We're Going to Miami, No. 13/16 Hockey Faces First Road Test

OXFORD, OHIO -- The No. 13/16 Sun Devil Hockey team (4-0-0) sets off on its first road trip of the season at Miami (Ohio)(3-1-0) on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27-28 at Goggin Ice Center. The series is the first meeting between the two programs, who will become conference opponents when Arizona State joins the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) in July 2024. Both games are available to stream on NCHC.tv for a subscription fee or on the airwaves at Fox Sports 910AM radio. 

ASU is hot off back-to-back sweeps at home over then-No. 15 Merrimack and Northern Michigan. The Sun Devils depth has been apparent early with 10 skaters lighting the lamp for the maroon and gold through four games, including freshman Kyle Smolen, captain Tyler Gratton, and Alex Young, netting their first as Sun Devils. 

Miami is one of three NCHC teams that ASU faces this regular season. Two weeks from now, the Sun Devils host the No. 2 Denver Pioneers (Nov. 10-11) and later travel to Colorado Springs for a tilt against the Colorado College Tigers (Dec. 3-4). 

The Redhawks collected a sweep of Canisius last weekend (W, 4-2 and W, 4-1) at Goggin after spliting a series at Ferris State to open their season. Miami took Ferris State to overtime in the season opener and eventually lost, 5-4, in overtime. They bounced back the next night to earn a 5-2 victoey and the series split. 

TALE OF THE TAPE
ASU ranks in the top-15 nationally in three statistical categories, including goals against average, power play, and penalty kill. Miami's game is in the top-15 of both shots percentage and goals per game. ASU's penalty kill is tied for first in the NCAA among teams that have started their seasons with an 87.5 percent success rate. On the other side of the special teams coin, the Sun Devils power play units have popped off - scoring four goals on the man-advantage against Northern Michigan last weekend to boost their ranking to tied for 12th in the NCAA at 25 percent. With only five goals scored against him through four starts and 242 minutes of play, TJ Semptimphelter's performance between the pipes has held ASU to a mere 1.3 goals against average, which ranks second in the country. 

Across the ice, Miami's 4.3 goals per game is tied for 10th in the NCAA and their shots percentage of 13.6 ranks sixth in the nation. 

RANKED DEVILS
ASU continues its second-straight week in the national polls. Last week, ASU came in at No. 18 and No. 19 in the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live, respectively. After remaining undefeated last weekend, the Sun Devils made the biggest jump of all poll teams from No. 18 to No. 13 heading into the series with Miami. The highest national poll ranking ever received by the Sun Devils was No. 9 on Feb. 17, 2020 in the 2019-20 season.

KRAZY FOR KOPPERUD
The long-awaited return of Matthew Kopperud is finally upon Sun Devil Hockey. The senior scored both game-winning goals in ASU's opening weekend and netted the GWG on Saturday night against Northern Michigan to steal the lead for most GWG in the country with three. His hot start has boosted him into a tie with fellow alternate captain Ryan O'Reilly for most career game-winning goals at six. O'Reilly owns the record for most GWG in a single season at four (2021-22). ASU alum Johnny Walker owns this record at eight GWG through his five-year career. On Saturday night, Kopperud scored his 26th career power play goal to break the ASU record also set by ASU alum Johnny Walker (2017-22) at 25. The fourth-year Sun Devil dons the 'A' this season - it is the first time in his entire hockey career that Kopperud has been a member of a captains group.