ASU Men’s Hockey: 2-2 Tie “stings” Sun Devils in series finale

(Photo: Travis Whittaker/WCSN)

GLENDALE, Ariz. – After No. 20 Arizona State’s 4-1 upset victory over No. 4 University of Denver in Oceanside Ice Arena, the Sun Devils rode a wave of momentum into Gila River Arena for the series finale.

However, that wave would die down as the Sun Devils’ lead vanished with 40 seconds left in regulation and settled to a 2-2 tie Saturday night.

“[Denver] was the better team tonight, but our goalie held us in it,” head coach Greg Powers said. “It stings right now more than it probably should with the nature of how they outplayed us because we were 40 seconds away from sweeping them.”

Sophomore goaltender Evan DeBrouwer turned in a masterful performance in the goal. In his 12^th consecutive start, DeBrouwer made 44 saves on 46 shots on goal, raising his season save percentage to .930.

“DeBrouwer was the reason that we tied,” Powers said. “I feel terrible for him that we just couldn’t get one clear and get him the win. He was outstanding. He had at least 15 grade-A tremendous saves.”

Despite the electric atmosphere inside the arena before puck drop, the Sun Devils and Pioneers got off to a slow start that saw both sides empty-handed after twenty minutes.

Sophomore forward PJ Marrocco broke the ice at the 7:56 mark of the second period, burying home a big rebound off a Brinson Pasichnuk slap shot from the left circle.

Last night, Denver could not find a way to respond after Walker’s early momentum-building goals. Tonight, Denver was able to answer quickly after Marrocco’s third goal of the season.

With two Sun Devils sitting in the box, the Pioneers cashed in on the 5-on-3 advantage on a tic-tac-toe finish in front of the goal mouth from sophomore forward Cole Guttman, knotting the score 1-1.

The newly configured top line of Johnny Walker, James Sanchez and Jordan Sandhu picked right up where they left off on Friday night. Walker’s no-look feed found the tape of Sanchez, who tucked in the loose change past junior DU netminder Devin Cooley for the 2-1 lead.

Holding leads late in the third period has not been easy for the Sun Devils. ASU struggled with those fronts against Mercyhurst in the season opener and in last weekend’s 2-2 tie against Vermont.

There was a sense of urgency from Denver that fell throughout the arena.  The Pioneers dominated puck possession through the third period, outshooting ASU 14-6 in the frame.

With an extra attacker in the dying moments of the contest, Guttman snuck in a wobbly shot past DeBrouwer to tie the game with 40.1 seconds left in regulation.

“It was nothing natural,” DeBrouwer said. “It just went through someone’s leg I think and just snuck underneath my glove. I felt it leak through. It’s just disappointing.”

In the overtime period, Denver carried that momentum over and completely controlled time in the offensive zone with a 6-0 advantage on the shot clock. DeBrouwer and the Sun Devils locked down the defense, blocking a total of 19 shots on the night to preserve the tie.

In their last ten games, the Sun Devils are 7-1-2. After this weekend’s top-20 showdown, ASU moved up seven spots to No. 9 in the PairWise rankings and proved that they can compete with the best in the NCAA.

“This is a good confidence boost for us,” DeBrouwer said. “I think we can build off of this weekend. Obviously, we have a long stretch and I think this set us up nicely for that stretch.”

“This is a monumental step for our program to prove that we can play with anybody.” Powers said.

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