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ASU Hockey: Sun Devils win first road game of the year against Holy Cross

By Michael Gutnick

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) /
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ASU hockey wins their first road game of the season defeating Holy Cross 3-1 behind goals from Johnny Walker, David Norris and Tyler Busch.

After a day of Thanksgiving, ASU hockey (3-8-2) settled down and secured their first win on the road this season against an undefeated Holy Cross (5-4-5) team at the Hart Center.

The Sun Devils killed off early power play opportunities for the Crusaders after captain Dylan Hollman was called for interference and followed freshman Johnny Walker’s tripping infraction.

Late in the first period, defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk received two minutes for boarding. ASU was able to keep Holy Cross off the scoreboard after one period. Head Coach Greg Powers spoke about the strong special teams performance in the contest.

“We played our game. Our guys settled in. Our penalty kill was good. It’s a good win against an experienced team,” Powers said.

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After Holy Cross defended Arizona State’s first man-advantage in the second period, the Crusaders charged with momentum and Spencer Trapp netted his first goal of the season to give the home team 1-0 lead. The goal came assisted by two of Holy Cross’s top scorers, Scott Pooley, who leads the team in points, and Brett Mulcahy, who has 2 game-winning goals this year.

At the 11:52 mark, Louie Rowe made contact with head of a Holy Cross skater received a 10-minute major for the harmful hit. Rowe’s teammates had his back and successfully managed to keep the puck out of the net for the full five minutes of power play time. The Sun Devils penalty kill came up huge throughout the team’s win as they kept the Crusaders scoreless with the extra attacker with a perfect 5-for-5.

The Sun Devils responded late in the second as a shot from Jacob Wilson from the point redirected through the goaltender’s pads by Johnny Walker for his second goal as the Sun Devils tied the score at 1. Walker gave his thoughts on the nice setup and capitalizing in the offensive zone.

“Puck was bouncing the puck all around tonight. It ended up on Wilson’s stick and I tipped it home,” Walker replied.

After 40 minutes of play, the game stood knotted at 1. But it did not stay that way for long. The Sun Devils quickly added 2 tallies to their total, giving them a 3-1 edge.

The first goal came by sophomore Tyler Busch giving his his fourth on the year. 1:56 seconds later, David Norris buried one.

The line of Busch, Norris, and Lappin came up big in the final period of play. They combined for two goals, two assists, and 10 shots on goal. Busch discussed his successful scoring production.

“I think we felt we had a strong, simple game. We used our size, speed, and strength to score some big goals, Busch said. “We simplified our game and got to the dirty areas and got the job done in the win.”

Stalwart goaltender Joey Daccord made another spectacular start in goal after making some huge stops on Holy Cross’s rushes. Daccord denied 30 of 31 shots on goal and made some terrific diving stops in some big breakout opportunities for Holy Cross.

Next: ASU Hockey: Young Sun Devils face off against experienced Holy Cross

The Sun Devils seek their first sweep of the season against the Crusaders Saturday night at 5:05 p.m. MT.