“I tried to drink a little pickle juice and other fluids in the locker room,” Urban said despite not actually liking its taste. 

Whether he likes pickle juice or not, Urban’s .947 save percentage on 50 shots–and an assist to top it off–was a firestarter that lifted the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils to a 5-3 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday, Oct. 10, at Mullett Arena in Tempe.

ASU picked up its first win of the season after dropping two at home against Penn State last weekend. 

Friday was Urban’s first start of the season after senior goalie Connor Hasley got the nod for the Penn State series.

While Urban controlled the defensive zone for the Sun Devils, freshman forward Ben Kevan spearheaded the ASU offensive attack with two second-period goals, one of which was assisted by Urban and sophomore defenseman Joel Kjellberg.

Junior forward Kyle Smolen and freshman forward Carmelo Crandell also finished with two points, tallying a goal and an assist each. Crandell’s goal was the first of his college career.

In the first period, Smolen was the focal point of the Sun Devils offense, scoring a goal of his own before dishing an assist to sophomore forward Noah Powell.

While the Irish kept sophomore forward and Calgary Flames prospect Cullen Potter off the scoreboard effectively, Sun Devils coach Greg Powers still spoke to the impact that Potter made.

“[Potter] was probably our overall best player tonight,” Powers said, “He didn’t score, but he did so many things off the puck and drove the play.”

For Notre Dame, sophomore goalie Nicholas Kempf racked up 33 saves on 38 shots for an .868 save percentage. 

The Irish pieced together a late rally in the third period with a goal from junior forward Carter Slaggert off assists from senior defenseman Axel Kumlin and graduate forward Sutter Muzzatti. However, a series of saves coupled with the clock being on ASU’s side proved that it was too little too late for Notre Dame.

The second period featured a barrage of goals from both sides, including a score for each team in the first 90 seconds of the period. Crandell netted his goal a mere 53 seconds into play to make the score 3-0. Assists were credited to junior center Sean McGurn and senior forward Bennett Schimek.

Just 36 seconds after the Crandell goal, junior defenseman Henry Nelson responded to get the Irish on the board with an assist from freshman forward Pano Fimis. 

Moments later, the two teams traded quick goals once again. Junior defenseman Paul Fischer scored on the Notre Dame power play with assists from junior forwards Evan Werner and Cole Knuble to cut the Sun Devils’ lead in half at 3-2.

It only took a minute for ASU to respond, as Kevan buried the eventual game-winning goal, assisted by Crandell and sophomore defenseman Sam Court, to push the lead back to two goals for the Sun Devils.

The conversion of power play opportunities was a problem for both teams, and Coach Powers said that ASU has “a lot of work to do” on its power play line. The Sun Devils went 1-for-6, while the Irish went 1-for-5. 

Another constant issue for both sides was faceoffs, as new NCAA rules led to lengthy preparation at the dot and countless infractions on both teams. In fact, Potter was sent to the penalty box for delay of game after he jumped the gun on two consecutive faceoffs.

While the Sun Devils know that they can play better than the product put forth on Friday night, Coach Powers stressed that any win is pivotal in today’s college hockey landscape.

“It’s going to be really, really, really hard to win in college hockey,” Powers said. “I’m just happy we pulled it out.”