Photo By: Niall Cooper

---

Game 1: Friday November 4th

By Blaine McCormick

TEMPE- The stick of Seth Lind was the saving grace for no. 8 Arizona State club hockey in tonight’s 3-2 overtime win over no. 1 Minot State.

 

The Sun Devils handed the Beavers their first loss of the 2016 season in a déjà vu matchup. Last year, these two teams went into an overtime shootout with Minot State pulling away with the win. The tables turned tonight though as Lind sent in the game-winning goal.

 

“It was a big goal for the program taking down Minot,” Lind said. “I think we deserved to come out with that win, all around emotions were high through the whole game.”

 

Open ice checks were in full stock for fans to witness as players were bulldozing into each other all night.

 

For the first 12 minutes of the matchup, it was a defensive battle. Forward Sean Murphy broke the ice sending in his first goal of the season to make the score 1-0 at the 17:25 mark in the first period.

 

“Our guys thought we didn’t play very well,” head coach Josh Brown said. “Our intensity didn’t match theirs at least for the first two periods and then the third period I felt we picked up the play quite a bit.”

 

The third period was full of thrills and trials. After shutting down Minot State’s attack, ASU goaltender Jordan Gluck allowed three goals in the period.

 

“I think he [Gluck] kept us in the game at points,” Brown said. “I have no complaints with him, those were not bad goals.”

 

This was Gluck’s fourth game in net this season. Coming into tonight, Gluck had a 3-1 record and a .924 save percentage.

 

The New York native felt confident in his abilities all game long. With a shootout lingering as the clock ticked down in overtime, Gluck still felt that he was the man to defend it.

 

“It’s tough. You go from thinking shutout to all of the sudden two goals in,” Gluck said. “I was already getting ready for it [Shootout]. I was thinking about it but hey, I’ll take it.”

 

Brown also mentioned how the team has created a new motto in order to keep their composure during intense matchups like tonight. “Embrace the Adversity” is a phrase that gets tossed around in the locker room to inspire the team to step up in key moments.  

 

Adversity was faced in the third period. After allowing the first goal in the third period, ASU right wing Austin Snedden answered right back deflecting a shot sent from the point from defenseman Stefan Valvur.

 

After the tying goal from the Beaver’s, it was all Lind. The freshman described the play as him “giving his best shot.” His best shot became the winning one in overtime.

 

“I was thinking just don’t screw up a pass,” Lind said. “And if you’re going to shoot, make sure you get it on net. That’s about it.”

---

GAME 2: Saturday November 5th

By Justin Gaither

TEMPE, Ariz—Following last night’s emotional victory over the top-ranked Minot State Beavers, the Arizona State Sun Devils delivered yet another huge win tonight topping the Beavers once again by a margin of 3-2.

 

While the score was the same, the story most certainly was not as unlike last night, the Sun Devils came out firing on all cylinders.

 

The Sun Devils scored early on the first power play of the game when forward Wilson Housely collected a rebound right in front of Minot State goalie Holden Kurtz and shot it past the outstretched glove of the Beaver goalie to claim a 1-0 lead.

 

Less than 10 minutes later, on the Devils’ second power play, ASU captain Michael Cummings followed his teammate Wilson Housely’s example and put home yet another loose puck in front of Kurtz expanding their lead to 2-0 with over half of the period remaining.

 

With tonight’s power play goal Cummings now has six on the season, which is second most in the ACHA.

 

“We figured out we just needed to make one good pass,” Cummings said.  “Once we beat one guy we could beat another and sure enough, two goals off rebounds there.”

 

The third Sun Devil goal would come just moments later on the third consecutive power play when Austin Snedden took a wrist shot from the slot that snuck its way right over the glove hand of Kurtz cushioning the lead at 3-0.

 

The Sun Devils’ power play success tonight came as a refreshing change following last night in which they failed to convert on any of their seven opportunities.

 

“That was the best P.K. [penalty kill] we went against all season,” Cummings added.  “They’re really aggressive and we hadn’t seen that yet.”

 

The Devils would go into the first intermission with a 3-0 lead, but the second period told a different story.

 

With 15:59 remaining in the second period, veteran Minot State defenseman Nick Zern took a slap shot from half ice during a line change that managed squeaked its way past the pad of ASU goaltender Lucas Felbel, making the score 3-1 in favor of the Sun Devils.

 

“That was a bad one,” Felbel said after the game.  “I mean, stuff happens in games and there’s three basic parts of goaltending: the physical, the emotional, and the mental aspects and you’ve just got to control all of them.”

After a clean first period, the Sun Devils got into trouble with 8:42 remaining in the second period when back to back penalties had ASU on the bad end of a 5-on-3 power play.

 

About a minute into the 5-on-3 Beaver power play, Minot State defenseman Nick Zern struck once again as the 6’3 native of Fort Wayne, IN got an open look and didn’t miss, tucking another slap shot under the pad of Felbel drawing the Beavers within one goal of tying the game.

 

The final 25 minutes of the game went back and forth with both teams having multiple opportunities to score, but the goaltending ruled the third period as ASU’s Lucas Felbel ended the night with 37 saves on 39 shots.

 

“He was amazing,” veteran forward Ryan Ostertag said.  “I don’t even consider thinking about that goal that went in, it happens, it’s hockey, I don’t even know how it went in, but if he’s not in that game, we don’t win.”

 

Looking at the bigger picture, tonight’s 3-2 win completed the sweep for Arizona State over the top ranked Minot State Beavers, which will likely result in a significant jump in the rankings for the Sun Devils who came into the weekend ranked No. 8 nationally in the ACHA.

 

“Once you sweep the number one team, you’re not gonna catch anyone by surprise anymore,” Ostertag added.  “teams know we’re gonna be up there...we’re gonna get everyone’s best game from here on out.”

 

It was a big weekend all told for the Sun Devils who will look to keep their winning streak, currently at seven games, alive next weekend as they host Colorado on Thursday night and then Colorado State on Friday and Saturday nights.

 

“We’re not playing around,” Lucas Felbel added.  “We’re here to win a national championship.”