ASU Hockey: Sun Devils falls to 2-7-2 after 4-2 loss to Penn State

After losing 7-0 in the first game of the series, ASU hockey put forward a better effort against Penn State, but the Sun Devils fell short 4-2.

ASU hockey hosted the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second game of their two game hockey series Saturday after Penn State came out of the first meeting with an easy 7-0 win.

The Sun Devils (2-7-2) improved greatly on an abysmal performance Friday night against the Nittany Lions (7-7).

Yet again, the game fell on the shoulders of Joey Daccord. The sophomore netminder saved 45 shots, and allowed 3 goals to a talented Penn State team.

After the game, Arizona State head coach Greg Powers said, “He made four or five ridiculous saves to give us a chance to win, and he almost pulled it off.” Powers couldn’t have put it any better, as Daccord was churning out highlight reel saves after Penn State’s second goal in the first period.

Daccord finishes the series with a total of 87 saves in just two games; however, the weekend long effort was not enough to earn him a win because of the high volume of shots he faced.

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The myriad of opportunities came from an excellent counterattack from Penn State. When talking about Penn State’s transition game, Powers said, “They are as good in transition as anybody in the country — maybe the best I’ve seen ever in three years at this level.”

The Sun Devils got a good taste of how lethal their opponents can be in transition, as the Nittany Lions found themselves in countless 2-on-1 opportunities. Penn State used the numbers advantage to take a lot of high percentage shots, which helped them score four goals against solid goaltending.

The Nittany Lions were able to attack in transition because of Arizona State’s poor passing. Coach Powers expressed his frustration, “Passing is just elementary stuff…I can’t tell you why our guys aren’t executing simple 15-foot passes.”

While most of the team played a sloppy game at times, the second line showed a lot of chemistry. Brett Gruber centered the line with Dominic Garcia and Johnny Walker on the wings.

The second liners’ effort throughout the game didn’t go unnoticed by coach Powers, who singled out freshman winger Dominic Garcia, “They were our best line. Dom just…any line that kid’s on is [going to] give them instant energy and positivity. He’s a future captain of this franchise.”

Saturday’s game was a special night for the hard-working Garcia, as he recorded his first collegiate point on an assist to Johnny Walker for the game’s first goal.

The second goal for Arizona State came from center Tyler Busch. Penn State’s Brandon Biro, Chase Berger, and Derian Hamilton fired the puck past Daccord. In addition, Brett Murray found twine for Penn State on a late empty net goal.

Next: ASU Hockey: Sun Devils outshot, outplayed by Penn State

The Sun Devils return to action next week with games against Holy Cross (5-2-5) on Friday and Saturday night.