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ASU Hockey: Joey Daccord holding his own in net

By Nicholas Frias

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Oregon Ducks T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Oregon won 80-57. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Oregon Ducks T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Oregon won 80-57. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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ASU hockey goaltender Joey Daccord has been the glue for the Sun Devils keeping Arizona State in every game despite the onslaught of shots he faces.

Joey Daccord protected his net back-to-back nights against the nation’s No. 1 team, and although the Sun Devils were unable to pull off the upset either night, Daccord held his own for 120 minutes at Oceanside Ice Arena.

The Sun Devil netminder posted a .922 save percentage as he faced 64 shots, stopping 59 of them.  Two of the five goals scored on Daccord came while Ohio State was on the power play, a power play that had the 10th-most power play goals in the NCAA a season ago.

The Buckeyes’ power play showed why it is considered among the best in college hockey Friday, but the Sun Devils’ penalty kill held its own on Saturday, holding Ohio State scoreless in each of their six power plays in game two.

Although he let two power play goals get by him, Daccord also stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced while down a man. The other goals he allowed came during a broken play, a penalty shot and a well-played offensive possession.

“I didn’t feel like there was a whole lot more I could do on those plays,” Daccord said of the goals he allowed, “but obviously you never like getting scored on and I wish I could have had those.”

Daccord was the Ottawa Senators’ seventh round pick in 2015, making him the first player to only play with the pitchfork on his chest to be drafted by an NHL team. Now in his third season with Arizona State, Daccord has made his teammates’ lives easier.

“It’s always nice having him behind you, knowing that he’s always going to make the first stop,” sophomore defenseman Jacob Wilson said. “It’s our job to make sure they don’t get any second chances.”

Co-captain Brinson Pasichnuk also described the feeling of having Daccord in net.

“I can’t explain how nice it is to have one of the best goaltenders in the league behind me to save my butt when I mess up.”

Wilson, Pasichnuk and others have done their fair share of work in limiting second chances. They have also done a good job of not “messing up” and preventing first chances.

In the weekend series with Ohio State, Sun Devil players blocked 24 shots in front of their goalie, three more than the 21 they blocked against Alaska-Fairbanks.

Next. ASU Hockey: Sun Devils let close game slip away in 3-0 loss to Ohio State. dark

With the help in front of him from his skaters, Daccord looks to prove to the Senators that he is not only one of the best at the collegiate level, but also that he has what it takes to compete on hockey’s biggest stage, the NHL.

If the series against Ohio State is any indication, Daccord will be just fine.

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