ASU’s hot streak frozen by No. 5 Minnesota Duluth

(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)

Coming off a sweep over Ohio State and a bye week, Arizona State traded 70 degrees and sunny in Tempe for below zero at the tip of Lake Superior to take on one of the hottest programs in the NCAA — No. 5 Minnesota Duluth. With their first series sweep of the season in the books, the Sun Devils had hopes of notching a fourth straight win and keeping their foot on the gas in the semester’s penultimate series.

In the series’ opening game on Friday, ASU’s (7-9-1, NCHC 3-5-1) hot streak was frozen on the shores of Lake Superior, as Minnesota Duluth (14-5-0, NCHC 7-4-0) iced the Sun Devils in the third period with three unanswered goals to come away with a 3-1 victory.

Entering the final period of play in the series opener, the Sun Devils trailed by one and did not have much going their way. The Bulldogs had dominated the entirety of the middle frame in response to ASU striking first blood.

Sophomore forward Ty Nash had opened the scoring on a two-on-one, claiming his second goal of the season to give the Sun Devils a first-period lead. Nash had not seen the ice in 21 days for the first game ASU played against then-No. 4 Denver on November 21st.

Then, entering the second period, the Bulldogs responded. After sophomore forward Cullen Potter served two minutes for slashing, Minnesota Duluth took advantage of the power play with the NCAA’s leading point-getter — sophomore forward Max Plante — wiring a one-timer past senior netminder Connor Hasley to level the score.

Max and his brother Zam have been two of the NCAA’s best through the first half of the season, providing a large chunk of the Bulldogs’ production. While Max’s goal was the only point for the Plante brothers, their presence was felt all over the ice, creating a number of odd-man rushes and scoring chances.

A wide-open net for senior forward Kyle Gaffney sent Duluth into the third period with a one-goal lead, meaning the Sun Devils needed some late magic, which had been plentiful in recent weeks.

After a subdued start to the period, senior forward and co-captain Kyle Smolen cleared a loose puck before getting caught up high by sophomore defenseman Adam Kleber, leading to a five-minute major being assessed.

Smolen was shaken up after the hit, struggling to get to his feet and off the ice in a frightening scene. It was reported that an ambulance was dispatched to the arena.

With ASU’s last three games ending in overtime wins, the five-minute power play seemed to be poised for yet another game for a bonus period, but with Minnesota Duluth claiming the NCAA’s fourth-best penalty kill at 90.16 percent, the Maroon and Gold were unable to get anything going.

While they did create a number of chances, the Bulldog’s sophomore goaltender, Adam Gajan, stood tall, making a number of key saves with the help of his team’s high-pressure kill.

Ultimately, ASU’s unceremonious power play took away the little momentum it did have, leading to an unsuccessful comeback that was iced by freshman forward Daniel Shlaine – brother to former Sun Devil Artem Shlaine – who jarred a 200-foot empty net heavy to put a ribbon on Minnesota Duluth’s 3-1 victory.

While only a two-goal loss, it was a sloppy game from the Sun Devils, where they came out of the first intermission without the same bite they have had in the last three games. ASU’s forecheck has been driving its success as of late, but Friday night’s game lacked that same drive.

The Sun Devils also missed the target on a lot of shots en route to getting outmarked 39 to 17. A lot of the shots that were sent wide came from dangerous areas of the ice, with five off-target shots coming from prime scoring spots.

Hasley was a big reason why the Sun Devils were able to stay afloat. The Bentley transfer stoned the Bulldogs cold a number of times — including a pair of shorthanded breakaways late in the game that kept ASU within striking distance.

ASU has won the Saturday game in its last three series, but it will take a major turnaround for them to beat a Duluth team that is trying to avoid its fourth straight series split.

With ASU failing to add a fourth win to its hot streak, time is running out for the Maroon and Gold to turn their season around. Saturday night’s rematch in Duluth could be even more important than before for the Sun Devils to turn their season around.