ASU Hockey: Sun Devils blown out by visiting Terriers

ASU hockey suffered its worst defeat of the season dropping the first game versus college hockey powerhouse Boston University 8-0 at Gila River Arena.

Arizona State failed to turn a hot start into a win Friday night against Boston University.

The Sun Devils (7-15-5) fell apart after nearly 18 minutes of solid play, leading to a forgettable 8-0 drubbing at the hands of the visiting Terriers (12-11-2).

After the game, Arizona State head coach Greg Powers said, “It was a weird game.”

Boston University clearly shocked the home team. Their three goals near the end of the first period seemed like a heavyweight fighter throwing haymakers.

The goals came in a span of 1:48, starting with Hank Crone’s second of the year at the 2:31 mark in the period.

After a goal by potential top 10 draft pick Brady Tkachuk, Colorado Avalanche prospect Shane Bowers scored to cap the late onslaught.

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Outside of the dominant two minutes, the Terriers benefitted from Bobo Carpenter’s three goals. The junior winger’s hat trick included the team’s first, fifth and eighth goals of the night.

With all of the talent from Boston University, the Sun Devils were the clear underdogs.

However, Arizona State looked ready to upset the hockey powerhouse until an interference penalty on leading goal scorer Johnny Walker halted their momentum.

Walker’s dangerous hit on Chad Krys left the defenseman struggling to get up, leading to a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.

In addition to losing Walker, the Sun Devils also saw Garcia leave the game in the second period.

The fiery winger picked up a game misconduct after getting tangled up with defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo late in the middle period. The incident led to a double minor for elbowing and unsportsmanlike conduct.

On the ensuing power play, Tkachuk scored his second goal of the night and his seventh of the season.

Later in a press conference, captain Dylan Hollman was asked about the game misconducts.

“I love to see that passion out of them, but obviously we can’t be putting our team down for that long against a team that’s got a power play as dangerous as theirs does.”

Even though the penalty kill unit allowed two goals on the night, it could have been much worse when the team combined for 33 minutes in the box.

Now the series heads from Glendale to Tempe, with Saturday night’s showdown taking place at the much smaller Oceanside Ice Arena at 7:05 p.m. MST.

The compact arena will provide a more raucous atmosphere, which is the home ice advantage coach Powers said the team misses when playing at Gila River Arena.

Next: ASU Hockey: Devils battle Boston University in final home series

Boston University head coach David Quinn acknowledged Oceanside’s effect, “That place is going to be rocking tomorrow night…it’s going to be a great atmosphere.”

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.