SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 16 Arizona State had another hard fought battle against Augustana again. The Sun Devils played from behind, as Augustana took control early and never let up.
The Vikings ended up defeating the Sun Devils 5-2 on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Midco Arena.
Following a come-from-behind win on Friday, Augustana rallied into the second game of the series. The Vikings overcame an early two-goal deficit in Game 1 by scoring four straight goals to seal the deal.
They showed no signs of slowing down in the rematch.
Hoping to jumpstart his team, ASU head Coach Greg Powers made several lineup changes ahead of the matchup. With the season still in its early stages, the Sun Devils are still experimenting with line combinations and building chemistry.
One notable change came in the net. Senior goaltender Connor Hasley, who recorded 19 saves on Friday, was replaced by freshman goaltender Samuel Urban. Urban made his second appearance of the season after debuting against Notre Dame.
The forward lines also saw adjustments. Sophomore Cullen Potter was moved to first-line center, while junior Kyle Smolen shifted to left wing. Additionally, freshman forward Braxton Whitehead made his collegiate debut on the fourth line.
Both teams had a slow start, with the first shot of the game not coming until 2:37 into the first from Sun Devils freshman forward Justin Cloutier.
The Vikings opened up the scoring party. Just four minutes into the game, freshman forward Jacob Jastrebski scored his first goal of the season.
ASU responded at 14:00, as senior forward Cruz Lucius scored his fifth goal of the season. Lucius has scored four goals in the last three games, including a hat trick against Alaska Fairbanks last week.
Arizona State came out aggressive in the second period, with four shots in just over a minute.
However, Augustana took control, outshooting ASU 11-0 over the next five minutes.
Augustana regained the lead at 12:55 with a goal by junior defenseman and assist captain Hayden Hennen, his first of the season.
The Vikings' fourth line played a pivotal role. They won puck battles, generated offensive zone time, and consistently put pressure in front of the net.
Less than four minutes later, junior forward Hunter Bischoff extended the lead with an unassisted short-handed goal, the first of the season for the Vikings. At this point, Augustana held a 10-shot advantage, though ASU maintained a 64% faceoff win rate.
Arizona State cut the deficit to one early in the third period. Lucius capitalized on a power play for his second goal of the night and sixth of the season. This was the first and only power play goal of the series despite multiple opportunities.
Augustana responded quickly. Junior forward Cole Burtch scored off a rebound, restoring the two-goal cushion. It was his first goal since transferring from Ferris State University, where he led the team in assists and points.
In a last-ditch effort, ASU pulled Urban for the extra skater with six minutes remaining and had two power plays with a two-man advantage, but they couldn’t get past Vikings junior goaltender Josh Kotai.
With three minutes left, Augustana junior defenseman Owen Baumgartner sealed the win with a short-handed, empty-net goal, bringing the final score to 5-2.
Augustana improves to 3-1 on the season, while Arizona State drops to 2-4. The Sun Devils now enter a bye week before traveling to Miami University for a two-game series starting October 31.