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The ASU men’s hockey team has turned what could have been a year to forget into a season to remember.
Forward Ryan Kirwan made sure of it on Saturday.
Kirwan’s overtime game-winner completed a two-game sweep over Minnesota-Duluth in the NCHC quarterfinals, sending the Sun Devils to St. Paul, Minn. next weekend for a semifinal matchup at Xcel Energy Center. A win on Friday equates to an appearance in the championship game on Saturday, and a chance for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
That’s just what the doctor ordered for hockey fans still reeling from the loss of the Arizona Coyotes following the 2023-24 season.
Alas, the NHL is long gone, but it’s nowhere near forgotten — that was evident by the scores of Kachina jerseys scattered throughout Mullett Arena during its series win over UMD. There were also shirts disparaging the previous Coyotes owner who failed to live up to lofty promises time-after-time before eventually selling the team.
There were Coyotes hats. Coyotes Scarves. Coyotes Socks. There were even a handful of howls during the National Anthem. But at ‘The Mullett’ — a building the Sun Devils and Coyotes shared for two seasons — everyone was a Sun Devils fan on Saturday, rejoicing in unison as a raucous celebration kicked off following Kirwan’s heroics.
Gone, but not forgotten.
“It’s an unbelievable hockey community here,” coach Greg Powers said after ASU’s 6-5 overtime win. “Losing the NHL really sucked. It really sucked for this hockey community. It sucked for so many good people who put blood, sweat, and tears in so many ways that kept the Coyotes here.”
The Sun Devils have sure helped dampen the blow, though.
Navigating Through Choppy Water Early in The Season
Arizona State’s first season in the NCHC — the conference that has produced six of the last eight national champions — has been nothing short of remarkable. The team was picked to finish eighth in the nine-team conference prior to the start of the season, and a 3-7-1 start to the season was, well, less than ideal.
There were a litany of excuses available, with injuries at the top of that list. But Powers, his staff and the student-athletes didn’t use any of them. Instead, they righted the proverbial ship with a 3-2 win over Omaha on Nov. 16, which marked the first of 10 straight victories (including two exhibition contests against USNTDP).
That winning streak was a stretch in which ASU swept No. 1 and defending national champion Denver on the road, snapping the Pioneers’ 21-game winning streak in the process. Just a few months later, the Sun Devils completed their meteoric rise by finishing second in the NCHC, and were the only team that recorded at least one regulation win against each conference opponent.
“The support today and yesterday, that was the best atmosphere we have had here at Mullett. The WhiteOut, with all the towels, it was very impressive to see,” said center Artem Shlaine, who earned first-team All-NCHC honors this season. “I know the guys are very thankful to the fans. This whole year they gave us a lot of energy in a lot of games when we didn’t have it, and hopefully we made more fans this season, and they’re going to show up next year and cheer for the guys.”
Shlaine has had plenty to do with it. The graduate student scored twice on Saturday — marking his fifth two-goal game of the season — and he has six points over his last four games. He’s not alone, either. Kirwan’s game (and series) winner was his 25th tally of the year, which leads the team and ranks second in the NCAA.
He set a new program record for goals in a season, surpassing Sun Devil legends Matthew Kopperud and Johnny Walker in the process.
His celebration after his game-winner was nothing short of spectacular, and the capacity crowd at Mullett Arena roared louder than ever before.
“Seeing the crowd erupt like that, and to see the boys come off the bench,” Kirwan said, “there’s no better feeling.”
Sun Devils Driving Excitement Throughout The Valley
All that came after the Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead on Saturday, only to see the Sun Devils erase that deficit in a span of about five minutes in the second. UMD grabbed 4-3 and 5-4 leads as well, but each time, Arizona State was up to the task with a counterpunch.
The amped-up crowd helped produce more of that patented Mullett Magic, which Shlaine confirmed has had a profound impact all season long.
“Going into the playoffs, the biggest moment I remember was my Junior year — the CCHA Championship game against Mankato, and they had a WhiteOut,” he said. “That takes energy from you. Nobody’s going to give you energy there, on the road, but the home team, just like today, we were down three and we scored one goal. It’s still a two-goal game, but the fans are into it, the building is into it, and that helps us a lot.”
The Sun Devils are helping the fans just as much, and Powers, who has been a staple on the Arizona hockey scene, shared an incredible moment with the Mullett Arena crowd following Saturday’s win.
He’s built the program, he’s built the culture, and he’s supported a hockey community through both his words and actions.
“I live in the hockey community, my whole family does,” Powers said. “So we’re up at the Ice Den, and a big part of the Jr. Coyotes program. I’m close with the guys here, with the Jr. Sun Devils, Sean Whyte, Nick Naumenko and Marc Fritsche.”
That commitment — and engagement — proves something that has echoed for ages: Hockey belongs in the desert, and the Arizona hockey community sure showed that over a thrilling weekend of playoff hockey.
“To give that community and group of people some reprieve, and to make them proud of what we’re trying to build here, and continuing to build, and to give them that excitement,” Powers said, “it means everything.”
Every hockey fan in The Valley couldn’t agree more, coach.
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