SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Coming off the back of an Ice Breaker Tournament title last weekend, No. 15 Sun Devil hockey said goodbye to Mullett Arena for the first time this season to challenge the Augustana Vikings.
Friday and Saturday’s matchups both resulted in defeats for the Sun Devils. Friday brought a 4-2 loss with senior goalie Connor Hasley in between the pipes, as well as a 5-2 loss on Saturday with freshman goalie Samuel Urban in net.
The Vikings opened their season at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Augustana split the two-game series, entering home ice with a 1-1-0 record.
Friday’s faceoff began in favor of the Maroon and Gold, as senior forward Bennett Schimek scored his second goal of the season, a team-leading seventh point, tied with senior forward Cruz Lucius. Freshman forward Samuel Alfano tallied a goal of his own, putting the Sun Devils up 2-0 within 10 minutes of the first period.
Just before the Zamboni came around for its first lap, Augustana freshman forward Leonid Bulgakov added one of his own quickly off a faceoff, making the score 2-1 heading into the second period.
The cleaned ice continued to give the Vikings an advantage – it was all tied at two after two periods. Augustana scored twice in the third, including a time-expiring empty-netter, to seal a Game 1 win on home ice after netting five unanswered goals.
Come Saturday, coach Greg Powers decided to start Urban. It was his second collegiate appearance. Urban’s debut was a strong performance against Notre Dame in the first game of the Ice Breaker Tournament, where he allowed two goals while even adding an assist to his resume.
The second contest began with Augustana striking first, thanks to freshman forward Jacob Jastrzebski less than five minutes into the match. Lucius responded in the same period leveling the score at one all after the opening period.
Augustana junior defenseman Hayden Hennen and junior forward Hunter Bischoff scored within five minutes of each other late in the second period, skating away with a 3-1 lead as the third period begun.
Lucius returned the favor with his sixth goal of the season, a team-high tally, with four goals separating him and the next closest Sun Devil.
With the score 3-2 Augustana, Viking’s junior forward Cole Burtch tacked on his first goal of the season about halfway through the period. The Vikings’ defense held firm for the remainder of the game. An empty-netter from junior defenseman Owen Baumgartner with two minutes remaining sealed the deal: Augustana claimed a 5-2 victory and series sweep on Saturday.
As Arizona State falls to 2-4-0, Sparky still has more time away from his home crowd. The team has an off week before traveling to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, on Halloween weekend. Puck drop is set for 4:05 p.m. MST.
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