Arizona State Men’s Hockey junior goaltender Evan DeBrouwer experienced the letdown of turning in a spectacular performance in a losing effort Friday night. Despite making a season-high 45 saves on 48 shots, DeBrouwer and the 20th ranked Sun Devils (3-5-1) came up just short in the opening game of their series against Penn State (2-5), as Nittany Lions sophomore forward Connor MacEachern scored the winning goal with 63 seconds remaining in overtime, capitalizing on a poorly timed line change by the Sun Devils to give Penn State a 3-2 victory.
“Two guys got caught on a long shift and had no energy left,” DeBrouwer said. “They kind of were desperate to get off the ice so [Penn State] kind of got a 3-on-1.”
Although ASU ultimately lost, DeBrouwer was instrumental in sending the game to overtime. After conceding two goals in the first period, DeBrouwer made several acrobatic saves to shut down consecutive Penn State power plays late in regulation, including a 31-second 5-on-3 for the Nittany Lions.
“It was a do-or-die situation,” DeBrouwer said. “We knew there was only 30 seconds so you’re just telling yourself ‘Kill these 30 seconds and then we get a guy back and we can handle the rest of it.’”
While DeBrouwer helped the Sun Devils neutralize Penn State’s red-hot man advantage, their own power play did them no favors. ASU was the beneficiary of four penalties by the Nittany Lions but came up empty on each one.
“When you get four power plays on the road and you don’t put it in – those guys just aren’t getting the job done for us,” head coach Greg Powers said. “It’s frustrating but it is what it is.”
Arizona State’s power play is now 2-29 on the season, and the Sun Devils have scored just a single power play goal in their last eight games.
“I’m just seeing guys not embracing working hard enough and getting outworked by other teams’ kills,” Powers said. “I would venture to suspect you’ll probably see some changes [for game 2].”
Despite the power play struggles, the Sun Devils rallied from a two goal first period deficit, but couldn’t add on a critical third score to seal the win.
Both teams will benefit from a day off before they take the ice again on Sunday at 12 PM MST.
“We’re just going to rest,” Powers said. “The guys have to figure out a way to mentally prepare a little bit better than they did.”
