(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
Everything looked like all was going according to plan for the No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils in the first period.
ASU had plentiful amounts of scoring chances, maintained complete possession of the puck, all the while having a loud student section to support their every move.
There was nothing to suggest that within the first minute of the second period that ASU would sacrifice two goals in the span of 20 seconds and be trail
Yet it happened. And the Sun Devils needed a response to wake up the spectators stunned silent at Oceanside Ice Arena.
They’d respond in kind six minutes later with three goals in the span of just 1:48 on their way to a 5-4 victory in a roller coaster affair with Robert Morris University.
“I liked how our guys responded,” ASU head coach Greg Powers said. “They came right out, punched us in the mouth, put us down ‘boom-boom’ right in the second. And our guys really didn’t look back.”
The second period scoring barrage was jump-started by an opportunistic power play attack, which saw its full potential realized with a long 5-on-3 advantage.
Senior, captain and defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk sent the puck past RMU junior goaltender Dyllan Lubbesmeyer to put ASU back to a 2-2 tie.
Then, just 1:09 later, junior forward Johnny Walker nabbed his second of the night to put the Sun Devils ahead, this time for good with a 3-2 lead.
The sequence put the Sun Devils 3-3 on the powerplay, finishing 3-4 on the night and 5-10 on the weekend.
“The power play has been good,” Powers said. “You want the power play to get you momentum and to get you chances, and give your bench energy. And it’s done that. It was a matter of time before they started going in.”
Saturday’s offensive onslaught on special team’s play boosted the Sun Devils’ power play percentage from 16.6% to 18.9%.
“Honestly, I think that point shots finally just started to go in,” Pasichnuk said. “We’ve been successful all year. We’re getting pucks on net and rebounds just lying there. I think this weekend it just finally happened.”
Despite the Sun Devils all-out offensive attack in the second period, the Colonials wouldn’t lay down and roll over.
Stagnant defensive zone play and opportunistic attacking by RMU kept the team very much in it with the Sun Devils.
With two momentus goals in the first minute of the second period to keep RMU fuelled and again just 51 seconds into the third by sophomore defenseman Brendon Michaelian, the Colonials never let ASU breathe. Even after it had seemed ASU was going to carry all the momentum to an easy victory.
The game winner, unsurprisingly went to none other than junior forward Willie Knierim who netted his third goal of the series off of a lightning quick centering pass from senior captain Tyler Busch.
“Willie is a big mule we need in front of the net who’s really good at tipping pucks,” Pasichnuk said. “He’s just unbelievable to get in the goalie’s eyes.”
With his goal, Knierim has now scored a goal in six straight home games.
With all eyes on the all-important PairWise rankings, ASU sits eighth, ahead of UMass-Amherst and Ohio State.
With six games left to play, Arizona State can afford to lose a game, maybe two at the most.
But even if it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, the sweep of RMU was crucial for ASU’s tournament aspirations. A win is, in fact, a win.
“We’re playing good hockey right now,” Powers said. “We got to finish the job, we have to see it through.
