The Dordt Defenders made a statement in their first-ever meeting with Arizona State, rolling to a 7-1 victory over the Sun Devils in Tempe. The Defenders outshot ASU 53-24, went 2-for-5 on the power play, and never trailed, improving their record to 4-1 on the young season.
Box Score
Dordt wasted no time putting the Sun Devils on their heels. Just 33 seconds into the game,
Rylan Veenstra (7th goal) got the Defenders on the board, assisted by
Max Raiche, setting the tone for what would be a long night for Arizona State.
The Sun Devils answered quickly, as
Preston Waage — playing for ASU — scored at 1:50, assisted by Veenstra and
Christopher Janssen, briefly making it a 1-1 game.
But Dordt's depth proved valuable. At 14:27,
Levi Loken (2nd goal) restored the Defenders' lead with a tally assisted by
Mason Carrels and
Tyler Welsh, sending Dordt to the first intermission up 3-1. The Defenders outshot Arizona State 24-10 in the opening frame.
Max Raiche (3rd goal) extended the lead to 4-1 at 8:40, set up by
Levi Loken and
Zach Espenson. Then, on the power play at 15:06,
Tyler Welsh (2nd goal) made it 5-1, with Loken and
Reuben Horneman picking up the assists.
Dordt outshot ASU 12-5 in the second and held a commanding 5-1 lead heading to the third.
The third period saw both teams exchange goals in a chippy, penalty-filled final frame.
Tegan Doelman (2nd goal) opened the scoring at 7:18, assisted by Veenstra and Raiche, pushing the lead to 6-1.
ASU's Cole Allison (9th goal of the season) got one back at 8:07 off a Joseph Rosenberg assist, but it was too little, too late.
Veenstra put the exclamation point on the night with a power-play goal at 16:54 — his second of the game — assisted by Welsh and Loken, sealing the 7-1 final.
By the Numbers
Dordt Leaders
Rylan Veenstra | 2 goals | 2 assists
Levi Loken | 1 goal | 3 assists
Max Raiche | 1 goal | 2 assists
Tyler Welsh | 1 goal 2 assists
Shots: Dordt 53 — Arizona State 24
Power Play: Dordt 2/5 — Arizona State 0/3
Penalty Minutes: Dordt 33 min — Arizona State 64 min
Goaltenders:
Riley Burnett (W) | Kai Rivas (L)
The two teams will play again on Saturday, October 3.
