Notebook: Special Teams Woes, Poor Second Period Lead to 4-1 Loss to No. 10 Michigan

(Photo: Marina Williams/WCSN)

TEMPE — Every member of Arizona State men’s hockey had to be pleased with their team’s performance in the first period of Friday’s game against No. 10 Michigan. In front of a raucous crowd at Mullett Arena, the Sun Devils had one less shot than the visitors and easily had the better scoring chances. Despite the fact that they trailed 1-0, all signs pointed to them carrying that momentum into the next frame.

But almost immediately after the puck was dropped to start the second, that all changed.

In the span of four minutes, Michigan’s lead went from one to three with one of those goals coming while shorthanded, and a switch flipped for the next 10 minutes. While ASU (1-2) eventually cleaned up its play and got a goal back in the game’s waning moments, that disastrous stretch ultimately proved its undoing in a 4-1 defeat to the Wolverines (2-1).

“It obviously was a tough stretch,” head coach Greg Powers said. “It takes the wind out when you have a good power play and a guy makes two uncharacteristic plays and turnovers on it, (it) ended up in the back of our net… So it was a big momentum swing. It took us probably the next 10 minutes to get out of a rut.”

Four-Minute Stretch Does ASU In

The unraveling began in one of the most unexpected situations: on the power play. As the puck wrapped around the boards in the offensive zone, graduate forward Lukas Sillinger corralled it on the half wall but fanned on a pass, coughing up the puck to junior forward Jackson Hallum and creating a 2-on-1 in the process.

With sophomore forward Garrett Schifsky — who already had a goal in the game and finished with a hat trick — to his left and freshman defenseman Sam Court as the only man back for ASU, Hallum made the pass across the hash marks for the easy one-time strike past redshirt junior netminder Gibson Homer. Not even 30 seconds later and with his team on the power play, graduate defenseman Noah Beck took a slashing penalty in the Michigan zone on the power play, handing the Wolverines an opportunity to add to their lead.

It was one they ultimately capitalized on, but not instantly. Just as time was expiring on the Beck penalty, junior forward T.J. Hughes ripped a drive from the right point that was redirected in front by freshman Michael Hage. Just like that, the game went from a close affair to a potential blowout if things continued to get out of hand. The bleeding needed to be stopped.

“You’ve got to reset,” senior defenseman Ethan Szmagaj said of his message to his teammates during the first four minutes of the second. “Learn from those mistakes, play more physical — that’s our game. So kind of get back to the details and move forward.”

Both Goaltenders Impress

Eventually, ASU did weather the storm and refused to allow another goal until Schifsky completed his hat trick by potting an empty-netter with 1:20 left in the third. But the chances the Sun Devils generated in the first made the newfound 3-0 deficit all the more sour.

After putting up a .910 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average in 22 games at Ferris State last season, graduate goaltender Logan Stein has certainly played like the Wolverines’ No. 1 netminder, and Friday night was no exception. The Georgia native stopped 35 of the 36 shots he faced and made several big-time saves, namely in the first period.

Perhaps the best opportunity for the Sun Devils came with just over 10 minutes in the first when highly-touted freshman forward Cullen Potter skated around the Wolverines’ zone with a full head of steam before finding senior forward Ryan Kirwan with a cross-crease pass. However, Stein made the stop with his outstretched pad, stonewalling ASU. It was more of the same for the rest of the night — whatever chances the Sun Devils mustered were likely turned aside.

“I thought the difference in the game was their goalie,” Powers said. “I thought their goalie played really well… Our guy was really good, (Homer) played well. Their guy was probably the best player on the ice. That’s a really good team, it’s a good lesson.”

Homer was exceptional in his own right, as he likely wouldn’t want either of the two goals logged in the second back. In total, he conceded three goals on 29 shots and even came up with a few big saves of his own. After stopping a one-timer with under eight minutes to play in the first, graduate forward Philippe Lapointe found the puck on his stick directly in front of the crease and made the pass across to a waiting sophomore forward William Whitelaw. The goal wasn’t meant to be, though.

Like any strong netminder, Homer simply never gives up on a play, even if he appears to be dead in the water. That no-quit attitude showed when he extended his right pad to meet Whitelaw’s one timer and keep the game scoreless. Michigan finally cracked him when Schifsky lit the lamp with 1:43 left in the opening frame, but the Sun Devils were certainly encouraged by Homer’s performance.

“He was great,” Szmagaj said. “(He) doesn’t need to change a thing. (We need to) obviously get better, and we’ve got to be more supportive.”

Special Teams Plays Well, Not Well Enough To Win

ASU’s special teams were likely riding high after it went a perfect 8-for-8 on special teams — 2-for-2 on the power play, 6-for-6 on the penalty kill — in the season opener at Air Force. 24 hours later, it produced weaker, but still solid results, going 0-for-3 on the man advantage and 3-for-4 on the PK in an overtime loss to the Falcons.

On Friday, it was more of the same from the second contest at Air Force. ASU was solid and created opportunities on the man advantage, but ultimately made costly mistakes, such as the Sillinger turnover on the power play and Beck’s offensive zone penalty. Schifsky’s empty-netter also came with the Wolverines killing a penalty and facing a 6-on-4.

“You’re going to make mistakes early in the season,” Powers said. “Unfortunately, more of our mistakes ended up in the back of our net.”

Potter has seen significant reps on the power play, and rightfully so — his speed, hockey IQ and puck skills make him an ideal candidate for any man advantage. He showed why he is perhaps the most highly-touted freshman in college hockey despite only being 17 years old. He made Michigan’s defenders look silly on multiple occasions and set his teammates up seemingly whenever he had the puck on his stick.

They totaled seven shots across four power plays and several other near-misses. But for the most part, they just couldn’t convert.

The Sun Devils finally broke through on their fourth power play with 6:41 left to play with senior forward Dylan Jackson taking advantage of a bounce and snapping a shot past Stein. Overall, it was a solid game for ASU’s penalty kill, but there was much left to be desired on the man advantage.

“The kill I thought was good,” Powers said. “We were a second away from being perfect on it and the kid in front had a nice tip, and the power play, they’ve got to produce. We just got one there late, but at home when you get more power plays than another team, you’ve got to find a way.”