ANCHORAGE – The Arizona State hockey team (24-8-6) completes a historic 24-win season with a 5-2 victory over Alaska Anchorage (15-17-2) on Saturday night at Avis Alaska Sports Complex. Lukas Sillinger extended his new program record with a four-point night and the program's first natural hat trick. Matthew Kopperud finished an unprecedented Sun Devil career while tying the single season goal record with his 23rd on the season. He finishes as the No. 4 power play goal scorer in the NCAA all-time career record books.
Senior and alternate captain Lukas Sillinger finished a six-point weekend in Anchorage with his first career hat trick and an assist for a four-point Saturday night. The hat trick is the first-ever natural hat trick in ASU program history (three goals scored consecutively by the same player with no player on either team scoring in-between).
Sillinger started the scoring just 70 seconds into the game with assists from Charlie Schoen and Ty Jackson. After a 10-minute break to fix a broken panel of glass, play resumed and Sillinger tallied his second goal of the night just 49 seconds later with another assist from Charlie Schoen and a secondary from freshman defenseman Josh Niedermayer.
At the 10-minute mark in the first period, Sillinger netted his third goal to complete the natural hat trick with assists from Tim Lovell and Schoen. The point put Tim Lovell into a tie for the program record for points by a defenseman in a single season at 37.
Matthew Kopperud scored one power play goal on the night to extend his NCAA lead in power play goals with 17 this season. The additional PPG moved him into a tie for the number four spot in the NCAA's all-time career power play goal leaderboard.
The power play goal was Kopperud's 23rd goal of the season, which set a tied a program record for goals scored in a single season with Johnny Walker (2018-19). The point moved Kopperud into the No. 2 spot in ASU's all-time point scoring record book with 108 through his four-year Sun Devil career.
Senior Benji Eckerle tallied the fifth and final goal for the Sun Devils on an empty net.
Multiple players completed their senior and graduate years on Saturday night with their names etched in the Sun Devil Hockey record book.
ASU RECORDS
NATIONAL NOTES:
Senior and alternate captain Lukas Sillinger finished a six-point weekend in Anchorage with his first career hat trick and an assist for a four-point Saturday night. The hat trick is the first-ever natural hat trick in ASU program history (three goals scored consecutively by the same player with no player on either team scoring in-between).
NATTY HATTY ??@lsillinger /// #BeTheTradition pic.twitter.com/nRRQSwL4g4
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) March 10, 2024
Sillinger started the scoring just 70 seconds into the game with assists from Charlie Schoen and Ty Jackson. After a 10-minute break to fix a broken panel of glass, play resumed and Sillinger tallied his second goal of the night just 49 seconds later with another assist from Charlie Schoen and a secondary from freshman defenseman Josh Niedermayer.
At the 10-minute mark in the first period, Sillinger netted his third goal to complete the natural hat trick with assists from Tim Lovell and Schoen. The point put Tim Lovell into a tie for the program record for points by a defenseman in a single season at 37.
Matthew Kopperud scored one power play goal on the night to extend his NCAA lead in power play goals with 17 this season. The additional PPG moved him into a tie for the number four spot in the NCAA's all-time career power play goal leaderboard.
Sure, let's put on a power play clinic ?????
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) March 10, 2024
17 power play goals for the nation's leading PPG scorer @kopper303 pic.twitter.com/JDoEnlLg7L
The power play goal was Kopperud's 23rd goal of the season, which set a tied a program record for goals scored in a single season with Johnny Walker (2018-19). The point moved Kopperud into the No. 2 spot in ASU's all-time point scoring record book with 108 through his four-year Sun Devil career.
Senior Benji Eckerle tallied the fifth and final goal for the Sun Devils on an empty net.
A team like none other. What a special year ?? #BeTheTradition pic.twitter.com/lZN7eRFW6t
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) March 10, 2024
Multiple players completed their senior and graduate years on Saturday night with their names etched in the Sun Devil Hockey record book.
ASU RECORDS
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Career Game-Winning Goals
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Career Points by a Defenseman
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NATIONAL NOTES:
- Sillinger's 37 assists ranks second in the NCAA. His 48 points on the year is tied at No. 9
- Tim Lovell tallied one assist in each night in Anchorage to finish the season with five goals and 32 assists for 37 points. His 32 assists is third among all defensemen in the NCAA and No. 9 against all skaters.
- Kopperud's 23 goals is tied at No. 7 in the country.
- Brandon Tabakin's +24 ranks No. 4 in the country and set a new ASU career and single season record for plus/minus
- Both teams enjoyed five power play chances in game two of the series. While ASU converted twice (Sillinger and Kopperud), the Sun Devil penalty kill stayed perfect on the weekend.
- Shots were tied 25-25 through 60 minutes of play.
- ASU finished its last independent season as 11-2-1 against its fellow independents. Both losses occurred in the state of Alaska.
- Charlie Schoen had a four-point night with four assists for a new career single game high for both points and assists. It's also his first career three-plus point night.
- The four-point night by Sillinger was his sixth three-plus point night of the season and 10th of his career. ASU finished the year 6-0-0 when Sillinger recorded three or more points. He finishes his career 10-0-0 when tallying three-plus points in a game.
- TJ Semptimphelter made his 26th start of the season and made 23 saves. He finishes the year with a .908 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average.
24-win season ???? pic.twitter.com/xEAeShZ0ja
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) March 10, 2024