Arizona State slips to last place after demoralizing loss to Omaha

364 days ago, Arizona State pulled off an improbable 5-3 upset win at home over NCHC-leading Western Michigan

Tonight, the Sun Devils made unfortunate history with their 6th consecutive loss, losing 4-2 to the Omaha Mavericks and setting a program record for the longest losing streak in a full Division 1 season.

Thankfully, the record of 13 straight losses from the inaugural 2015-16 season will not be equaled this season, but in a game where conference points were critical, the team fell flat. However, you must look to the top when evaluating a team's performance, and tonight's postgame comments paint an uncomfortable picture.

Holding players accountable for in game execution is wholly acceptable, until it starts to become a pattern. Players only execute as well as they are coached, and for the 4th consecutive weekend, the question turns to how they are being coached to deliver that expectation.

It's not all doom and gloom, as there was a bright spot in Friday's game. Cruz Lucius returned to the scoresheet for the first time since January 30th against Colorado College, scoring two goals. Bennett Schimek ended his scoring drought with assists on both goals, as both players reached the 40 point mark on the season.

Let's peel back the onion on the totality of Friday's 4-2 loss. It didn't come at the expense of the goaltending, which saw Connor Hasley put up his 11th game of 30+ saves this season. It came at the expense of the special teams, which saw the Sun Devils yield two goals while on the penalty kill, while going 0-for-4 on the night, extending their failure streak to 16 consecutive power play attempts. It came at the expense of forechecking, something that the Devils were never able to establish. It came at the expense of simple things like defensive zone breakouts, where long cross-ice passes could be easily broken up and never given the ability to press any attack.

The hard truth of the night is that Arizona State sits alone in last place in the NCHC standings, a place where they have never been. The slim window to the NCHC tournament just got a lot thinner, a challenge compounded by St. Cloud State winning in a shootout at North Dakota and Colorado College gaining a point in a shootout loss to Western Michigan. With three games left in the season, the time for deflection is over. Full accountability and reflection must come, not just for the rest of this season but for next season and beyond.

Saturday marks the final home game of the season for Sun Devil hockey, and will kick off with honoring this year's seniors: Connor Hasley, Cruz Lucius, Tucker Ness, and Bennett Schimek. If you have tickets, don't miss out on the opportunity to send our seniors off one final time. If you cannot be in attendance, the game will stream nationally on NCHC.tv (subscription required), and will also air in the Phoenix market on Fox 10 Xtra. For those who prefer the radio feed, tune in to Tyler Paley and Alex Coil on Fox Sports 910 Phoenix, available on the iHeartRadio app.