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ASU Hockey Keeps Mullett Magic Alive and Well as They Make Statement vs. Michigan
The official end result of the ASU hockey team’s matchup against No. 10 Michigan on Saturday goes into the books as a tie, but it sure felt like a win inside Mullett Arena.
Powerhouse teams throughout the NCAA have no option but to take note.
On paper, the Sun Devils’ 1-2-1 start appears to be a slow one, but considering ASU has been without Artem Shlaine, Cruz Lucius, and Charlie Schoen to this point – a trio that recorded a combined 81 points in the NCAA last season – their start this season is anything but dismal.
“We already knew we stacked up,” ASU coach Greg Powers said. “If we can compete with these guys over a weekend, again, when we’re really shorthanded right now … it speaks volume to our depth.”
Saturday’s display gave Valley hockey fans, who have been starving for something – anything – to cheer for, a reminder of why hockey in the desert is so special.
First, there was freshman sensation Cullen Potter’s shot from the neutral zone that found its way past Michigan netminder Cameron Korpi with 44 seconds remaining to finish an improbable rally. Then, there was ASU goalie Gibson Homer standing on his head against a top-10 team, turning aside 31 of 34 shots on goal, including all six in a frantic 3-on-3 overtime.
And, of course, there was a sold-out Mullett crowd, many flanked in Arizona Coyotes gear, erupting when Homer turned aside the Wolverines’ final shootout attempt, securing the victory, or tie…whatever you want to call it.
It sure felt like a win in the building.
“It feels good, I’m just happy for our players,” Powers said. “They deserve to feel good, I think they played real hard tonight.”
Arizona State doesn’t really have much left to prove as a hockey program. Since 2020-21, the Sun Devils have earned wins over programs like Denver, Providence, Cornell, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Boston College, and North Dakota, among others. This season marks the team’s first in the powerhouse National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), which has produced six of the last eight NCAA champions.
It has been a slow-but-steady rise led by Powers, who is in his 16th season with Arizona State, and ninth as head coach. The program boasts state-of-the-art facilities on a campus that’s located in one of the most desirable locations of the country, and anyone skeptical of the Sun Devils’ legitimacy should look no further than Potter, who flipped his commitment from Michigan State to Arizona State last May.
The 17-year-old is a top NHL prospect and has recorded two goals and two assists in four games this season. He said he enjoyed the weekend series against a team he frequently watched while growing up in Minnesota.
“It was crazy playing against who you always looked up to growing up,” Potter said. “It’s great to win against them. It’s a good feeling.”
Though still unproven at the NCAA level, Potter has passed his early tests with flying colors. He finished with a goal and an assist on Saturday, and scored the only goal in the shootout.
“There were people who said he wouldn’t be ready for college hockey, and he just went out against Michigan and was easily one of the best players on the ice,” Powers said. “The sky’s the limit for him, we’re just thrilled he’s a Sun Devil and it’s only going to get better.”
Ties don’t really factor into the Pairwise rankings, but Arizona State’s 0-1-1 weekend stands out because of how players have stepped up on a roster depleted by injuries so early in the season. Defenseman Noah Beck, for example, scored his first goal of the season on Saturday, and his eight points lead the NCAA.
The rally against the Wolverines is something that Beck said will stick with him and his teammates as the season progresses.
“It was amazing, and I’m glad we could get that done for our fans,” Beck said. “The fans scream every time we do something little, just giving us that extra momentum to keep us in that game.”
Arizona State can also enjoy the benefits of something it previously lacked as an independent program: Multiple paths to the NCAA tournament. Upon becoming official members of the NCHC on July 1, the Sun Devils were immediately eligible to participate in the NCHC Tournament, and with that the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Take note, though, that the road to that automatic bid is one of the toughest in the nation.
“Relentless belief and not giving up against a really good team, we can do this against anybody,” Powers said. “Just building that belief as we get into this schedule, it’s the toughest schedule we’ve ever played.”
Arizona State is entering an early critical stretch of their schedule, set to play six games on the road before returning home to face Omaha on Friday, Nov. 15. It starts at No. 13 Providence, who the Sun Devils were 1-1-0 against last season, before trips to Northern Michigan and No. 12 Colorado College – which just so happens to also be their first conference series.
Just another step in the continued progression, and evolution, of hockey in the desert.
“To come back against that team and do what we did is really big for getting the train back on the tracks,” Powers said of Saturday’s tie. “It was great for our fans to get excited about us coming back in a month.”
A sold-out arena will be waiting, ready for the next act of Mullett Magic.
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