From pipe dream to reality: Arizona State hockey opens new era at Mullett Arena
What once was thought of as a joke between Arizona State hockey players over the decades became a reality on Friday.
With the opening of Mullett Arena, ASU found the missing puzzle piece in establishing legitimacy as a Division I ice hockey program.
For those like head coach Greg Powers, who was a member of ASU's club hockey team from 1995 to 1999, the reality sunk in at different moments when ASU opened the arena with a 2-0 win over Colgate.
RESPECT: ASU hockey using new arena to earn legitimacy in college hockey world
"There were stretches of the game where I think everybody, players and coaches were looking around and were like, 'Wow, this is real. It actually happened.' The crowd was unbelievable and engaged and into it," Powers said.
Throughout the first period, the lingering question kept up both teams: who will score the first goal at Mullett Arena?
In a moment that played out of a script, Josh Doan, ASU's captain and son of Arizona Coyotes legend Shane Doan, found the opening.
Doan earned a breakaway at 19:15 in the first and grabbed his own rebound off his initial shot. The play was met with a roaring response from the student section behind him as his teammates embraced him against the glass.
“I couldn’t have made it harder on myself to put it in," Doan said. "A great pass from (Lukas Sillinger) and it was a pretty special moment. You get an opportunity to score the first in this rink and that’s pretty special. That goes up to a lot of guys that played in the program before me.”
Sophomore goaltender TJ Semptimphelter was up to the task in keeping the magic going for ASU. Semptimphelter came up with big saves and stopped all 30 shots. Colgate forward Alex Young saw an opening when his initial shot sputtered in front of him in the second period, but Semptimphelter was in sync and made the save.
ASU earned its second shutout of its young season, posting a great start over last season. The Sun Devils never recorded a shutout in 35 games.
Semptimphelter joined the program this season after transferring from Northeastern and never experienced Oceanside Ice Arena, but he was still struck by the crowd hanging on to every save he made.
“It was a great feeling, just looking around and seeing all of the fans that came to support," Semptimphelter said. "The energy in the building tonight was unbelievable and ASU is a hockey school."
Fan support was never an issue for a team that consistently sold out its student sections in a community rink located 2.4 miles away from the Tempe campus. But seeing the full section solidified the commitment between the students and the players, coaches and players ag
A new tradition that began on Friday included the players crashing into the boards in front of the student section after the game.
"Growing up around here, you definitely know that hockey is something that belongs here and it kind of got proved tonight by the amount of people that showed up," Doan said.
Reach the reporter at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com or 602-647-4122. Follow her on Twitter @jennarortiz.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU hockey captain Josh Doan scores first goal at Mullett Arena
