ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVIL HOCKEY MEDIA NOTES @SunDevilHockey @SunDevilHockey /SunDevilHockey GAME 19-20: ARIZONA STATE AT #4 MINNESOTA JANUARY 21-22, 2021 7/4 PM (CT) ON THE HORIZON Feb. 14-15 at Michigan State TBA (CT) TBA Feb. 20-21 at Penn State TBA (ET) TBA AT 3M ARENA at Mariucci SUN DEVIL REWIND Minneapolis, MN This past weekend, the Sun Devils faced yet another obstacle this season 7 p.m. (CT) starting with the series being postponed a day and then having to play FS-AZ without three key starters, including top power-play unit forward RYAN 11-3-0 5-11-2 O’REILLY. JARROD GOURLEY and JACOB WILSON, two of the team’s top-four defensemen, were also out for the series. An already thinned out RECORD VS. BIG TEN OPPONENTS offense then had to play game two without the nation’s leading scorer TEAM 2020-21 OVERALL LAST MEETING MATTHEW KOPPERUD. The team has also been without WILLIE MICHIGAN 0-2-0 0-5-0-0 L, 0-3 - NOV. 15, 2020 KNIERIM since the final game at Ohio State, COLE BRADY since the MICHIGAN STATE 0-1-1 3-1-1-1 L, 0-2 - NOV. 20, 2020 MINNESOTA 0-2-0 0-4-0-0 L, 4-6 - JAN. 4, 2021 last time they met Minnesota, and SEAN DHOOGHE is likely out this NOTRE DAME 2-2-0 2-4-0-0 W, 5-3 - JAN. 10, 2021 weekend after taking a hit against Wisconsin. That brings the total to OHIO STATE 1-0-1 1-3-2-0 W, 3-2 - DEC. 18, 2020 seven players out for this weekend’s series. PENN STATE 0-2-0 1-4-0-2 OTL, 2-3 - DEC. 13, 2020 WISCONSIN 2-2-0 2-6-0-0 L, 2-5 - JAN. 17, 2021 Despite being shorthanded against the red-hot Badgers, the Sun Devils 2020-21 SUN DEVIL LEADERS came back on Sunday scoring first with a power-play goal, but couldn’t Player G A Pts. Goalie Rec. SV% GAA stop the Badgers from getting two on the power play shortly after. Wiscon- Matthew Kopperud 12 6 18 Evan DeBrouwer 3-8-1 .906 3.39 sin extended the lead in the middle frame before ASU came within one James Sanchez 4 9 13 Cole Brady 1-2-1 .891 4.12 goal before they tallied two empty-net goals in the final minutes. Ryan O’Reilly 3 7 10 Justin Robbins 1-1-0 .842 4.72 Jax Murray 5 4 9 With the absence of BRADY, the team added junior goaltender BRON- 2020-21 GOPHER LEADERS SON MOORE to the roster, per protocol, in case of an emergency. MOORE played two seasons with ASU’s Division I ACHA team where he Player G A Pts. Goalie Rec. SV% GAA Sampo Ranta 9 3 12 Jack LaFontaine 10-3-0 .947 1.47 posted a .909 save percentage and 3.16 goals against average. Ben Meyers 5 7 12 Jared Moe 1-0-0 .833 4.00 Scott Reedy 6 5 11 Sammy Walker 4 5 9 CHINK IN THEIR ARMOR BY THE NUMBERS The previously undefeated Golden Gophers have lost three out of the last four games since playing the Sun Devils, and have fallen to No. 4 in the After a tough start, the Sun Devil power play has recorded a goal in six of the last seven games with two PP tallies in USCHO rankings after sitting at No. 1 for four-straight weeks. Their first three of those. loss came at the hands of the Badgers, but they were able to split the 6 series with a win the next night. This past weekend, Notre Dame was able Since the new year, the ASU power play ranks 5th in the to secure a road sweep against then-ranked No. 1 Minnesota and was country at 36.8% with seven goals in 19 attempts. the first team to do so this season. 5 Senior forward JOHNNY WALKER is now the second Before playing ASU, Minnesota had never allowed more than two goals player in program history to eclipse 100 career points in in a game with only nine goals against in nine games. The Sun Devils put 100 the Maroon & Gold. together five goals on the weekend and were the first team to score more The Sun Devil offense currently has the fifth highest total than three goals in a game on the nation’s top-ranked defense. Despite goals scored this season with 52. the return of their top-three defenders from the 2021 IIHF World Junior 52 Championship, the Golden Gophers have allowed 11 goals in the last four TALE OF THE TAPE (2020-21) games while scoring nine. Sun Devils (NCAA Rank) Gophers (NCAA Rank) PRONUNCIATION