Sun Devils take final punch from No. 4 Denver in 1-0 overtime loss

(Photo: Aiden Longbrake/WCSN)

TEMPE – UFC fighter Max Holloway, who is known for throwing some of the toughest punches in the sport, put it best.

“If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

In its first game against No. 4 Denver, Arizona State took plenty of blows and seemed to get knocked out after the Pioneers scored four goals in the third period, routing the Sun Devils in a 6-3 victory.

On Sunday, though, the Sun Devils left with a tale to tell, yet still not the one they were hoping for. ASU suffered a 1-0 overtime loss to the defending national champions, dropping to 5-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play, while the Pioneers improved to 7-2-1 and 4-0 in the NCHC.

“Our players did a really nice job carrying out on the ice,” ASU coach Dave Hakstol said. “Our compete level was good and execution was better.”

Third-year forward Jack O’Brien’s first shot of the extra period elicited an audible gasp from the crowd, which turned from celebration to disappointment as a loud thunk of the pipe next to second-year goaltender Johnny Hicks echoed through the arena.

After a rebound shot that went wide allowed Denver to skate with numbers the other way, freshman defenseman Daxon Rudolph loaded up his shot and hit the Sun Devils with the same 1-2 combo they had tried moments earlier, slotting the puck perfectly into the top-right corner of the net.

While ASU failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity, its defense turned away every jab in regulation, largely due to its penalty kill. The Sun Devils improved to 31-for-34 (.912) on the season after defending all four of Denver’s power plays, ranking third in the nation. They only trail No. 11 Colorado College and No. 6 Minnesota Duluth.

No matter where the Pioneers took shots from, nothing got past second-year goaltender Samuel Urban.

“Our PK did an outstanding job,” Hakstol said. He added that the team wanted to address “improvement on our special teams from game one of the series.”

In their Friday matchup against Denver, the Sun Devils allowed two power-play goals, the most their penalty kill has allowed all season and uncharacteristic of their special teams’ performance to that point.

Denver didn’t make it easy, though. Hakstol described the Pioneers as “a really mobile team, and they make it so hard because they’re so mobile up top.”

For third-year alternate captain Logan Morrell, the improvement comes down to the little things.

“I think it’s just detail,” Morrell said. “Bearing down on detail, making reads off each other and just plain simple.”

As seen in Friday’s game, no matter how good a team’s penalty kill may be, unforced errors can still come back to bite them.

With this being just the Sun Devils’ third year in the highly competitive conference, the team’s ability to keep up with the modern-day style of play is being tested.

“It’s at such a high pace and it’s in such tight spaces, and it is like every shift. It’s just there. It’s on you,” Hakstol said. “So, beyond the National Hockey League, this league is as tough as it gets.”

Despite all the pressure, when his time is up, Urban has been nowhere near submission in front of the net.

“Sam was good again,” Hakstol said. “Your goaltender has to be good.”

His teammates see it too.

“He’s definitely our best player,” Morrell said. “He played unbelievable the last two nights. He competes, he works hard, he does everything right, and he’s a great teammate.”

On the afternoon, Urban stopped 40 of 41 shots for a .976 save percentage, including multiple breakaway opportunities for Denver.

Urban is undoubtedly a key piece of ASU’s defense, and although he has 461 saves on the year and ranks first in the NCHC with 28.81 saves per game, it’s his voice that makes the difference.

“He talks a lot,” Morrell said. “On the penalty kill, he’s calling out guys. We all try to communicate. That’s been a big focus for us.”

The Sun Devils now sit seventh in the conference standings, and with a fight against Minnesota Duluth, which sits five spots ahead of them, in two weeks, there is certainly work to be done.

Hakstol isn’t looking that far ahead yet, as his focus is on the group itself.

“We’ll keep building some of the structure of our game as well, and not just structure, just the speed that we’re able to do it with,” Hakstol said. “We’ll use the bye week to try to do that in every area.”

ASU may have taken the final punch against Denver, but it put up quite a fight on the ice.

“We’re really disappointed in not getting the win in OT and the extra point out of it,” Hakstol said. “The bottom line is, I feel like our group should be proud of the effort that they gave in this building, in front of our fans.”