(Photo Courtesy – Joey Plishka)
With sophomore goalie TJ Semptimphelter’s impressive debut, an 8-7 record, and two program-defining wins over ranked teams after Thanksgiving, Arizona State’s goal to reach the postseason looked promising. Since then, the Sun Devils are just 3-7 in their last 10, likely putting postseason aspirations out of reach. Therefore, a successful weekend at home against another ranked team was critical.
No. 17 Minnesota State outscored Arizona State 8-1 in the series, completing the sweep with a 5-0 shutout Saturday evening. Senior forward Cade Borchardt got the Mavericks on the scoreboard after a quick breakaway just over a minute into the game. But the Sun Devils continued to apply the pressure, leading in shots on goal 13-6 late in the first and a total of 16-10 by the end of the period.
“We came out hard [in that first period,] a lot of energy. I thought we cared to play, for the most part,” ASU head coach Greg Powers said after the game.
That momentum quickly shifted just 25 seconds into the second period when senior forward Brendan Furry found the back of the net on a breakaway pass from junior forward Josh Groll, and there was no looking back. The Sun Devils had no answer as they attempted only 10 shots on goal over the final 40 minutes of play, while the Mavericks proceeded to score three goals in the second period alone.
The sweep also marked the third consecutive game that ASU could not capitalize on the power play with 10 attempts during that stretch and only 3-for-20 on the power play over its last five games. Conversely, the Sun Devils only committed three penalties on Saturday, compared with seven on Friday, an area that has certainly been of concern for ASU this season.
Semptimphelter’s five goals allowed in Saturday’s contest ties him for the most he’s allowed in a game this season, but the sixth time for such occurrence.
“[Minnesota State] is peaking at the right time,” Powers said. “If you take shifts off, and especially if you take periods off, that’s what’s going to happen.”
Arizona State entered the season with high hopes of earning a bid in the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in the program’s eight-year history. Six conference champions earn automatic bids to the 16-team, single-elimination tournament, while the selection committee selects the rest on an at-large basis. As an independent team like ASU, every game is equally important.
“It’s just not going our way right now,” Powers said. “We got to wash it and move forward.”
Following Saturday’s sweep, the Sun Devils fall to 34th in the PairWise rankings, an important metric to NCAA Tournament consideration. A third of their season remains, they must finish strong, starting with No. 21 RIT at Mullett Arena on Friday and Saturday.
