alum Joey Daccord recorded the program record at 45 saves while Semptimphelter has tallied shutouts with 40 and 38 saves.
• With two power play goals in the last series, Matthew Kopperud reached 60 career goals. He surpassed a program record he set in 2021-22 for most PPG in a single season (13) after reaching his 14th PPG this year.
• On Saturday night versus Alaska, ASU scored three power play goals from Matthew Kopperud (2) and Ty Jackson. It is the second time this season that ASU has scored three PPG in a single game. The last time was at Robert Morris on Dec. 17 from Tyler Gratton (2) and Kopperud.
• Tim Lovell is on a seven-game point scoring streak (8 pts) which is tied for the second-longest scoring streak in program history. Lukas Sillinger is on a six point scoring streak (7 pts).
• In the final season as an independent, ASU owns a 7-0-1 record against its fellow independents (Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Lindenwood, Long Island, and Stonehill)

TOP IN THE COUNTRY 
The ASU team continues to rank among the top in the country in numerous categories:

• No. 3: ASU has the third-fewest losses in the NCAA at 6
• No. 4: ASU has scored 34 power play goals in 32 games
• Tied-No. 4: ASU's 20 wins is fourth best in the country and ranks fourth overall for best winning percentage (.719)
• No 5: Power play unit converts at a 27.2 percent success rate
• No. 9: ASU boasts one of the smallest goals against average in the country at 2.4
• No. 10: ASU has scored 108 goals in 32 games so far this season with an average of 3.38 goals per game

PLAYERS IN THE TOP-10 NATIONALLY

• No. 1: Matthew Kopperud has the most powerplay goals across the NCAA this season with 14.
• No. 1: Matthew Kopperud is tied for first in the NCAA for most game-winning goals (8)
• Tied-No. 4: Brandon Tabakin boasts +24 on the season
• No. 5: Tim Lovell's 33 points is fifth among all NCAA defensemen
• Tied-No. 7: Tim Lovell has 28 assists and ranks eighth in the NCAA for average assists per game (0.93)
• Tied-No. 7: Lukas Sillinger has 28 assists and is tied for 12th in the NCAA for average assists per game (.88).
• No. 10: TJ Semptimphelter remains in the top-ten in the nation for winning percentage (.696)

RANKED DEVILS 
ASU continues its 19th-straight week in the national polls. Polls placed the Sun Devils at No. 18 after the bye week. The highest national poll ranking ever received by the Sun Devils was No. 9 on Feb. 17, 2020 in the 2019-20 season. 

RECORD CHASE

• Tim Lovell is five points away from breaking the individual single-season record for most points by a defenseman. Sun Devil alum Brinson Pasichnuk set the record at 37 points in the 2019-20 season.
• Tim Lovell currently sits at the No. 2 spot for all-time career assists and assists by a defenseman with 61. He is eight points away from breaking Brinson Pasichnuk's record that is set at 68.
• The Hobey Baker nominees, Lukas Sillinger and Tim Lovell, are currently tied for third most assists logged by a Sun Devil in a single season with 28 each. The record is currently owned by alum Robert Mastrosimone from his 2022-23 season with 31.
• Matthew Kopperud has 19 goals so far this season and is five away from breaking Johnny Walker's record for most in a single season at 23. Kopperud is 10 goals away from breaking the all-time career goals record currently set at 70, also by Walker.

BETWEEN THE PIPES
Semptimphelter remains in the top ten nationally for best goalie winning percentage with a .696. The New Jersey native's three shutouts this season is tied for second in the NCAA as he looks to break Joey Daccord's career shutout record for an Arizona State netminder (tied at 8 currently). Gibson Homer started in both games against Alaska, grabbing his first NCAA career shutout in ASU's 2-0 win in the opening game of the series. In both games, Homer tallied 30-plus saves with 37 on Friday and 30 on Saturday. Through ten games, Homer recorded a 5-2-2 record and owns a .943 save percentage and a 1.62 goals against average.  

LOVE'IN IT
Defenseman Tim Lovell continues to be a crucial element to the Sun Devils' success offensively. He currently ranks tied seventh nationally for most assists and eighth nationally for assists per game at 0.93. Lovell has tallied 28 assists in his 30 games played and is creeping up on several records set by alumni Brinson Pasichnuck and Robert Mastrosimone. On Lovell's record watch is most assists logged by a Sun Devil in a single season (31 - Mastrosimone) and most assists logged by a defenseman in a single season (37 - Pasichnuk). Lovell is also eight points from breaking the all-time career record for assists by a Sun Devil, set by Pasichnuk at 68. The defenseman is also on a seven-game point scoring streak with a total of eight points, making the streak tied for the second-longest in program history. The longest streak is currently held by alum Josh Doan at nine games with 16 total points in early 2023. 

POWERED UP POWERPLAY
ASU holds numerous top-ten spots for its power play efforts so far this season. The team is ranked No. 4 in the NCAA for most power play goals collected with 34 goals total in 32 games. The Sun Devils also boast a 27.2 percent success rate for power plays, putting them at the No. 5 spot nationally. Matthew Kopperud continues to dominate the national rankings with his performance on the advantage, sitting at No. 1 for most PPG this season (14). Kopperud broke a second power play record he set in the 2021-22 season for most PPG in a single-season by a Sun Devil (13) against Alaska. Earlier this season, the forward broke Johnny Walker's all-time Sun Devil career record for power play goals (25) and currently has a career total of 38.