(Photo: AIden Longbrakes/WCSN)
Similar to a rollercoaster at a theme park, Arizona State’s season has been up and down. At times, it has felt like the Sun Devils were at the top of a mountain. However, at other times, ASU has gone from those highs to screeching lows due to an inability to close out and manage games.
“We’ve been through pretty much every experience and every scenario,” head coach Greg Powers said, “From blown leads and now have come back from behind and won games and found ways to win games differently.”
Earlier this season, the Sun Devils likely wouldn’t have won a game in which they were down 3-0 with 14 minutes to go in the third period. Against then-fifth-ranked Penn State, ASU found itself up 2-0 heading into the third period before giving up three unanswered goals to go down 3-2. Although it was a one-score game with 10 minutes to go, it had felt like the game was over, as a young team seemed to have caved to the pressure. Those types of losses started to pile on, seeming as if the coaster would stop at the bottom. Whether it be blown leads to Augustana or Miami of Ohio, the Sun Devils couldn’t find ways to win.
Fast forward three series, where ASU began its climb. Starting from the second game of the Denver series, it found itself in a tight game late with a team that was ranked in the top five. Unlike the Penn State series earlier in the season, the Sun Devils held the line and found a way to win in overtime. That trend has continued into their series against Ohio State, in which they staged a pair of comebacks, including a 3-0 third-period comeback in Saturday night’s game, finished off by the game-winning goal from sophomore forward Cullen Potter.
“Honestly, I think we had a lot of confidence in ourselves,” Potter said, “I felt like ever since we scored that first goal, we were going to come back and definitely be in the game, and hopefully win it.”
Now the Sun Devils have reached their peak of the early season, winning three straight games to get their first regular-season series sweep since February 1st of last year. All three wins have come in overtime, as they’ve seemed to finally figure out how to do what Powers has talked about all season long — manage the game.
“I think we’re all competitors,” Potter said, “We want to win, and especially in big moments. So that’s when we play our best. We’re fighting tooth and nail.”
The Sun Devils’ three-goal comeback was sparked by an aggressive approach to the third period. Even when the Buckeyes scored the third goal, ASU kept up the pressure and won almost every battle on the ice. Everything that it didn’t do in its early-season losses, it did in Saturday’s game, which led to a win that could help the Sun Devils’ NCAA Tournament chances.
“That last 15 minutes, if that’s not relentless hockey, I don’t know what is,” Powers said. “Winning battles, winning races, driving to the net, getting pucks to the net. It was everything we wanted it to be.”
Laying the tracks for the Sun Devils has been their veteran players. Whether it be Potter with the game-winner in OT, sophomore defenseman Joel Kjellberg with his first career goal, or senior forward Cruz Lucius with two assists, the Sun Devils veterans stepped up to deliver a heart-racing finish.
“Guys stuck with it, and huge credit to [Potter and Lucius], they were the ones that drew it up when I called the timeout, and they executed it.” Powers said.
While the veteran players have delivered as they are supposed to, it seems to have been the younger players on this ASU roster who were the missing piece in winning big games. Early in the season, Powers talked about the need for the young guys to step up, which they have. In Saturday’s game, it was freshman forward Samuel Alfano who scored the game-tying goal. Going back to the Denver series, the fourth line featuring freshman forwards Carmelo Crandell and Ben Kevan was one of the more dangerous lines, leading the Sun Devils to an overtime upset of the Pioneers.
“[The young roster] is not an excuse anymore,” Powers said, “But talking about how youthful we are and how many new guys we have, that’s behind us. That can’t be a crutch.”
While ASU appears to reach a high point in its season, it will look to minimize the harsh dips of the roller coaster. The Sun Devils have a bye next weekend before hitting the road to take on No. 5 Minnesota Duluth in a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s NCHC Quarterfinals.
“We have to find a way to play like we did in those last 15 minutes.” Powers said, “If we do, we’re going to probably play postseason hockey, and probably go pretty deep. This team is pretty good when it wants to be.”
