(Photo: Cierra Luna/WCSN)
In its final game of a historically unforgiving season, Arizona State Men’s Hockey (7-16-3) dug deep and authored arguably its best performance of the year, defeating Ohio State (7-18-1) by a score of 5-0.
Five different Sun Devils found the back of the net, and freshman goaltender Cole Brady delivered the first shutout of his career, stopping all 41 shots that came his way.
“It feels really good to go out that way,” ASU head coach Greg Powers said. “[The players] deserved it for everything they went through and all the insane adversity that we’ve fought from start to finish.”
While ASU’s lack of home games this season prevented it from having an official Senior Night, Ohio State put on a small ceremony to honor the Sun Devils’ senior players during a stoppage in the first period. ASU’s seniors then rewarded their gracious hosts by scoring three goals in the following minutes.
“It was special,” ASU senior forward Dominic Garcia said. “I think all of the seniors ideally would have loved to have been around our family and friends at Oceanside, but I wasn’t expecting it so to get recognized for it was cool.”
Determined to erase any memory of their 8-3 loss in the opening game of the series, the Sun Devils took control of Friday’s contest right away, outshooting Ohio State 18-7 in the first period despite taking two penalties. Senior forward James Sanchez opened the scoring with a powerful snap shot from the right circle 8:39 into the period, which was followed by a shorthanded tally from senior forward Willie Knierim and a power-play marker by redshirt junior forward Chris Grando.
The second period leaned much more in favor of Ohio State, but Brady kept ASU’s lead intact despite persistent pressure from the Buckeyes. ASU freshman forward Matthew Kopperud scored the only goal of the period, snapping a nine-game goal-less streak and extending his total to 13 on the season. The Buckeyes pressured even more furiously in the third period thanks to a five-minute power play, but Brady held off their advances once again en route to the first clean sheet of his college hockey career.
“Going into tonight, we knew it was our last [game],” Brady said. “We just wanted to make sure we left everything on the table like we did all year and we’re happy with how it ended.”
The Sun Devils’ dominant win provides them with much-needed closure after a season rife with disappointment and uncertainty, but their work is far from over. As ASU heads into the offseason and begins to prepare for next year, the team will likely focus on making up the ground it has lost as a result of going months without the normal amenities that most college hockey teams enjoy.
The Sun Devils expect to retain most of this year’s roster, but they understand that they will need a strong offseason in order to get the results they want.
“Bigger, stronger, faster,” Powers said. “That’s the name of the game. We played an all-road season with so much fatigue and travel and hotel nights and the inability to work out really outside of anything but a hotel gym. We’ve got to catch up now.”
Although ASU’s decision to play this season in such hostile conditions has held it back in the short term, the coaches and players believe it will work in their favor moving forward. The Sun Devils have made a name for themselves by overcoming adversity, and if the team has any say in the matter, it will continue to do so.
“I truly believe we’ll be way better off,” Powers said. “It’s never going to be harder, especially on our young guys. Everything that we all learned, now we have to apply it and turn the page and focus on coming back and getting back to the NCAA Tournament next year. It’s that or bust.”
