Heading into this weekend’s series against the Western Michigan Broncos (23-6-1, 16-3-1 NCHC), much more was at stake than just a win; it meant more for this number 12-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils (18-12-2, 13-7-2 NCHC) squad.
Their opponent this weekend was the number three-ranked Broncos, one of the hottest teams in the NCAA right now. While Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss stings, the Sun Devils did take four out of six points from one of the best teams in the league.
Related: #12 Arizona State Falls Short in Overtime 5-4 Against #6 Denver University
Despite the loss, Saturday night featured senior night for the Maroon and Gold, with eight seniors on the roster. While it wasn’t quite a series failure, it’s hard to look at the positives, considering this series drops them to 16th in the PairWise rankings.
Being in that 11-14 spot is ideal, considering the conferences with auto-bids in the 16-team playoff format later this season. We’ll see what the future holds, but let’s dive deep into this physical and highly competitive series.
Ty Jackson, Cullen Potter, and Company Lead Charge in Game 1’s 5-3 Win
Friday night’s game in Tempe showcased 38 scouts in the building watching two top NCHC teams duel in the desert. It would also be fair to assume they were all at Mullett Arena to watch freshman forward Cullen Potter, a projected 2025 first-round pick.
Potter can potentially be the highest-drafted Sun Devil in history, surpassing Josh Doan, who was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes 37th overall in 2021.
“But the other guys, like Cullen Potter, (he) was finishing checks and forechecking and had a great stick. That was a man’s game out there. In my opinion, I think that was Potty’s (Potter’s) best game of the season,” head coach Greg Powers said. “He was dominant. He drove the play. He played the right way. He played like a veteran tonight.”
Potter only registered an assist in the Maroon and Gold’s 5-3 win over the Broncos, but now is up to 11 goals and 19 points in 30 games. As for senior forward Ty Jackson, he also had a stellar game, scoring two goals and redirecting a shot from the blue line that put ASU ahead 4-3.
“I gave him (Ty Jackson) the warrior award; he was unbelievable,” Powers said. “He drove play, went to the net, he was a great leader, we put him on the kill, he was aggressive … he was fantastic.”
It has been a roller-coaster season for Jackson this season, but he’s been the epitome of consistency and showed up in big moments, like Friday night.
“That’s the first regulation loss that they’ve suffered in league play, and we learned that the hard way tonight, in a lot of different ways,” Powers said. “They’re a hell of a team.”
Pavicich and Defense Outstanding in Game 1 Win
Powers has often referred to the goaltending tandem of senior Luke Pavicich and junior Gibson Homer as a two-headed monster, and the two frequently prove their head coach right. This was the case on Friday night. Pavicich took over parts of the game, which was a major reason ASU stayed in the game.
“Luke was phenomenal. Steady. He made big saves,” Powers said. “He made the saves he was supposed to; he was probably our best player tonight. I challenged him after Duluth to win us a big game.”
Pavicich did indeed win a big game. He faced 42 shots, which may seem like much too many, but for the 22-year-old, it kept him in the groove from puck drop.
“I like that because it gets you in the game right away,” Pavicich said. “Obviously 45, 40 shots, whatever it is, it seems like a lot, but as a goalie, you’re liking it.”
While the Broncos were still able to get a lot of shots off, the Sun Devils ended the night with more blocked shots than they did shots. Yes, you read that right. They had 33 blocked shots, along with 32 shots.
“I was thanking and hugging every single one of them or trying to get to all of them when I went back in the locker room,” Pavicich said, laughing about the number of blocked shots throughout the game. “Those blocks are big time, that’s playoff hockey.”
Senior defenseman Ty Murchison and freshman defenseman Brasen Boser led the way with seven blocks each, and it was a climactic facet in ASU’s game-one win against the Broncos.
Turnovers and Mistakes: The Death of ASU Saturday Night
Oftentimes, when there’s lots of traffic before a sporting event, it’s somewhere everyone wants to be, and that was the case on Saturday night in Tempe. With cowboy hats given out to the student section, it was the place to be. However, ASU fell 4-3 in overtime, resulting in a devastating loss for their chances at making the NCAA tournament.
“It was just a slugfest both ways and they threw the last punch, unfortunately, in overtime and managing pucks,” Powers said. “They’re just so on top of you with pressure and puck pressure. That’s the best we’ve seen all year.”
On the bright side, Potter added to his masterful Friday night performance with two goals, and lots of the same scouts were in the building. The word on the street is he’ll go anywhere from 12 to 27 in the first round on draft day, but you never know what’ll happen until the day actually comes.
Pavicich got the nod for game two and was, once again, one of the best players on the ice. At one point in the second period, he saved three different breakaways in the span of three minutes; he was excellent.
“Obviously, it stings, and it’s going to sting for a while,” sophomore forward Kyle Smolen said. “But the great thing about hockey is there’s a next week, there’s a next game, there’s another way to move forward.”
Numerous turnovers and mistakes were made throughout the game, whether it be not capitalizing on their power-play opportunities or the crucial turnover in overtime, which ultimately gave the Broncos the win.
ASU will travel to take on Nebraska-Omaha, who have been creeping up the NCHC standings, making for a crucial series for the Sun Devils in hopes of clinching a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Tournament Uncertain as Season Winds Down
At one point earlier this calendar year, it seemed the Sun Devils would be on their way back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2023. Of course, being in a conference, things will change with the NCHC tournament here in the coming weeks, but ASU has put itself in an interesting position at this point in the season where wins become so important.