GUIDE 2.89 (25th) Goals Per Game 3.29 (16th) BRONSON: BRON-sin KNIERIM: NEER-um 3.83 (43rd) Goals Against Average 1.71 (2nd) DHOOGHE: DOO-gie KOPPERUD: copper-RUDE 28.11 (34th) Shots Per Game 30.14 (22nd) ECKERLE: ECK-er-lee KOSOBUD: COH-suh-bud GOURLEY: GORE-lee KOUMONTZIS: co-mun-ZEEZ 20.7% (23rd) Power Play 22.4% (18th) GRANDO: gran-DOH MANCINELLI: Man-sin-el-EE 76.1% (39th) Penalty Kill 87.1% (11th) GVIDO: guh-VEE-doh SANDHU: san-DOO 43.5% (49th) Faceoff % 52.7% (13th) JANSONS: YAWN-sons SEMIK: seh-MICK QUOTES OF THE WEEK SUN DEVIL SCENARIOS • “I think the mood of the team is actually positive. One of my biggest responsibilities is to maintain perspective During the 2020-21 regular season, the Sun Devils are: and to make sure these kids maintain perspective. We’ve talked a lot about no excuses and all those things, • 3-3-1-1 when scoring four or more goals but we’re still a program in our 5th full season as an NCAA team, going through what you could argue is the • 2-1-1-0 when allowing two or fewer goals most difficult schedule in the history of college sports, in the most daunting task in the history of college sports • 3-3-0-1 when scoring first is what we’re doing. And we’re doing a lot of great things and we have to continue.” -Head coach Greg Powers • 2-1-0-1 when leading after one period on the team mood & facing adversity • 5-1-0-0 when leading after two periods • “Obviously the three defensemen that they were missing are tremendous players, but it’s funny how you know the game works. Sometimes when you’re short-handed you have guys step up and do things that maybe are • 1-7-1-1 when trailing after one period unexpected, and I think they had a good run without those guys, and with those guys back they’re 1-3, so it’s • 0-7-2-1 when trailing after two periods weird how it works.They’re tremendously talented and well-coached team after they just got swept at home, so • 1-1-1-0 when tied after one period we’re going to get their very best.” -Head coach Greg Powers on facing Minnesota for the second time in three • 0-1-0-1 when tied after two periods weeks • 1-2-2-2 in one-goal games RETURN OF WALKER 2020-2021 SCHEDULE • Senior forward JOHNNY WALKER, who entered the 2020-21 season as the active leader in goals scored in Date Opponent Network Time/Result the NCAA, finally returned to the lineup at Minnesota after missing 10-straight games with an injury suffered in Nov. 14 at #12 Michigan BTN+ L, 1-8 game two of the season at Michigan. Nov. 15 at #12 Michigan BTN L, 0-3 • After limited minutes in game one against the Gophers, WALKER returned to the top line and wasted no time Nov. 19 at Michigan State BTN T, 1-1 making his presence felt with a highlight-reel, lacrosse-style goal -- made famous by Mike Legg at Michigan Nov. 20 at Michigan State BTN+ L, 0-2 and Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes -- to put the Sun Devils up 3-2 in the 2nd period. The play Nov. 28 at #14/15 Wisconsin FS-AZ W, 8-5 made for SportsCenter’s top play of the day on Monday. The goal was WALKER’s first of the season, and he Nov. 29 at #14/15 Wisconsin FS-AZ W, 3-1 managed several additional scoring chances on Monday night. Dec. 3 at #13/16 Notre Dame NHL Network W, 6-3 • Since his return, WALKER has tallied eight points over the last five games. Dec. 4 at #13/16 Notre Dame NBCSN L, 4-5 Dec. 11 at Penn State BTN+ OTL, 2-3 Dec. 13 at Penn State BTN+ OTL, 4-5 MISSING THEIR IMPACT Dec. 17 at #18 Ohio State BTN+ T, 4-4 • Since the start of the season, four of the Sun Devils’ six freshmen have seen significant playing time. Dec. 18 at #18 Ohio State BTN+ W, 3-2 Goaltender COLE BRADY, who recently departed the team due to non-COVID related sickness, has also seen Jan. 3 at #1 Minnesota FS-AZ L, 1-4 nearly half the starts before his departure. Jan. 4 at #1 Minnesota FS-AZ L, 4-6 • Two of the Sun Devils’ top three in points are freshman, including KOPPERUD at the top with 18 points and Jan. 9 at #18 Notre Dame NHL Network L, 4-5 Detroit Red Wings’ draft pick RYAN O’REILLY with 10 points.