Arizona State vs No. 15 Merrimack decided in final minute

TEMPE, Ariz. — After bagging the game-winner in overtime the day before, senior forward Matthew Kopperud once again sent the fans at Mullett Arena home happy. This time, on Saturday evening, he scored the go-ahead goal for Arizona State hockey with 45.5 seconds left in the game.

Arizona State hockey beats Merrimack behind last-minute goals

The Arizona State Sun Devils went on to beat the Merrimack Warriors 4-2. They start their season 2-0 for the second time since becoming an NCAA program.

“As an independent, every win matters,” Arizona State head coach Greg Powers said. “To get two against a team that’s going to get a lot of wins this season, which Merrimack will, you’ll see that. It will be the gift that keeps on giving.”

The first period

The opening period was similar to the first game between the two sides. Despite both teams having a power play, The Sun Devils and Warriors combined for zero goals.

Merrimack outshot the Sun Devils 11-5 in the first period. Junior goaltender TJ Semptimphelter had 11 saves for Arizona State in the opening frame. He ended the night with 30 saves.

The second period

Junior forward Mark Hillier broke the deadlock for Merrimack with a shot from the right edge of the crease with 11:39 left to go in the second period. Two freshmen, defender Max Wattvil and forward Ty Daneault, recorded the assists.

However, the Sun Devils responded exactly a minute later. Senior forward Ryan O’Reilly, who was assisted by graduate forward Brian Chambers and senior forward Benji Eckerle, swerved from the right side of the goal to the left. He then backhanded the puck into the net to equalize the game.

Chambers, who played the puck forward to O’Reilly, ended the day with three assists, in what was a good day for the Sun Devils’ first line.

“We work all summer so hard as a team just to prepare for the opening weekend,” Chambers said. “I mean, practice is fun. But nothing’s better than playing games.”

Merrimack would answer with 4:34 left to go in the second period. Junior forward Matt Copponi sent the puck into the net.

The third period

However, Arizona State would equalize the match in the third period, taking advantage of a five-minute power play.

Senior Lukas Sillinger, playing in his 100th NCAA game, finished a backdoor pass from Kopperud with 8:03 left to play in regulation.

The Sun Devils capitalized on the power play once again later in the period. With 1:04 left in regulation, the referee called a penalty on Merrimack for too many men on the ice.

18.5 seconds later, Kopperud, who was assisted by senior defenseman Tim Lovell and Chambers, whisked the puck past junior goaltender Hugo Ollas with a slapshot 25 feet away from the goal. It completed the comeback and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

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— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 15, 2023

“I don’t think the coaches said too much,” Kopperud said about the conversation on the bench moments before the goal. “I think we talked within ourselves. Chambers said we were going to do it off the faceoff, and it ended up working.”

Senior forward Alex Young netted the insurance goal 21.4 seconds after Kopperud’s. He knocked the puck down into the empty net, which capped off a three-goal third period for the Sun Devils.

Looking ahead for Arizona State

The Sun Devils will look to keep their winning ways next week when they host Northern Michigan this Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.

“It’s a lot easier to play downhill because wins are hard to come by in college hockey,” Powers said. “We have a really good team coming in next weekend that likes to get after it and score goals. We are going to have our hands full.”

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