The No. 16 Arizona State Sun Devils (11-7-1) defeated the No. 14 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (11-8-1) 4-1 in the first game of two-game series at Mullett Arena on Jan. 11, 2025.
The date marked North Dakota graduate goaltender TJ Semptimphelter’s first start in between the pipes since transferring out of ASU colors. The New Jersey native’s eight shutouts notched in the maroon and gold tied former Sun Devil goalie Joey Daccord for Arizona State’s all-time record. Semptimphelter’s backup last season, junior goalie Gibson Homer, would man the crease for the Sun Devils for some Friday night hockey.
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) opponent clash also featured the long-awaited return of Sun Devil junior forward Cruz Lucius, who suited up in his first game since last season due to a shoulder injury.
The game got off to a fast start with the Fighting Hawks testing Homer with a pair of odd-man chances. The Sun Devils didn’t record their first shot until four and a half minutes in. The slow start in the shots category wasn’t an issue for ASU. Sun Devil freshman forward Cullen Potter broke the ice with a sharp-angle shot off a no-look feed from junior forward Bennett Schimek behind the net. Lucius recorded his first point at ASU with a secondary assist on the goal.
“It felt great, obviously long awaited and a lot of work went into it, also good to get the win,” Lucius said.
The teams continued to play at a fast pace and trade chances. With under two minutes to play in the opening frame, Arizona State sophomore forward Kyle Smolen kept the cycle alive and fed freshman defenseman Brasen Boser who walked the blue line and threw a shot towards the net that Semptimphelter never saw. The goal was reviewed but it was determined that there was no goaltender interference. Boser was awarded his first collegiate goal to extend the lead to 2-0 in favor of the maroon and gold.
The Sun Devils started the second period shorthanded and killed the penalty successfully. The teams continued to trade chances including a breakaway save from Homer on North Dakota senior forward Cameron Berg.
“I thought Gibby fantastic, I could tell he was dialed right away,” Arizona State coach Greg Powers said.
ASU went on the man advantage with just over a minute remaining in the second frame. After a failed zone entry, North Dakota junior forward Dylan James took an area pass, fought off Sun Devil graduate defenseman Noah Beck and shoveled a shot over the stick of Homer to cut the lead in half.
“As soon as I saw that area pass to him I knew we might be in some trouble, that kid is a hell of a player,” Powers said.
The Sun Devils started the third period similarly to the second second; on the penalty kill. With aggressive play they kept the Fighting Hawks potent power play at bay.
During a Fighting Hawks change, ASU senior forwards Ryan Kirwan and Artem Shlaine connected on a stretch pass and Shlaine went five-hole to regain the two-goal lead. North Dakota was running out of gas before freshman forward Cody Coral took a hooking penalty. On the Arizona State man advantage, Smolen made a nifty move to the goal mouth and batted the puck into the cage to make it 4-1. From there the Sun Devils were on cruise control in front of Homer to secure the win.
The Sun Devils kept a very powerful offense away from the middle of the ice for most of the night–a growing theme dating back to the Denver series.
“I loved the way our D-core played awesome tonight, they kept things really simple,” Powers said.
Earlier in the week Powers coined his goalie duo as a “two-headed monster,” and the play of both Homer and senior goalie Luke Pavicich has boosted the team’s confidence.
“No matter who is in net we feel confident playing in front of both of them,” Shlaine said.
Mullett Arena was filled with gold and green for game one but despite the many traveling Fighting Hawks fans, the students made their presence felt.
“The student section here is so loud, it’s great for us to hear on the bench,” Lucius said.
The teams will have a quick turnaround for game two on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2025, with puck drop at 5:00 p.m. MST as the Sun Devils look to extend their winning ways.
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