ASU Women’s Hockey: Sun Devils fall 4-2 in penalty-filled affair

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

The Arizona State women’s club hockey took the ice against the Colorado Buffaloes in a late-night ACHA battle Friday night, as the Buffaloes (2-0-0) came out on top 4-2 after the two teams combined for 14 penalties.

Colorado center Leah MacArthur recorded a hat trick in the win over the Sun Devils (1-1-1). She netted a goal in each period, finishing off her big night with a top-shelf snipe late in the third period.

MacArthur gave credit to her line mates, teammates and coaches for her success.

“They all push me, we push each other, and that’s how we get those goals in the back of the net,” she said.

ASU goaltender Jordan Nash-Boulden was a giant in net for the Devils, keeping them in the game all night long. The sophomore saved 51 of the 55 shots she faced from the Buffaloes.

“Jordan sees everything out there,” ASU junior forward Taylor England said. “And even when maybe the defense falls short sometimes in the game, Jordan knows where she needs to be and she saves a lot of pucks.”

She is now the lone active goalie for the Sun Devils, as the team is temporarily without sophomore goaltender Brianna Hersom due to an injury. Nash-Boulden now averages over 41 saves a game through three games played.

“I was telling my defensemen after the game that I wanted 60. They should have let a couple more through,” Nash-Boulden jokingly said about CU’s 55 shots on goal.

The Devils did have their chances against the Buffaloes, though. ASU had nine power-play opportunities and only cashed in on two.

England scored ASU’s first goal of the night unassisted on the power play early in the second period. Senior forward Amber Galles tucked in a rebound with a back-hand shot for the Sun Devils’ final goal of the night on the power play late in the third.

“It was a little slow to start and we tried to fix that in the middle and I think we did a good job of realizing that,” ASU head coach Lindsey Ellis said about her team’s play. “We came back with two goals, which is great against the No. 10 team in the country. We know what we need to do tomorrow and we need to keep that pace up for the full 60 minutes.”

The Sun Devils were down to 12 skaters in the first game of the two-game series against Colorado. The lack of depth will be an area of concern for the Sun Devils moving forward.

“It’s a mental aspect of the game that we can’t let get to us,” Ellis said. “We have to focus more on what we do have and don’t pay attention to what we don’t have. We have to control what we can control.”

Both teams will return to Oceanside Ice Arena on Saturday for the second and final game of the series. Puck drop will be at a late 10:10 p.m. once again, starting after the conclusion of the men’s game.

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