The Arizona State men’s hockey team poses with the Adirondack Invitational trophy following the championship game at the Olympic Center’s 1980 Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid on Dec. 30, 2023. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)

LAKE PLACID — The Arizona State men’s hockey team has proved time and time again that a team from the desert can compete with just about anybody in college hockey, and this weekend was no exception.

Playing at the Olympic Center’s Herb Brooks Arena, the Sun Devils captured the first-ever Adirondack Winter Invitational tournament title on Dec. 30, 2023 with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Cornell Big Red.

Arizona State’s goaltender TJ Semptimphelter, a junior, faced constant pressure all night and came up big for the Sun Devils, stopping all three of Cornell’s shoot-out attempts to seal the title win.

“I’d rather bet on myself than anyone else,” he said.

ASU’s Kyle Smolen netted the only goal of the shootout. The Freshman made a shifty move past Cornell’s goalkeeper Ian Shane, before burying the puck over in the top right corner.

“(He) had amazing confidence and poise to make that move in the shootout,” Semptimphelter said.

ASU, which traveled more than 2,000 miles to get to Lake Placid, improved to 14-3-5 overall — they currently rank 13th in the country, according to U.S. College Hockey Online’s Division I poll. The Sun Devils won its first contest of the tournament with a 5-2 victory over the Clarkson Golden Knights. ASU scored five unanswered goals to top the Golden Knights.

The Sun Devils, which also shares an arena with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, are currently an independent college hockey team, which means the Sun Devils can only receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Most NCAA DI hockey teams can qualify by both an at-large and/or a conference championship.

“You never know how many trophies you’ll get to compete for as an independent,” Semptimphelter said. “Getting this one under our belt is huge. I’m sure it’s going to help us get some momentum going into our tournament back at home next weekend.”

Playing in the title game on Dec. 30, Cornell took a 2-0 lead early in the second on power-play goals from Gabriel Seger in the first period and George Fegaras in the second.

However, ASU responded 18 seconds later when Jackson Neidermayer connected on a pass from Tim Lovell to make the game 2-1 heading into the third period.

“After that, it felt like we were rolling,” Semptimphelter said.

Trailing by a goal, the Sun Devils’ Matthew Kopperud evened the contest less than one minute into the third period and ultimately sent the game to overtime when he scored off a rebound in front of the Cornell net.

ASU nearly won the game in the third period when the Big Red’s goalkeeper, Ian Shane, made a massive stick save on the Sun Devils’ Anthony Dowd.

Cornell controlled most of the play in the third period and overtime, outshooting ASU 13-9 during that stretch, but were unable to find the back of the net. The Big Red finished the game with a 27-20 shot differential.

“I think it’s important, too, as a goalie, just making saves in winning time,” Semptimphelter said. “That’s when your team counts on you to kind of bail them out and to get pucks going forward. I thought our guys worked really hard and I’m proud of our effort.”

Cornell fell to 6-4-3 with the loss. It was the second time this tournament that the team finished a game in a shootout. The Big Red beat UMass-Amherst 3-2 in a shootout on Dec. 29.

“Give them credit; Cornell is a really good team. There is a reason that they have some of the wins that they do against BU and some other really good teams,” Semptimphelter said. “They’re going continue to be a really good opponent for us.”

The two squads are slated to play again on Jan. 12 and 13 in Arizona.

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Consolation match

Clarkson 5, UMass 4 OT

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After dropping its first game of the Adirondack Invitational, the Clarkson Golden Knights responded in a big way in the tournament’s consolation match when Ryan Taylor scored in overtime to lift his team past the UMass Minutemen 5-4 on Dec. 30.

Taylor came flying off the bench and immediately stole the puck in the Clarkson defensive before skating the length of the ice on a 2-on-1 breakaway.

“I was looking to pass the whole way,” Taylor said, “but when I crossed the blue line the puck bobbled on me and I was like, ‘Oh I’ve got to shoot.'”

Taylor’s first shot was stopped by Massachusetts’ goalie Cole Brady, but the sophomore collected his own rebound and rifled the puck into the back of the net.

While the Clarkson players celebrated, multiple Minutemen players argued with the referees which put a halt on the celebration.

“Initially, all of UMass was running to the ref, so I didn’t think it went,” Taylor said. “I thought I went post, post and post.”

While it was unclear to even Taylor what the Massachusetts bench was attempting to challenge, the call on the ice stood as a goal, giving the Golden Knights the win.

The win improved Clarkson’s overall record to 9-6-1. It was the team’s first win this season over a nationally ranked opponent.

“We know we’re a really good team, and we’ve kind of been waiting for a game to show it,” Clarkson’s assistant captain Kaelan Taylor said. “(On Dec. 29), we kind of let off the gas a little bit, and (on Dec. 30), we responded really well, especially against a team like that.”

For Kaelan Taylor, the win was extra special as most of his father’s side of the family grew up in Bloomingdale — his grandfather was Joseph Taylor. Kalean said he had around 15 family members in attendance.

“Little cousins, aunts, and uncles showed up,” Kaelan Taylor said. “Pretty much every game I go to they all show up. The Munn’s and Taylor’s are always there.”

Massachusetts built a 3-1 lead in the second period before Clarkson responded with two goals of their own. The Golden Knights’ Matthieu Gosselin scored off a rebound before Ayrton Martino evened the game with a powerplay goal on the breakaway.

“We were playing well, and luckily, our power-play came up with a huge goal,” Ryan Taylor said. “Our top guys, got the job done. It was great to be able to bounce back.”

While tied 3-3, Clarkson took its first lead of the contest while shorthanded when Anthony Romano stole the puck in the neutral zone and sent a backhand shot over Brady’s left shoulder. The Minutemen responded with Linden Alger scoring a few minutes later on a shot from the point, which essentially sent the game to overtime.

In the three-on-three overtime, UMass’ Ryan Ufko almost sent Clarkson packing when his shot bounced off the crossbar. However, Ryan Taylor scored the game-winning goal a few seconds later.

“It was great to bounce back and get a big win over a ranked opponent,” Ryan Taylor said.

Massachusetts, which was ranked 11th in the country heading into the tournament, fell to 11-5-2 overall with the loss. It was the team’s first win this season over a nationally ranked opponent.

The Minutemen got off to a hot start on Dec. 30 when Michael Cameron scored off a rebound toward the left side of the net.

Clarkson evened the game at 1-1 when Ryan Taylor connected on a one-timer from Ellis Rickwood in the first period. Ryan Richardson was also credited with an assist.

“Rickwood made a great play to me, and I had the whole net, and I barely put it in,” Ryan Taylor said. “It went far post and in.”

Massachusetts scored back-to-back goals in the second period, with Kenny Connors connecting on a one-timer from Taylor Makar, and Cole O’Hara netted a power play goal. Clarkson’s goalie Austin Roden recorded 19 saves in the win and UMass’ Brady had 23 stops.