Special Teams Haunt No. 20 Sun Devils In Overtime Thriller

(Photo: Marina Williams/WCSN)

Less than 24 hours after going 2-for-2 on the power play and scoring three shorthanded goals, the No. 20 Sun Devils drew blanks on all three power play opportunities and gave up a power play goal in overtime to lose a chaotic game to Air Force.

Coming off an opening night 8-1 trouncing, ASU (1-1) got off to a blazing start when junior forward Bennett Schimek scored just 27 seconds into the game. Schimek netted a hat trick in the season opener and now has four goals in the first two games of the season.

ASU controlled play early on and forced Air Force (1-1) sophomore defenseman Nolan Cunningham to take an interference penalty when he hit Sun Devils sophomore forward Kyle Smolen, who was shaken up after the play. Despite getting a couple scoring chances, the power play was unsuccessful but ASU remained in control in the offensive zone.

Graduate forward Dylan Jackson made a nice play in the offensive zone by using his edges to skate around an Air Force defender to keep the play alive, leading to another ASU goal. This time it was Smolen, who ripped a wrist shot from the slot past senior goaltender and Chandler, Arizona native Guy Blessing to make it 2-0 ASU.

Air Force got one back before the opening frame ended when sophomore forward Brendan Gibbons found himself alone in front of the ASU net and faked out senior goaltender Luke Pavicich on a whiff, but his second attempt found the back of the net with just over a minute left in the period. The goal by Air Force was just about everything it had in that first period as they were outshot 15-5 by ASU and spent little time in the offensive zone.

The tide turned in the second period, with both teams unable to muster a single shot on goal in the first four minutes of the period. ASU hopped on the power play but could not get anything going and even surrendered multiple short-handed odd-man rushes, but Pavicich held his ground and made big stops.

With 40 seconds left in the power play, freshman forward Cullen Potter took a slashing penalty and although Air Force failed to score, they built momentum that carried them the rest of the period. A few minutes after the Air Force power play, senior forward Clayton Cosentino scored on a 3-on-1 odd-man rush to tie the game at 2-2 with just over 10 minutes to go in the period.

Cosentino’s goal sparked Air Force and they fired on all cylinders for the remainder of the period. Air Force controlled the puck, outshooting ASU 19-6 in the second period. Pavicich stood tall and kept the game tied going into the third period.

The third period began with an Air Force power play that still had over a minute left, but ASU managed to kill it off and began controlling play again, spending more time in the offensive zone thanks to their dynamic puck moving abilities.

Both teams were in a deadlock and it seemed overtime was inevitable, but then with 57 seconds left, senior forward Ryan Kirwan scored a highlight-reel goal to pull ASU ahead 3-2. Kirwan got the puck and built up speed in the neutral zone, getting past the Air Force defense before dangling past Blessing for the goal.

As it turned out, overtime was inevitable because just 30 seconds later, a pile of bodies formed in the ASU goal crease and Gibbons poked the puck through the five-hole of senior defenseman Ty Murchison for his second goal of the game and to send the game to overtime tied 3-3.

In 3-on-3 overtime, Schimek broke his stick blocking a shot and moments later took a holding penalty as he tried to keep an Air Force player from getting to a loose puck. On the power play, Cosentino fired a rocket one-timer from the slot for his second goal of the game to win it in overtime 4-3.

Schimek and graduate student defenseman Noah Beck were the only two Sun Devils with multi-point performances. Schimek with a goal and an assist and Beck notched two assists. Pavicich ended the game stopping 29 of 33 shots.

ASU returns to action for the home opener at Mullet Arena against No. 7 Michigan on Friday at 3:30 p.m. MST.