Looking to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, Arizona State (17-6-6) battled Lindenwood University (5-14-4). Puck drop was in Tempe, Arizona at Mullett Arena for some Friday night hockey. The Sun Devils were able to equalize the score at 4-4 late in the third period, ending in a tie against the Lions.
The game was a milestone night for multiple Sun Devil skaters. Senior forward Matthew Kopperud recorded his 100th career point with two goals in the game, both of them coming in period number one. The score was knotted up at 2-2 after the period ended. Head coach Greg Powers talked about Kopperud’s performance in the game.
“He’s a goal scorer,” Powers said. “I was really happy with his game. He’s been playing his best hockey of his career in the last three to four weeks.”
On his birthday, junior defenseman Ty Murchison played in his 100th career NCAA game. Adding to the milestone night at Mullett Arena.
The goal scorers for the Lions were junior forward Kyle Jeffers and freshman forward Patrick Schmiedlin in the first period. Jeffers’s 9th goal of the season leads all Lindenwood skaters in goals. The Sun Devil defense limited the Lions to 20 shots, outshooting them and recording 39 shots in the game. Junior goalie TJ Semptimphelter stopped 16 out of 20 shots as his struggles continued in between the pipes.
Lidenwood’s freshman forward Ethan Zielke put the Lions up 3-2 midway through the second period. Senior forward Ryan O’Reilly found the back of the net from a shot from the slot. The Southlake, Texas native scored two more goals in the game. His hattrick performance gave the Sun Devils the victory in the four-round shootout.
While the shootout win doesn’t count towards ASU’s record, O’Reilly was a key contributor in the tie.
“He’s just played great hockey for us all season really,” Powers said. “He’s a great leader…he had some huge goals. Two seniors (O’Reilly and Kopperud) stepping up the way they did was big for our team.”
The third period saw goals from junior defenseman Caleb Price for the Lions and a short-handed tally from O’Reilly for the Sun Devils. The overtime frame was an electric back-and-forth game for fans in attendance, with multiple grade “A” chances for both sides.
Lions’ junior goalie Trent Burnham made 35 stops in the contest, keeping his team in the game.
The shootout featured four skaters from each side. O’Reilly’s third goal of the game was the only puck that found the back of the net. Semptimphelter finished the rest, going a perfect four-for-four in the shootout, not allowing any goals. Freshman forward Kyle Smolen spoke about his thoughts on the game.
“We outshot them, we out-chanced them, we did all the right things,” Smolen said. “It kind of didn’t go our way.”
Arizona State will play Lindenwood again on Saturday. Powers noted that sophomore goalie Gibson Homer will start in net for the Sun Devils for Saturday’s contest. ASU will look to bounce back and be on the winning side with puck drop at 5 p.m. at Mullett Arena.
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