Two third period goals broke the game as No. 1 Ohio State completed the series sweep against ASU hockey, dropping the Sun Devils record to 2-2-0.
Arizona State lost to No. 1 Ohio State 3-0 Saturday night, dropping another hard-fought game to the nation’s best team.
The Sun Devils (2-2-0) and the Buckeyes (2-0-0) kept the game close, as Arizona State’s Joey Daccord and Ohio State’s Tommy Nappier were phenomenal through the first two periods.
“It was a great two-way goaltending battle,” ASU head coach Greg Powers said. “At the end of the day, it was really a one goal game obviously – a penalty shot and an empty net. They got a bounce and got an ugly one, and we didn’t. That’s the difference in the game”
Daccord finished the night with 32 saves on 34 shots, while Nappier stopped all 27 of the shots he saw.
The Buckeyes finally broke a scoreless tie with 1:04 left in the second period on a goal from Ronnie Hein.
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With very little time remaining in the middle period, Ohio State forward Tanner Laczynski found himself behind the net with the puck. The junior found Hein among a group of Sun Devil defenders and saw a backdoor opportunity.
The pass made it through a crowded group of Sun Devil defenders, finding Hein who managed to guide it in for a goal.
“They capitalized,” ASU forward Anthony Croston said. “They had a lot of chances and we had a lot of chances, but it came down to they capitalized and we didn’t.”
Considering the amount of skill on the ice, it seemed odd that either team took so long to score. However, that could be attributed to the plethora of penalties called throughout the night.
The two teams combined for 15 penalties, including seven in the first period. Constant halts in play and strong play from penalty kill units didn’t allow for either team to fall into a rhythm until the second period.
A clean second period led to a penalty-filled final frame. Early on in the period, Arizona State played almost four consecutive minutes on the penalty kill – 2:01 of which featured 5-on-3 hockey.
The Buckeyes still couldn’t manage to score until Jakob Stridsberg was called for a tripping on an Ohio State breakaway.
Mason Jobst stepped up and buried the penalty shot in the top left corner to put the Buckeyes up 2-0 with 13:26 left in the game.
Hein effectively ended the game with his second goal of the night. The shot on an empty net made it a 3-0 game with 20 seconds remaining.
Powers said the team was angry after the loss, claiming that they are too good now to walk away with moral victories like they have the past couple of years.
ASU sophomore forward Dominic Garcia echoed his coach’s statements while warning doubters.
“We knew this process wasn’t going to be overnight. For us to come play the No. 1 overall team like we did… I think anyone would be pretty ignorant to not see the strides we’ve made this quickly and where we’re headed,” Garcia said.
The Sun Devils will now prepare for the first road trip, traveling to play Alabama-Huntsville next Friday and Saturday. The Buckeyes also play next weekend, welcoming the University of Massachusetts for their home opener.
All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.