Junior forward Bennett Schimek tied Friday’s game 4-4 with under a minute to go in the third, but the momentum that No. 12 Arizona State harbored wasn’t enough to overcome No. 6 Denver in overtime. Fortunately, Schimek received the opportunity to be the hero with Saturday night’s game, which also required an extra five minutes.
The second time around, Schimek’s goal was the one to send Denver (20-7-1, 9-6-1 NCHC) packing as ASU (17-10-1, 12-6) split the weekend series to stay hot, now 15-3 in the last 18 games. Outside of graduate forward Benji Eckerle, the team is also relatively healthy and playing well together. With three weeks of the regular season remaining and NCHC playoffs following, a postseason run is within reach for head coach Greg Powers and the Sun Devils.
“We have a hell of a team that shouldn’t settle for anything less than ending the season in St. Louis,” Powers said. “That’s what we’re preaching, and to take 9 out of 12 points from the defending national champs is a tremendous accomplishment for our young program and our team. They should be proud of themselves.”
ASU was 1-4-1 in overtime before tonight and has struggled to close out games after clawing back into them. Whether it was unlucky bounces or missed chances, the Sun Devils couldn’t answer the question of why they couldn’t light the buzzer in overtime until Schimek discovered that answer tonight.
“You could just sense the hunger on the bench,” Powers voiced. “We’ve had a lot of chances in overtime throughout the season; we just haven’t buried them. We challenge our guys when we get to overtime, and after last night, you have to put it away if you get the chance. We’ve had really good looks in overtime, and tonight, Bennet buried it.”
The Sun Devils had to play from behind for the second straight game, trailing 5-3 with 7:52 left in the third period. Graduate forward Lukas Sillinger responded with a goal of his own on a breakaway just 20 seconds after Denver took a two-goal lead, instantly rejuvenating the crowd in Mullet Arena. There was a feeling in the air that ASU was sitting on another goal, which came two minutes later to tie the game up 5-5.
Sillinger has been a different player for Powers in the second half of the season, scoring 18 points in his last 11 games. His two goals tonight extended his point streak to five games, and the veteran's offensive output has energized the rest of the team.
“He just wants to win,” Powers stated. “He’s playing hard and downhill, and he was our best player tonight; he was unbelievable. He had that look on his face that he wasn’t going to let our team lose tonight. I told the guys that when he plays like that and shows emotion, which the guys really respond to, you can take it pretty far.”
ASU displayed resilience and a sense of urgency in both games, no matter what the outcome was. Overcoming a two-goal deficit in back-to-back games against a team like Denver is no easy feat, but the players fed off each other’s energy and will. With just three weeks left in the regular season and a tight race for the NCHC regular season title, Powers and his team are hitting their stride at just the right time.
“It was that kind of way all weekend, and we responded every time tonight,” Powers recalled. “We obviously played much better than we did last night, and I think that result was deserving. We deserved to win this game, and credit to Denver. They were really opportunistic and made the most of what they got. Their goalie was good, but our guys found a way.”
Powers called for more pucks on the net after 27 shots on Friday night, and his team answered the bell. The Sun Devils came out of the gates hot and continued their aggressive play throughout the game, totaling 55 shots on goal and 87 shot attempts. ASU stressed putting pressure on Denver senior goalie Matt Davis, and the overall flow of the game made that easy.
“We wanted to throw pucks and bodies at them to create second chance opportunities,” Powers observed. “We felt like we could get a few, and we did. We played downhill five-on-five for the entire game, and our boys found a way tonight.”
Junior Gibson Homer got the start at goaltender, but five goals allowed was too much for Powers. He sent in senior Luke Pavicich, who made four saves throughout the last half of the third and overtime. Pavicich finishes the regular season with a 3-1 record against the Pioneers, impressive to say the least.
Three of Denver’s goals came after a Sun Devil penalty, two of which were on the power play and one in 4-on-4 play. After holding the best power play in the nation to a goose egg in Friday’s game, the Pioneers found a way to break ASU’s penalty kill and take command. Even with two power-play goals, the Sun Devil penalty kill stood tall in the second period to keep the game within reach.
“They’re the top power play in the country for a reason,” Powers commented. “They have a ton of skill and are well-coached. They’re going to get theirs, and you just have to stay out of the box against them. Our penalty kill stepped up and got us a big stop at the end of the second, but they’re a hell of a team on the man advantage.”
The Sun Devils came into the weekend as No. 13 in the PairWise rankings, and a three-point weekend against the No. 6 team in the country will at least keep them there, if not bump them up a few spots. After a road series against Minnesota Duluth, ASU will host No. 4 Western Michigan in a matchup with major NCHC playoff implications, as that weekend could likely be the deciding factor of who finishes as regular season conference champions.
“I don’t feel like we’re the 13th-best team in the country,” Powers expressed. “I feel like we have a top six or seven team, and there’s no reason why we can’t finish there. We have six games left plus playoffs, and if we play like we did tonight, we will finish there.”
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