The second to last game of the fall semester for the No. 19 Arizona State hockey team (7-7-1) had fans on their feet with 11 minutes remaining in regulation in a one-goal game. The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (5-9-0) struck twice in a minute in the third period, with goals from senior forward captain Dominic James and freshman forward Max Plante.
With nine seconds left in the third period, Arizona State freshman defenseman Sam Court capped off the Sun Devils’ 5-3 win over the Bulldogs with an empty net goal. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native lifted the puck from the right-wing corner of his zone and sent the puck on edge into Minnesota Duluth’s empty net from about 10 feet out. It marked Court’s first NCAA career goal.
“Probably not how he envisioned it but Courtsy is really coming along for us,” ASU coach Greg Powers said. “I thought he and [Noah] Becker tonight struggled for the first half of the game to break the pucks out, and they weren’t quite themselves. But it was nice to see him settle in and really play like themselves in the back half, a big reason why we won tonight.”
Making his sixth consecutive start in the crease for the Sun Devils, goalie Luke Pavicich held off the Bulldogs’ surge when junior goalie Zach Sandy made his way to the bench at the two-minute mark. The UMass Lowell transfer performed several post-to-post and in-close saves in the game.
“He was our best player,” Powers said of his 6-foot-2, 195-pound netminder. “We thought he was the reason we won, and that he was the best player on the ice. I think if he’s not in net for us, we probably don’t come out of here with a win. He was he was phenomenal.”
Pavicich, the contest’s second star of the night, earned his fifth win of the season. The 22-year-old now boasts a 2.35 goals against average (GAA) and a .915 save percentage (SV%).
“I mean when your goalie is going it just gives the whole team confidence,” Arizona State junior forward Ryan Alexander said. “He’s been able to just make some unbelievable stops both beyond making the saves he needs to. Hopefully, he keeps it going.”
ASU’s third forward line featuring Alexander, graduate student Artem Shlaine and sophomore Kyle Smolen, recorded their fourth-straight game with a goal.
“I love playing with them,” Alexander said, who scored his side’s third goal of the game. “They’re like blue-colored, hard-working guys, but at the same time, they have skill and it’s just a great combination to have. We feed off each other and I enjoy them.”
The connection of Sun Devil graduate student forwards Ty and Dylan Jackson came together for two goals on the night. After Dylan’s first goal was called off due to offsides in the first period, the twins connected moments later on a two-on-one rush. Dylan fed a pass through a Minnesota Duluth defender for a back-door tap-in at the left post for Ty, putting ASU up 1-0.
The second period saw goals from both sides with Arizona State holding a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. James tied the score at 1-1 with a one-time-shot goal, labeling one through Pavicich’s five-hole 52 seconds in the second period. Then at the 14:45 mark, Sun Devil freshman forward Cullen Potter potted his fourth goal of the season from the slot, beating Bulldogs’ freshman goalie Klayton Knapp’s high blocker.
An action-packed third period experienced a five-goal frame. The Jacksons connected again at the 15:54 mark of the third period, this time it was Dylan. Behind Minnesota Duluth’s goal, Ty found his brother at the right post for a quickly released wrist shot, making the score 4-1 in favor of the Sun Devils.
ASU will look to build upon its four-game winning streak on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, with another date against UMD. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. MST at Mullett Arena in Tempe.
“Obviously it’s great and we’re happy with the outcome,” Dylan Jackson said, who was named the game’s first star. “We think we can clean up some things, but we’re trying to stay positive. We’re never going to be angry about a win. So we will take a few points and move on.”
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