Denver, Arizona State Barnburner Split Among NCHC Highlights
CHN Staff Report
Minnesota State said “not quite yet” to upstart Augustana this weekend. The Mavericks swept a pair of games from the Vikings with a defensive clinic, 4-1 and 2-1, rocketing back into first place in the league with four games remaining.
Augustana, in just its second year of existence, were given special early full entry into the league, despite a shortened league schedule. Thus the standings are being kept with points percentage. Augustana started the weekend ahead in that category, but not anymore.
The weekend featured the two top goaltenders in the CCHA — MSU’s Alex Tracy and Augustana’s Josh Kotai, with Tracy getting the upper hand. Fin Williams, a Notre Dame transfer, scored his first goal of the season for what was the game winner. Rhett Pitlick also scored his 12th of the season.
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Denver and Arizona State played a pair of barnburners in Tempe this weekend, with each team earning an overtime win. ASU took three of four from the defending national champs in its first season in the NCHC. The Sun Devils come out of the weekend tied for second in the league standings, and No. 13 in the Pairwise.
Saturday’s game was similar to Friday’s in many ways. Same Harris had two power-play goals and a 4-on-4 goal for a hat trick within the first 32 minutes of the game, giving his team a 3-2 lead. Denver took a 5-3 lead midway through the third, and ASU pulled goalie Gibson Homer, which seemed to spark another comeback in the last 10 minues. Lukas Sillinger scored his second of the game, then Bennett Schimek, whose goal in the last minute of regulation sent Friday’s game to OT, did it again Saturday, this time with 6:16 remaining.
Schimek then capped off his magical weekend with a beautiful rush of a goal during 3-on-3 OT, capped off by a backhander he slipped in for a 6-5 win.
The winner came on Arizona State’s put up 55th shot of the game.
“We wanted to throw pucks and bodies at them and create second-chance opportunities,” ASU coach Greg Powers said. “We just played downhill all night 5-on-5.
“We have a helluva team that shouldn’t settle for anything less than the end of the season in St. Louis. That’s what we’re preaching. To take nine out of 12 points from the…
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