ASU D2 hockey: Elite team advances to 7-1 after sweeping Aggies

(Photo:Alexis Ramanjulu/WCSN)

The efforts by each team’s goalie led to a close match, as Arizona State was able to sweep the two-game series against Utah State with a 4-1 victory Saturday night.

The game saw a slow start but as the Sun Devils gained momentum throughout the game with their offense managing to put pressure on the Aggies and earn their seventh win of the season, putting them at 7-1 overall.

The Aggies played with much more intensity then they had in last night’s game, and it lasted from the start of the game, up until the end. Keegan Mchenry started as Utah State’s goaltender during last night’s matchup, but after Austin Willenborg finished the game with no goals allowed his coaches deemed him as the best goalie to face ASU.

As for Arizona State, Alex Taylor found himself in the goaltender position after a successful, but slow, night in the net during the first game of the series. Taylor saw more shots on goal from the Aggies in tonight’s victory, allowing him to show just how skilled he is when faced with a more challenging situation.

ASU walked away from its win with 39 shots on goal, while Utah trailed with 26.

For a Sun Devil team that tends to score most of its goals within the first period, going into the second with no score made for a much tighter game. The second period saw both teams come out aggressive, as each team managed to place the puck in the net.

With 13:21 remaining in the period, ASU put its first goal on the board with the help of Jason Kuta. The Sun Devils had the opportunity for a second goal shortly after, but a shot deflected behind the net, and open puck with no white shirts available to capitalize, led to wasted opportunities.

At 13:25 Jayce Davis gave Arizona State its second goal, but the Aggies managed to cut its deficit in half while taking advantage of its power play opportunity. Within the final minute of the second, Chris Videto put up the Aggies only goal while LeClair, ASU’s leader in penalty minutes this season, left Utah with a one-man advantage.

Power play opportunities arose numerous times throughout the night for each team, but they both managed to do a great job killing the play.

The third period is when the Sun Devils would find themselves increasing its lead. With goals from Brady Morgan and Steven Casaceli, Arizona State gave itself a 4-1 lead with plenty of time remaining in the third.

Towards the end of the game three Sun Devils landed themselves in the penalty box, giving Utah State the five-on-three advantage, but a great defensive effort by Arizona State didn’t allow a single goal to the losing team in the last period.

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