Sun Devils survive overtime thriller against Ohio State

A busy sports schedule in Tempe, Sun Devil Hockey took the middle slot on this Black Friday schedule, hosting the Ohio State Buckeyes for the first time since October 13, 2018.

Connor Hasley got his second consecutive start between the pipes as head coach Greg Powers looked for a spark to get his team on the right track. Ohio State pulled out to the early advantage on Scottsdale native Davis Burnside's 4th goal of the season (unassisted) at the 5:00 mark of the game.

Nearly 10 minutes later while on the power play for a hooking penalty on James Hong, Cullen Potter extended his point streak to 6 consecutive games, netting his 4th goal of the season on assists by Bennett Schimek and Cruz Lucius to tie it up at 14:19. The power play goal marked the 5th straight game where the Sun Devils have converted at least one power play opportunity, showing signs of turning the corner on special teams after a slow start to the season.

The Buckeyes held the slight edge in metrics in the 1st period, outshooting the Devils 12-10 but giving up the face-off dot to the Sun Devils by a 9-6 margin. The 2nd period saw the Devils attempt to swing the momentum in their favor, getting two power play chances but unable to convert either one. Davis Burnside struck once again for the Buckeyes with another unassisted goal just over halfway through the period, giving Ohio State a 2-1 lead that they would hold until the intermission break.

After disciplined hockey through the first 40 minutes in which the Sun Devils did not take any penalties, Potter and Austin Zemlak got called for back-to-back penalties but the penalty kill and Hasley did not yield any ground, keeping the margin to a single goal.

At the 12:57 mark, former Buckeye Noah Powell took the puck down the right wing side and took his chance on a sharp angle shot just above the goal line. That shot found a sliver of space between goaltender Kristoffer Eberly and the pipe, tying the game up and proving that good things happen when the puck gets thrown on net. Brasen Boser was credited with the primary assist, while Connor Hasley got the rare goalie assist for his first career point.

For the second straight game, the Sun Devils found themselves in overtime. Cruz Lucius called game at the 1:13 mark, taking the pass from Bennett Schimek on a 2-on-0 breakaway and beating Eberly on the glove side to seal the win. Cullen Potter was awarded the secondary assist on the game-winner.

Cullen Potter's two point night (1 G-1 A) earned him first star of the game honors, Connor Hasley's 30 saves got him second star, and Noah Powell's tying goal the third star of the game.

The Sun Devils will be going for the sweep tonight from Mullett Arena at 5pm. Tonight's game will be broadcast in the Phoenix market on Fox 10 Xtra and streaming nationally on NCHC.tv (subscription required). Tyler Paley and Alex Coil will have the radio call on Fox Sports 910 Phoenix.