Sun Devils Push #1 Ohio State to the Brink

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Expectations were high at Oceanside Ice Arena Friday night as the unbeaten Arizona State Sun Devils hosted top-ranked Ohio State, and what followed didn't disappoint.

The Sun Devils (2-1-0) trailed the No. 1 Buckeyes (1-0-0) by two goals -- the most dangerous lead in hockey -- with the clock winding down late in the second period. It was with just seconds left that sophomore forward Johnny Walker redirected a shot from roommate and fellow sophomore Jacob Wilson at the point for his second of two goals on the night to cut Ohio State's lead to one entering the second intermission.

In the third, the momentum from Walker's goal carried over as ASU continued to apply pressure on the Buckeyes and ended up outshooting OSU 12-5 in the final 20 minutes. An empty net and extra attacker wasn't enough, as the No. 1 team in the country prevailed, 3-2.

"I'm really proud of our guys of how we pushed in third," said head coach Greg Powers. "I thought there was a lot of push back and pride playing on our home ice."

If there was any doubt coming into the weekend about whether or not the Sun Devils could hang with "older, more established programs", tonight's game proved that isn't the case.

Walker once again put on a show, as the team's returning leading scorer provided both ASU goals in the effort. With his goals, Walker extended his goal streak to eight consecutive games and gives him four goals in the first three games of the season. Last season, it took Walker 14 games to reach four goals.

Between the pipes, junior netminder Joey Daccord played a huge role in keeping ASU in the game, stopping 32 of 35 Ohio State shot attempts including some big saves on the penalty kill in the second period.

One achilles heel early on for the Devils' was the penalty kill, and for good reason as the Buckeyes had one of the nation's best power plays a year ago, converting on roughly 25% of their opportunities on the man advantage.

Two second-period power play goals proved to be too much for the Sun Devils to overcome, in spite of killing off the last three opportunities for Ohio State.

On the other side, the Sun Devil power play had another good night, converting on one of four chances and helping give ASU some mid-game momentum.

"It was a lot of momentum," said Powers. "Their power play is lethal and they showed it tonight, so the kill helped us out a lot."

While the first and second periods didn't exactly go the Sun Devils' way, they managed to hang with the Buckeyes, but simply couldn't convert in what was a dominant third period by ASU.

"The third came around and we just played our game," said junior defenseman and co-captain Brinson Pasichnuk. "We were outworking the opposition and it's pretty special when we can dominate a period against the No. 1 team in the nation. It shows what Sun Devil Hockey actually has inside that locker room."

The loss is the first of the season for the Sun Devils, who move to 2-1-0. They will get another crack at the nation's top-ranked squad tomorrow night with puck drop set for 7:05 p.m. MST from Oceanside.

"If we want to win tomorrow night, we need to limit penalties and limiting their power play, that's going to be the key," said Powers. "We need to use our home ice to our advantage. I think the guys understand what it's going to take to win."

Limited tickets remain for tomorrow night's game. Fans can purchase the few remaining tickets here.