On May 22, 2012, the Arizona Coyotes played their last home playoff game, falling to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final.
More than a decade later, in the same venue the Coyotes once called home, the No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils (20-13-2) defeated the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (13-19-3) 4-3. The historic win marked ASU’s first National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) playoff win.
“It was awesome, the fans were incredible,” Arizona State coach Greg Powers said of the environment. “Credit them with the biggest assist. They just energized our guys and carried us across the finish line tonight … Happy we could get that one in front of them, but it wasn’t pretty.”
With a win in Game 2 against Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC Quarterfinals, ASU advances to the semifinal round at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Sun Devil sophomore defenseman Anthony Dowd delivered the go-ahead goal at the 5:39 mark of the third period. The Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, native skated from the bottom of the right-wing faceoff circle to the UMD net, beating freshman goalie Adam Gajan on the blocker side.
Dowd’s game-winning goal brought fans to their feet, and they waved white towels in Mullett Arena’s whiteout—a tradition the Coyotes popularized during their playoff runs and final game in Tempe.
“I’m just fired up that we’re winning,” Dowd said his mindset was after scoring. “I was just super happy to get a goal there. It was a good game, but we made some mistakes and we battled back.”
Arizona State registered a 2-0 lead under seven minutes into the game. Senior forward Ryan Kirwan netted his team-leading 24th goal of the season, firing a one-timer from the outer edge of the right-wing faceoff circle.
About three minutes later, ASU junior forward Charlie Schoen slid the puck through Gajan’s five-hole from the inner slot. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound winger, who appeared in his first game in a month, scored for the team’s fourth line.
“He was awesome. He gave us energy, he gave us speed, tenacity,” Powers said of Schoen. “He was good on the wall. He gave us exactly what I wanted him to give us. And he was probably our best player.”
Powers assembled the fourth line with Schoen, junior defenseman Tucker Ness and junior forward Ryan Alexander. The NCHC’s Herb Brooks Coach of the Year award finalist praised the line for its versatility, noting it was their best line in the victory.
The Bulldogs evened the score at two all with goals from freshman forward Max Plante and senior forward captain Dominic James. The two tallies came 2:06 apart in the second period.
Sun Devil junior forward Bennett Schimek cashed in from the slot to put Arizona State up 3-2 at the 11:20 mark of the second frame.
“I think we’re going to need to be a lot better down the stretch if we want to make a run at this,” Schimek said. “I think we all know that. We know it’s going to take a lot more tomorrow, but I think at the end of the day, we’re happy that we got the job done.”
UMD freshman forward Zam Plante one-timed a shot from the top of the right-wing faceoff circle, tying the score at 3-3. With 16:28 to play in regulation, ASU pulled away with the victory.
The Maroon and Gold struggled to manage the puck in their own end, allowing Minnesota Duluth to sustain offensive pressure. While Powers was pleased with the win, he wasn’t satisfied with his team’s performance.
“I told the guys after the game, it’s all about getting wins here and advancing,” Powers said. “And we did that, but tomorrow we’ve got to be better.”
Puck drop for Game 2 is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. MST in Tempe as the Sun Devils look to punch their ticket to the Xcel Energy Center.
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