USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – After trailing 4-1 to the No. 19 team in the country entering the third period, the Sun Devils scratched and clawed back with two goals and nearly a game-tying third against Air Force on Friday night at Cadet Ice Arena.
The Devils' (1-2-0) outscored the Falcons (2-0-1) 2-0 in the final period, and had two late chances in the waning seconds to tie the game. Air Force held on to a 4-3 victory.
"It was a veteran team with their first home game and banner unveiling, so they were going to come out flying," said head coach Greg Powers. "It was our young team's first road game, but we were where we wanted to be and cut it to 2-1 and went into the third period confident."
The captain's line of junior assistant Anthony Croston, redshirt junior captain Dylan Hollman and redshirt junior assistant Louie Rowe helped put the Devils on the board first. A poke from Hollman put the loose puck on Croston's stick for the 1-on-1 chance, and he tucked it under the pads of Air Force goaltender Billy Christopoulos to cut the Falcons' lead in half.
The second period was controlled by the home team, as Air Force netted two more to put the lead seemingly out of reach entering the final frame.
ASU remained airborne, and rattled off two goals in the middle of the period and putting the pressure on the home team. Freshman defenseman Jacob Wilson buried his first collegiate goal on the power-play opportunity to get the rally started. Five minutes later, sophomore Tyler Busch came up big with a rebound off a shot from junior blue-liner Joey Raats.
A late flurry by the Devils was stymied, however, as ASU fired off two shots with an extra attacker but couldn't get the bounce they needed.
"The positives are how we came on in the third and really put the heat on them and had them on their heels," said Powers. "I thought the last two periods, for the most part, we carried the play. Our guys were playing a little too cute and we unfortunately fell behind because of it. As soon as we started playing to our identity, winning puck battles and getting pucks in deep, we started to turn the corner a little bit. I'm proud of how they finished.
"If we play 60 minutes like we did in the third period, we love our chances. That's a really good hockey team over there and they're going to be tough to beat on home ice. But we think if we play like that, we can beat them."
On special teams, the Sun Devils finished 1-for-7 on the power play with four kills on five Air Force chances. The two teams compiled 13 penalties on the night.
Ironically, the score is identical to game one between the two teams in Glendale last season. Game two is set for a 7:05 p.m. (MST)/6:05 p.m. (AZ) puck drop on Saturday night.
The Devils' (1-2-0) outscored the Falcons (2-0-1) 2-0 in the final period, and had two late chances in the waning seconds to tie the game. Air Force held on to a 4-3 victory.
"It was a veteran team with their first home game and banner unveiling, so they were going to come out flying," said head coach Greg Powers. "It was our young team's first road game, but we were where we wanted to be and cut it to 2-1 and went into the third period confident."
The captain's line of junior assistant Anthony Croston, redshirt junior captain Dylan Hollman and redshirt junior assistant Louie Rowe helped put the Devils on the board first. A poke from Hollman put the loose puck on Croston's stick for the 1-on-1 chance, and he tucked it under the pads of Air Force goaltender Billy Christopoulos to cut the Falcons' lead in half.
The second period was controlled by the home team, as Air Force netted two more to put the lead seemingly out of reach entering the final frame.
ASU remained airborne, and rattled off two goals in the middle of the period and putting the pressure on the home team. Freshman defenseman Jacob Wilson buried his first collegiate goal on the power-play opportunity to get the rally started. Five minutes later, sophomore Tyler Busch came up big with a rebound off a shot from junior blue-liner Joey Raats.
A late flurry by the Devils was stymied, however, as ASU fired off two shots with an extra attacker but couldn't get the bounce they needed.
"The positives are how we came on in the third and really put the heat on them and had them on their heels," said Powers. "I thought the last two periods, for the most part, we carried the play. Our guys were playing a little too cute and we unfortunately fell behind because of it. As soon as we started playing to our identity, winning puck battles and getting pucks in deep, we started to turn the corner a little bit. I'm proud of how they finished.
"If we play 60 minutes like we did in the third period, we love our chances. That's a really good hockey team over there and they're going to be tough to beat on home ice. But we think if we play like that, we can beat them."
On special teams, the Sun Devils finished 1-for-7 on the power play with four kills on five Air Force chances. The two teams compiled 13 penalties on the night.
Ironically, the score is identical to game one between the two teams in Glendale last season. Game two is set for a 7:05 p.m. (MST)/6:05 p.m. (AZ) puck drop on Saturday night.