ASU Men’s Hockey: Sun Devils fall 3-2 in OT to Alaska Fairbanks

(Photo: Brendan Belfield/WCSN)

On Friday, Arizona State Men’s Hockey tried to avenge its series sweep against Alaska Fairbanks from a few weeks ago. The Nanooks defeated the Sun Devils 3-2 in overtime, though, in Fairbanks on Saturday. Two unanswered goals cost the Sun Devils their early 2-1 lead.

Sophomore forward Filip Fornaa Svensson scored the final goal for the Nanooks with 3:44 left in three-on-three overtime. It was one of two goals Svensson scored to give Alaska Fairbanks the win. He amassed 13 shots and eight shots on goal.

His first goal came off a power-play opportunity with nearly 11 minutes left in the third period to even the score at two.

The Sun Devils put together a strong penalty kill throughout 60 minutes. They held the Nanooks to just two power-play goals despite the five chances they amassed. ASU couldn’t piece together one final penalty kill in the third period, however.

With about 12:30 left in the third period, sophomore defenseman Tim Lovell got put in the penalty box for hooking. Close to the 11-minute mark, it was Fornaa Svensson’s goal that tied the score.

It was a disappointing ending despite the first period looking really strong for the Sun Devils.

In the first 20 minutes of play, sophomore forward Matthew Kopperud found the back of the net twice. His first goal came off a Sun Devils’ power-play and went unassisted. He netted the second one in the final two minutes of the first period.

Senior forward Colin Theisen and freshman forward Josh Doan assisted Kopperud on his last goal.

It was the second time this season Kopperud scored two goals against Alaska Fairbanks – he scored twice in the series finale at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe back on Feb. 5.

The Nanooks won that game 4-3 behind their ability to quickly develop odd-man rushes against ASU defensemen. That was not the case in this game, however. The Nanooks did use their speed to their advantage though, which inevitably hindered the Sun Devils again.

Alaska Fairbanks quickly put the puck behind the net and raced to get it back. Their strategy worked to control possession within their offensive zone, but ASU junior goaltender Ben Kraws proved to be too much at times.

Kraws made a big save with 20 seconds left in the third period with the score tied at two. He did allow two power-play goals in the net but played a pivotal role in the Sun Devils’ stretches of success on Friday night. He amassed 29 saves with a .906% save percentage.

Overall, ASU played well on Friday night. They picked up 56 shots, with 30 being on target. They won 22 faceoffs with eight blocked shots and one power-play goal.

Penalties killed the Sun Devils, though. They amassed six penalties and gave up five power-play chances to the Nanooks, which led to two of their three goals. They also obtained 12 penalty minutes compared to the Nanooks’ eight.

ASU will play their final road match of the season against Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday night.