Sun Devils battle through injuries and rally to split with Miami

(Photo: Joshua Eaton/ WCSN)

TEMPE– A few minutes into the game, sophomore forward Noah Powell picked up the puck near the boards. As he lifted his head, a Miami defender clashed into him, and Powell was slow to get up. When he tried to get off the ice, the gravity of the pain pulled him back to the ground, on one knee, barely making it to the bench.

With every healthy player on the lineup card, another injury was the last thing ASU could afford. As the clock ticked down to the final five minutes of regulation, Powell found himself right in front of the net with a golden opportunity.

Possessing the weight of last night’s loss on his back, Powell rose to the occasion and buried the puck in the back of the net, giving Arizona State (12-11-1, 5-6-1 NCHC) a much-needed 1-0 win over the Redhawks(12-8-2, 3-7-2 NCHC).

“It was pretty cool,” Powell said, “To do it with [sophomore forward Logan Morrell and freshman forward Sam Alfano] and the rest of the D on the ice was pretty cool too. It was a great feeling. Coach saying that it would have to be an ugly one, and we might only get one. So, I made it count. It was a pretty special moment.”

Following Friday’s loss to the Redhawks, head coach Greg Powers demanded that a line other than the high-scoring top line find a way to impact the game offensively. Powell, Morrell, and Alfano were the players who took that call to heart. The Sun Devils’ third line was flying around the ice all night long, eventually leading to Powell’s winning goal.

“[Alfano, Morrell, and Powell] were good tonight,” Powers said, “Tonight was their best game in a while. They dictated play. They got pucks in. They forechecked. They played to the identity we need them to play with in order to be successful. Sammy Alfano probably had four really good chances. He was going to have a tap-in, and the linesman blew the play dead on the icing to go up 2-0.”

For the first time this season, the Sun Devils were able to get the job done without the help of their previously nation-leading top scoring line of senior forwards Bennett Schimek and Cruz Lucius, along with sophomore forward Cullen Potter. ASU had lost its previous five games when that line didn’t record a combined multi-point game.

ASU wasn’t just without its top line production; it was also down several key bodies. Injuries have been piling up for the Sun Devils in recent weeks, and Schimek’s addition to the list is certainly not helpful for Powers’ team.

As the game progressed, tensions began to rise. Tension that is only seen between conference foes who have to spend four games on the ice together. There was a competitive spirit flowing throughout the ice, and bodies were flying from both sides. Whether it was junior forward Tony Achille or Miami defenseman Kocha Delic, both sides made it a physical battle.

“It’s the fourth time you play a team, it’s going to get that way,” Powers said of the chippiness in the game, “That’s what the back half looks like. It was a good hockey game. The fans saw a good game. Not a lot of scoring, but good, really good goaltending both ways and some good heavy, heavy hockey.”

Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, with hardcore physical battles come the chance for injuries. While Powell was able to get up, Potter, who took a blindside hit up high late in the third period, was not. He left the game with mere minutes remaining, and his status is in question for upcoming matchups.

“We’ll have to see what happened with [Potter],” Powers said, “That was a pretty ugly hit. The explanation for the entire last five minutes is…I don’t even know. I don’t know what to say, how bad it was.”

Without Potter and Schimek in the lineup, the Sun Devils are likely to find themselves in low-scoring affairs as they did this weekend. ASU went a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill against the Redhawks, spearheaded by their aggressive approach to defending.

“The kill was perfect all weekend, which is huge,” Powers said, “We didn’t execute a five-minute power play. We got some really good looks. But the kill was great. To get us out of that period without getting scored on was huge. We were able to challenge their goal and get it called back, so that was a good one too.”

ASU didn’t start the game as hot as it ended. The Sun Devils started being outshot 11-1, followed by them taking two penalties. If it weren’t for freshman goaltender Samuel Urban, who made his first start in two games. Urban held down the fort for the Sun Devils, making 37 saves on as many shots.

“I already felt great,” Urban said, “The guys helped me a lot. They blocked the shots, they cleaned the screens. The shutout is for the whole team, not just for me. It was great. We are a really tight group, so the guys were happy for me.

The win slightly boosted ASU’s standing in the NCAA Percentage Index, moving up one spot to No. 24. The beat-up Sun Devils will have a bye week in which they will hope to get some key pieces back, before hosting No. 4 North Dakota on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. MST.