# 2021–22 Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey season

The 2021–22 Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey season was the 7th season of play for the program at the Division I level. The Sun Devils represented Arizona State University and were coached by Greg Powers, in his 10th season.

## Season

Arizona State spent their entire season hovering around the .500 mark. The team alternated short winning and losing streaks and were only one more than 3 away from an even record. Despite this consistent mediocrity, ASU had put themselves, partly due to the difficulty of their schedule, into a potential NCAA tournament appearance by mid-January.
The Sun Devils' offense led the way with three players averaging more than a point per game. Freshman Josh Doan, son of famed Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan, teamed with sophomore Matthew Kopperud and graduate transfer Colin Theisen to form one of the top offensive lines in the country. Unfortunately, the team's defense wasn't nearly as strong; Arizona State was one of the worst teams in the nation in terms of goals allowed and it was all the offense could do on some nights to keep them in games.
When the Sun Devils met Minnesota State in late-January, Arizona State had a narrow path to a tournament bid if they could earn a split with the #1 team. ASU scored 5 goals in the two games, which was more than most could claim, but they couldn't stop the Mavericks' offense and lost both contests. Their very slim chances were ended the following week when Alaska came to town and swept the weekend slate. Arizona State managed to get their record back up to even by the end of the season but it was apparent that, moving forward, their defensive game needed improvement.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Filips Buncis | Forward | Latvia | Graduation (Signed with Krefeld Pinguine) |
| Evan Debrouwer | Goaltender | Canada | Transferred to Bentley |
| Dom Garcia | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Jarrod Gourley | Defenseman | Canada | Transferred to Connecticut |
| Gvido Jansons | Defenseman | Latvia | Graduation (Signed with Strömsbro IF) |
| P. J. Marrocco | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Long Island |
| Jax Murray | Forward | United States | Transferred to Trinity |
| Justin Robbins | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to Sacred Heart |
| James Sanchez | Forward | United States | Graduation (Signed with Hartford Wolf Pack) |
| Connor Stuart | Forward/Defenseman | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Peter Zhong | Forward | China | Signed professional contract (HC Kunlun Red Star) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Jack Becker | Forward | United States | 24 | Dellwood, MN; graduate transfer from Michigan; selected 195th overall in 2015 |
| Josh Doan | Forward | United States | 19 | Scottsdale, AZ; selected 37th overall in 2021 |
| Jack Jensen | Forward | United States | 21 | Eden Prairie, MN |
| Ben Kraws | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Cranbury, NJ; transfer from Miami |
| Timothy Lovell | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Bad Nauheim, GER; transfer from Boston College |
| Ty Murchison | Defenseman | United States | 18 | Corona, CA; selected 158th overall in 2021 |
| Jackson Niedermayer | Forward | United States | 20 | Newport Beach, CA |
| Ethan Szmagaj | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Canton, MI |
| Colin Theisen | Forward | United States | 24 | Monroe, MI; graduate transfer from Notre Dame |
| Tim Theocharidis | Defenseman | Canada | 23 | Toronto, ON; transfer from Bowling Green |

## Roster

As of August 30, 2021.

