Mullet Magic struck again, but only to tie the game instead of win it. Even with momentum strongly on ASU’s side heading into the bonus period, the magic ran out before the Sun Devils could light the buzzer one last time.
With two minutes to go in regulation and No. 12 Arizona State down 4-3, head coach Greg Powers pulled senior goalie Luke Pavicich to put an extra attacker. The move proved to be the right one as graduate forward Artem Shlaine threw a perfect pass across the ice onto junior forward Bennett Schimek’s stick, and Schimek buried the puck into the net to tie the game with under a minute to go.
All signs pointed toward an ASU win, with the Sun Devils starting overtime on the power play and possessing the puck for the first four minutes of overtime, but all it took was a single chance for No. 6 Denver (20-6-1, 9-5-1 NCHC) to send ASU (16-10-1, 11-6) packing as junior forward Aidan Thompson went bar down on Pavicich to ice the game 5-4.
“They (Denver) were really good tonight,” Powers said. “They were fast, heavy on sticks, had relentless pressure all over the ice, and we didn’t manage much well enough to get the win. I loved our resiliency and the way we fought back from down 3-1 says a lot about our guys, and I know we’ll be a lot better tomorrow.”
The game’s momentum bounced like a pinball between the two teams, as the Sun Devils struck first before the Pioneers scored three unanswered goals to take a commanding 3-1 lead. When it seemed as if Denver would run away with it, ASU came back with two goals of its own to tie the game 3-3 before the third.
Denver passed the eye test as the better team on the ice with its speed and precision, but the Sun Devils answered the bell every time they were tested. They found immense success with establishing the zone and making a cross-ice pass, scoring twice on virtually the same play, starting with the puck on the right side of the crease, leaving the left side wide open for a Sun Devil to sneak underneath the defense.
Defensive turnovers killed ASU, resulting in three of Denver’s five goals. Two goals came on the breakaway, and the third was the outcome of a bad pass in ASU’s zone. When the Sun Devils swept Denver up north back in November, those mistakes were absent as Arizona State was on its A-game and played with a sense of urgency that wasn’t present tonight.
“They were just hungrier,” Powers added. “They weren’t going to take us lightly tonight, but it was a good hockey game. We didn’t manage pucks well enough in front of Pav and made a couple of turnovers you can’t make against a team that good. They’re going to make you pay every now and then.”
Coming into tonight’s matchup, Denver was the best power play unit in the country (32.9%), with ASU on its heels in second place (29.6%). The first period started off rough for the Sun Devils, committing three penalties in the first 11 minutes of the game, and at one point, Denver had a 5-on-3. Face-to-face with the best team with a man advantage, ASU killed all three power plays while scoring a power play goal of their own less than two minutes into the game. Even with that momentum, the Pioneers scored on a breakaway seconds after the third penalty kill to knot the game up 1-1.
“We did a great job killing that 5-on-3 early in the game,” Powers noted. “But we allowed their power play to get some momentum. You can’t give them chances even though we killed the penalties because they put us on our heels and gassed our guys a bit.”
ASU is 1-4-1 in overtime this season and has struggled to close games throughout the season. The loss, along with No. 4 Western Michigan beating St. Cloud State 4-0, the Mustangs take sole lead of the NCHC with 37 points. ASU is right behind them at 35 points, and Omaha is on Arizona State’s heels with 34 points after picking up a win over Minnesota Duluth. The race for the conference title is only getting tighter, and tomorrow night is even more of a crucial game for the Sun Devils with the loss tonight.
It’s hard to replicate the performance the Sun Devils displayed up at Denver, but one might argue that’s what it takes to beat the Pioneers. ASU seemed to be a step behind on nearly every play, as the Pioneer won a majority of the 50/50 pucks with their extra effort. There’s no doubt the Sun Devils will play with some urgency tomorrow night, and mistakes will need to be much lower.
“I think they’re the best team we’ve played all year,” Powers voiced. “I think we already knew that coming, and they’re fighting for conference standings just like we are. We knew they’d be good and really hungry after we went up there and got two from them on the road. It would have been really easy to throw in the towel against a team that good, and we didn’t. I’m excited to see how we’ll respond tomorrow.”
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