ASU hockey extended their losing streak to three games Friday night as they fell 4-2 to Boston University in the first game of a two-game series.
Arizona State extended their losing streak to three games following a 4-2 defeat in their Friday night road trip to Boston University.
The No. 17 Sun Devils (16-10-1) outshot the Terriers (10-9-3) 40-32, but the puck was not kind to the visitors in an evenly matched game.
“We for sure put two in on ourselves, and we kind of put three in – the second goal went off of Gourley’s skate and they got a bounce,” Arizona State head coach Greg Powers said. “So, we put more goals in on ourselves than we did on them. Against a really good team like BU, that’s never going to win you a game.”
The costly bounces derailed a potential quality win for the up-and-coming Sun Devils, as Boston came into the season with 12 players drafted into the NHL on their roster.
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Of those 12 Terriers, four of them were drafted in the first round. Freshman forward Joel Farabee, a 2018 first round pick, continued his recent hot streak.
Following ASU forward Anthony Croston’s early goal, Farabee tied the game at 1-1 midway through the first period. After Patrick Curry took the lead in the final minute of the first, Farabee netted Boston’s third goal – and the eventual game-winner – with 12:44 left in the second period.
Going into the series, all eyes were on the goaltending matchup between juniors Joey Daccord and Jake Oettinger. Oettinger came out on top, stopping 38 of 40 shots.
“He had a weird night,” Powers said. “There was just some sloppy bounces in front of him that really you can’t do anything about, but he made some nice saves.”
Daccord will look to bounce back from his 28-save performance, as he has not allowed more than three goals in consecutive games all season.
The standout goaltender has 2.20 goals against average and a .929 save percentage following games in which he conceded four or more goals.
Overall, the Sun Devils managed to keep the game competitive despite their poor showing.
“There’s not much we need to change adjustment-wise. There’s really not. We just need to score more goals than they do and make sure that the goals we do score aren’t in our net,” Powers said.
Senior defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk responded to the growing deficit quickly, cutting the Terriers’ lead to 3-2 with a goal almost two minutes after Farabee’s second.
However, junior defenseman Chad Krys restored the two-goal lead when he found the back of the net with just over seven minutes left in the middle period.
The Sun Devils failed to capitalize on two power plays – from an interference and a tripping call on Farabee, respectively – halfway through the third period.
Arizona State and Boston University will conclude their two-game series Saturday night in Boston. The puck will drop at 5 p.m. MT.
All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.