ASU D2 Hockey: Elite team returns to home ice with shutout over Utah

(Photo:Alexis Ramanjulu/WCSN)

ASU Elite’s return to Oceanside Arena Thursday night ended in a 6-0 shutout against Western region foe Utah.

A strong effort from many players keyed the ASU win that was a blowout by the time the second period ended.

The game started off uncharacteristically low-scoring for both sides, as ASU led just 2-0 at the conclusion of the first period. The Sun Devils received two goals from Jason Kuta, which allowed him to take over the team lead from Ryan McNeely. However, Utes goalie Chris Komma made some fantastic saves to prevent the Sun Devils lead from increasing.

The shot comparison between the two teams was one-sided, as the Sun Devils outshot the Utes 18-1. This strong defensive play gave ASU goalie Ryan Seltenreich a shutout through the first period.

There was no shortage of physical play from both sides, but it resulted in only one penalty: a slashing call on Justin Butler with 1:03 remaining in the period.

The second period of play was not much different than the first. The Sun Devils were able to extend their lead to 4-0, on goals by Austin Ehrlich and Jayce Davis.

Utah had a lot more chances than they had in the first period, putting seven shots on goal to the Sun Devils 12, but the Utes came up empty every time. Seltenreich made some nice saves throughout the period to keep the shutout intact.

A strong point for the Sun Devils was on the power play, as they scored on both of their chances in the period. The power play unit has been a strong point all season long for ASU, as the two goals in the game put them at 33 power play goals on the season.

The game continued its continuity in the third period due to a pair of Sun Devil goals. Ehrlich notched his second goal of the game while Brady Morgan added a late goal of his own. Morgan, the team leader in points, also contributed with two assists. McNeely assisted on two ASU goals as well, giving him 18 on the season.

Liam Pues, Steven Casaceli and Morgan all committed two minute minor penalties in the period, which put ASU at eight penalty minutes for the game.

Seltenreich, who got the start over Alex Taylor, finished with his second shutout of the season to complete the strong all-around effort from the home team.

Next up for the Sun Devils is game two of the two-game series against Utah on Sunday.

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Jacob Janower

Jacob Janower is a junior sports journalism student at Arizona State. You can follow him on Twitter @JanowerJacob or contact him by email jjanower@gmail.com

Recent Posts

Sun Devils have all around performance in 93-89 win over Cal Poly

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN) TEMPE-Arizona State men's basketball entered this game shorthanded. With junior guard Austin…

22 hours ago

Sun Devils score 90, avoid scare in win over Cal Poly

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN) TEMPE — Entering Wednesday night’s matchup against Cal Poly, Arizona State basketball…

23 hours ago

No. 9 Sun Devils one winning weekend away from Big 12 Champions

(Photo: Aubrie McMillan/WCSN) Arizona State Volleyball is coming off a successful road trip to West…

1 day ago

Sun Devil Swim and Dive Gears Up for East Coast Showdown at GAC Invitational

(Photo: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics) Arizona State is back in action in Greensboro, North Carolina,…

1 day ago

Gold team prevails MGWS game one 3-1 win over Maroon

(Photo: Austin Hurst/WCSN) The Gold team’s spirtis were as high as the gold sun in…

2 days ago

Possible Big 12 scenarios as Sun Devils place No. 21 in Week 12 CFP Rankings

(Photo: Spencer Barnes/WCSN)  TEMPE — Yes, you read that headline correctly. The Arizona State football…

2 days ago