## Standings

2021–22 NCAA Division I Independent ice hockey standingsvte :
| | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Alaska | 34 | 14 | 18 | 2 | 87 | 95 |
| Arizona State | 35 | 17 | 17 | 1 | 116 | 121 |
| Long Island | 34 | 10 | 21 | 3 | 87 | 120 |
| Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 2 | 7:05 PM | Massachusetts Lowell* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | ASU Live Stream | Kraws | W 5–3 | 790 | 1–0–0 |
| October 3 | 4:05 PM | Massachusetts Lowell* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | L 2–4 | 814 | 1–1–0 |
| October 8 | 7:07 PM | at #12 Denver* | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | | Brady | L 3–8 | 4,554 | 1–2–0 |
| October 9 | 6:07 PM | at #12 Denver* | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | | Brady | L 3–4 | 5,655 | 1–3–0 |
| October 15 | 7:05 PM | New Hampshire* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Brady | W 5–1 | 698 | 2–3–0 |
| October 16 | 4:05 PM | New Hampshire* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Brady | W 5–1 | 915 | 3–3–0 |
| October 22 | 5:00 PM | at Colgate* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | | Brady | L 3–8 | 1,081 | 3–4–0 |
| October 23 | 5:00 PM | at Colgate* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | | Kraws | W 4–3 | 1,394 | 4–4–0 |
| October 29 | 7:05 PM | St. Thomas* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | W 5–2 | 0 | 5–4–0 |
| October 30 | 7:05 PM | St. Thomas* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Brady | W 5–2 | 900 | 6–4–0 |
| November 12 | 5:00 PM | at #5 Quinnipiac* | People's United Center • Hamden, Connecticut | | Brady | L 3–5 | 3,050 | 6–5–0 |
| November 13 | 5:00 PM | at #5 Quinnipiac* | People's United Center • Hamden, Connecticut | | Kraws | L 2–5 | 2,928 | 6–6–0 |
| November 24 | 7:00 PM | #20 Bemidji State* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | L 3–4 | 861 | 6–7–0 |
| November 26 | 7:00 PM | #20 Bemidji State* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | W 6–4 | 0 | 7–7–0 |
| December 3 | 7:05 PM | #12 Denver* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | L 2–6 | 891 | 7–8–0 |
| December 4 | 7:05 PM | #12 Denver* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Brady | L 1–7 | 911 | 7–9–0 |
| December 10 | 8:05 PM | #18 Clarkson* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | W 4–3 | 905 | 8–9–0 |
| December 11 | 8:05 PM | #18 Clarkson* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | W 4–1 | 746 | 9–9–0 |
| December 17 | 7:07 PM | at Colorado College* | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | AT&T RM | Kraws | W 5–2 | 3,528 | 10–9–0 |
| December 18 | 6:07 PM | at Colorado College* | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Kraws | L 2–4 | 3,531 | 10–10–0 |
| January 1 | 7:07 PM | #9 Cornell* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Brady | W 5–2 | 0 | 11–10–0 |
| January 2 | 7:07 PM | #9 Cornell* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Brady | W 3–2 | 900 | 12–10–0 |
| January 7 | 5:30 PM | at Boston University* | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | | Brady | L 1–7 | 2,539 | 12–11–0 |
| January 8 | 5:00 PM | at Boston University* | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN+ | Kraws | L 2–5 | 1,991 | 12–12–0 |
| January 11 | 5:00 PM | at #11 Northeastern* | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | | Kraws | W 6–2 | 0 | 13–12–0 |
| January 14 | 5:05 PM | at RIT* | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | | Kraws | W 2–1 | 1,523 | 14–12–0 |
| January 15 | 3:05 PM | at RIT* | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | | Kraws | W 5–1 | 2,308 | 15–12–0 |
| January 28 | 6:07 PM | at #1 Minnesota State* | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | CCMk–14 | Kraws | L 2–4 | 4,332 | 15–13–0 |
| January 29 | 5:07 PM | at #1 Minnesota State* | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | CCMk–14 | Kraws | L 3–5 | 4,902 | 15–14–0 |
| February 4 | 7:07 PM | Alaska* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | L 3–5 | 903 | 15–15–0 |
| February 5 | 7:07 PM | Alaska* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | L 3–4 | 903 | 15–16–0 |
| February 25 | 9:07 PM | at Alaska* | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Kraws | L 2–3 | 1,525 | 15–17–0 |
| February 26 | 9:07 PM | at Alaska* | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Kraws | T 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,302 | 15–17–1 |
| March 11 | 7:05 PM | Long Island* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | W 2–1 | 920 | 16–17–1 |
| March 12 | 4:05 PM | Long Island* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Kraws | W 5–2 | 920 | 17–17–1 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Mountain Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Colin Theisen | LW | 35 | 19 | 23 | 42 | 8 |
| Matthew Kopperud | F | 34 | 22 | 18 | 40 | 28 |
| Josh Doan | RW | 25 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 54 |
| Jack Becker | C | 35 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 12 |
| Tim Lovell | D | 34 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 28 |
| Tim Theocharidis | D | 35 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 39 |
| Christopher Grando | LW | 30 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 24 |
| Jack Jensen | LW | 32 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 38 |
| Sean Dhooghe | RW | 34 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 28 |
| Johnny Walker | RW | 23 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 18 |
| Michael Mancinelli | C | 30 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 6 |
| Ryan O'Reilly | C/RW | 31 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 4 |
| Demetrios Koumontzis | LW | 23 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 18 |
| Jack Judson | D | 31 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 18 |
| Ty Murchison | D | 35 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 76 |
| Benji Eckerle | F | 29 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| Jordan Sandhu | C | 26 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Ethan Szmagaj | D | 25 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 32 |
| Jacob Wilson | D | 31 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 66 |
| Jackson Niedermayer | LW | 19 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| William Knierim | RW | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Jacob Semik | D | 34 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Tanner Hickey | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bronson Moore | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Brady | G | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ben Kraws | G | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Total | | | 116 | 196 | 312 | 527 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Bronson Moore | 3 | 5:47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| Ben Kraws | 27 | 1434 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 71 | 689 | 0 | .907 | 2.97 |
| Cole Brady | 12 | 647 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 42 | 377 | 0 | .900 | 3.89 |
| Empty Net | - | 19 | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 35 | 2106 | 17 | 17 | 1 | 121 | 1070 | 0 | .898 | 3.45 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.