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ASU Hockey: Sun Devils win in shootout to tie UNO

ByEthan Schmidt|
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil stands on the court during a first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 11, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. USC won 67-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil stands on the court during a first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 11, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. USC won 67-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

ASU hockey pulled out a 5-4 shootout victory over the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. The game counted as a tie due to NCAA rules.

Arizona State (1-4-1) scored with 38 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime. Freshman defenseman Max Balinson was the hero for the Sun Devils scoring his first-ever collegiate goal.

“Getting a win under our belts after a couple-game losing streak is huge,” Balinson said. “I’m honored to get that opportunity to put the puck in the net and it worked out well for me.”

The Sun Devils ended a four-game losing skid dating back to Oct. 7 when they lost their first game of the season. Saturday night’s overtime game against Omaha will count as a tie for ASU, but the team is headed back to Arizona with a winning feeling.

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“We are treating this like a win,” ASU head coach Greg Powers said. “It goes down as a tie in the official books, but it’s a happy room right now and it’s an effort we are going to build off.”

Arizona State rallied from three different deficits Saturday night against Omaha (2-1-1). The Sun Devils were down 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 at moments throughout the contest.

“It’s huge. It’s a big turning point in our season,” Powers said. “We fought back and the guys fought through it.”

The game was officially counted as a tie after the two teams finished the first overtime period.

Neither team scored in the winnable first five-minute OT period that consisted of five-on-five hockey.

A second five-minute OT period was played and it consisted of three-on-three hockey. Both teams were unable to end the tie at that point.

Then came a shootout. ASU’s Jack Rowe buried the game-ending shootout goal to finish the everlasting battle.

Daccord stood on his head and made some big saves between the pipes for the Sun Devils. He finished with 46 saves after the Mavericks peppered him with 50 shots.

“Joey stood tall,” Powers said. “That’s how he needs to compete every night. And he did it tonight.”

The Sun Devils will go on the road for the third straight weekend to take on the Colgate Raiders. Puck drop is at 4 p.m. PST on Friday, and 1 p.m. PST on Saturday.