(Photo: Kylee Meter/WCSN)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Arizona State freshman Johnny Walker continued his three-game goal streak with two goals against No. 13 Michigan, but it wasn’t enough to lead his team to a win here on Friday night.
The Sun Devils fell 5-3 at Yost Ice Arena in the first game of their series against the Wolverines. However, the constant pushback from ASU almost earned them a win against Michigan, who defeated then-No. 1 Notre Dame last week.
“I think my line is playing well right now, they’re finding me a lot,” Walker said. “So, things are going right…not enough and we gotta come back tomorrow and I think this is a team we can beat.”
Walker was able to surprise the Wolverines within seconds after puck drop when a clean shot from the Arizona native found the back of the net. The freshman’s proved offensive talent didn’t waver in the second frame. Walker scored another goal with the team’s leader in points, Brinson Pasichnuk, earning the assist.
Michigan scored three times during the first period of play, but Walker’s effort was ultimately what kept ASU in the game.
“I thought he fought the puck a little bit, he was a little bit jumbly but he put it together in the last two periods,” ASU head coach Greg Powers said. “He wasn’t bad in the first, but he wasn’t super sharp, but with that said, all three of the goals were preventable by the other five guys on the ice.”
ASU goaltender Joey Daccord allowed just one goal following the first frame, but the Sun Devils found themselves unable to score and continued to trail by two heading into the final minutes of the third period.
“We had a ton of Grade A’s and just missed chances,” Powers said. “I don’t know, I mean that goalie is good, like that kid is really, really good. He made some big saves tonight and he’s one of the best we’ve seen.”
Sophomore Brett Gruber made a successful attempt to cut the Wolverines’ lead with nearly two minutes left in the final frame, marking his fifth goal of the season.
With about a minute left on the clock and only a one-goal deficit, Powers made the unknowingly costly decision to pull Daccord. Michigan’s Dakota Raabe snatched the puck and scored on the empty net, putting a victory for the Sun Devils out of reach.
“We had possession, we had the right personnel on the ice, they were rested- we had everything set up the way we wanted to- but we just didn’t have a guy close on the guy that scored,” Powers said. “So, no I wouldn’t take back when pulled him (Daccord) at all.”
With a 10-5-1 home record, another win and sweep over Arizona State wouldn’t be much of a surprise- not to mention continuing a four-game win streak and possibly making the NCAA tournament. But for ASU, a win would simply be “huge.”
“We didn’t come here to play Michigan tight,” Powers said. “That’s a really angry room right now because we left one on the table tonight, we could’ve won that game. So, they better bottle it up and unleash it tomorrow.”
