While the Super Bowl enthralled football fans on Sunday, Feb. 11, the San Diego State University men’s ice hockey team produced its own Super Bowl of Hockey on Friday, Feb. 9, and Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Kroc Center Ice Arena.
The Aztecs swept the season-ending series against the University of Oregon Ducks by shutout margins of 7-0 and 3-0 to end their second ACHA Division 1 season with a three-game winning streak, their second of what proved to be a much improved 8-14-1 campaign.
“It was an up-and-down season, but we ended it with a blast,” SDSU freshman Sean Devaney said.
“We’ve been jelled for a while, great relationships,” fellow Aztec freshman Braden Mayer added. “It’s just finally showing out there on the ice.”
Devaney (Otay Ranch High School) and Braden Mayer (Eastlake High School) are part of SDSU’s San Diego County connection. Both had goals over the weekend.
But the shining star proved to be SDSU freshman goaltender Garrett Fuller, who celebrated Super Bowl weekend by leading his team to the pair of shutout wins over Oregon before packed audiences. Fuller recorded a 37-save shutout on Friday and topped that with a sensational 40-save shutout on Saturday.
It was the first time in his career, junior hockey included, that he had posted back-to-back shutouts. His parents were visiting from Canada to take in the history-making event.
The Aztecs closed out their second ACHA Division 1 season on a roll to build on a nascent 1-20-1 finish last year.
The SDSU locker room was roaring with cheers after Saturday’s game — and series sweep against the Ducks.
“It was crazy,” Fuller said. “Kind of everything went on in the games. We had fun. It was close in the second game. It was a great way to end the season.”
It was a total team effort, however. Fourteen players — count them all — registered either a goal or assist in the series opener, including seven different goal-scorers. Seven players combined for points in the series rematch.
Brandon Grant, recovered from an early season injury, provided the impetus for the weekend sweep with one goal and three assists for four points in the two games. Returner Luke Desmarsais (one goal, three assists) matched Grant with four points in the series.
Newcomer Cameron Ferraz, the team’s season scoring leader, tacked on three points (one goal, two assists) while returner Lucas Bellig netted three points on three assists. Fellow newcomer Mason Brown led the group with two goals.
Returners Marcus Kim and Cam Henderson both collected one goal and one assist as did Kolby Hennessy
Mayer, another key newcomer, contributed one goal and one assist as did Devaney.
Returners Gavin O’Bryan, Nolan Conrad and Sean Yeo each had one assist. Patrick Fast also had one assist.
The Aztecs took control of the series opener with two goals in the opening seven minutes and led 4-0 at the end of the opening period. SDSU took a 5-0 lead on a shorthanded goal in the second period and closed out the game with two goals in the third period.
Grant, Desmarais, Ferraz, Devaney, Henderson, Hennessy and Brown each scored goals while Ferraz and Bellig each recorded two assists.
The game was free-wheeling, full of bumps and bruising checks and downright exciting. SDSU fans lapped up the one-sided victory.
The rematch proved to be another game entirely. The first period was scoreless. The hosts took a narrow 1-0 lead with the only goal in the second period, scored by Kim. Mayer doubled the margin early in the third period and Brown scored on a deflection off the goaltender with 8:55 to play in regulation to stake the Aztecs to a 3-0 lead.
SDSU began to play defensively, pulling its forwards back, the final four minutes in the game to help preserve the shutout win — the team’s first back-to-back shutout performance in Division 1 history.
It was nerve-racking as the final two minutes ticked down, and then the final seconds.
“We knew they were going to play harder the second game,” Fuller said. “You lose 7-0 and you have to make changes. But we made changes, too.”
All the pieces seem in place for a successful start to next season.
This year’s roster featured 30 players. No Aztecs are slated to graduate, with the potential for all players to return.
“With this transition from the first season to this season and to next season to set a solid foundation on what’s coming in the future as the program continues to build, the guys who wore sweaters this season constituted the most important group to ever represent San Diego State,” Aztec head coach Phil Bateman said in closing.
Bateman and staff ran their eight-year record with the program (seven active, plus the inactive COVID season) to 111-66-3.
Bateman took over the program to start the 2015-16 season.
SDSU SCORING LEADERS
•Cameron Ferraz 6 goals, 13 assists – 19 points
•Mason Brown 9 goals, 6 assists – 15 points
•Marcus Kim 6 goals, 9 assists – 15 points
•Braden Mayer 5 goals, 10 assists – 15 points
•Lucas Bellig 2 goals, 11 assists – 13 points
