ITHACA, NY – This season, the No. 13 Sun Devils have been a tough team to sweep with a 9-2-1 record on Saturday nights.
Despite a late rally by the Sun Devils (16-9-1) and controlling most of the final 40 minutes, another fast start by No. 17 Cornell (9-5-1) preserved a 3-2 win and series sweep at James Lynah Rink.
"I thought in the second and third we outplayed that team," said head coach Greg Powers. "A couple critical mistakes we can't make on the road tonight – a defenseman pinching and a mishandle there in the third – and a slow start the first two minutes. Those three things cost us the game.
"As we continue to grow and try to accomplish what we want to, going on the road, you can't make those mistakes. This is one we can learn from and build from … that's a really good team."
Mistakes made the difference Saturday along with 24 blocked shots by Cornell, creating havoc for the Sun Devils to get pucks anywhere near Matt Galajda between the pipes.
"They had 24 blocked shots and we knew they are the best shot-blocking team in the country," said Powers.
Cornell's Cam Donaldson struck in the first and last two minutes of the first period, giving Big Red another 2-0 lead entering the first intermission.
For the second-straight night, another scoreless middle frame ensued. The Devils outshot Cornell in the final two periods -- 13-9 in the second and 11-7 in the third.
ASU would also outscore the Big Red in the third, but not enough to tie it up.
After nearly cutting the lead in half early on, Cornell's Morgan Barron killed ASU's onslaught with a power-play goal at 8:36 of the third. They finished 1-for-5 on the man advantage, and it would prove to be the difference.
With five minutes and change remaining, freshman Jarrod Gourley crashed into the left circle for a quick shot off a feed from Austin Lemieux behind the net to cut the game to 3-1.
The Sun Devils continued to develop chances late, and with 21 seconds left and an empty net at their backs, junior Brinson Pasichnuk fired a blast through traffic that found twine to make it a one-goal game.
Several loose pucks lingered in front off shots in the final seconds, but a 2-for-1 penalty exchange favored Cornell and would seal ASU's fate with seconds remaining.
The Sun Devils finished 0-for-5 on the man advantage.
Despite the sweep, ASU only fell one spot in the Pairwise rankings to No. 11 – a tie with Providence. They entered Saturday night's game as No. 13.
Another weekend off lies ahead for the Devils before hitting the road again to Boston University on Jan. 25-26.
Despite a late rally by the Sun Devils (16-9-1) and controlling most of the final 40 minutes, another fast start by No. 17 Cornell (9-5-1) preserved a 3-2 win and series sweep at James Lynah Rink.
"I thought in the second and third we outplayed that team," said head coach Greg Powers. "A couple critical mistakes we can't make on the road tonight – a defenseman pinching and a mishandle there in the third – and a slow start the first two minutes. Those three things cost us the game.
"As we continue to grow and try to accomplish what we want to, going on the road, you can't make those mistakes. This is one we can learn from and build from … that's a really good team."
Mistakes made the difference Saturday along with 24 blocked shots by Cornell, creating havoc for the Sun Devils to get pucks anywhere near Matt Galajda between the pipes.
"They had 24 blocked shots and we knew they are the best shot-blocking team in the country," said Powers.
Cornell's Cam Donaldson struck in the first and last two minutes of the first period, giving Big Red another 2-0 lead entering the first intermission.
For the second-straight night, another scoreless middle frame ensued. The Devils outshot Cornell in the final two periods -- 13-9 in the second and 11-7 in the third.
ASU would also outscore the Big Red in the third, but not enough to tie it up.
After nearly cutting the lead in half early on, Cornell's Morgan Barron killed ASU's onslaught with a power-play goal at 8:36 of the third. They finished 1-for-5 on the man advantage, and it would prove to be the difference.
With five minutes and change remaining, freshman Jarrod Gourley crashed into the left circle for a quick shot off a feed from Austin Lemieux behind the net to cut the game to 3-1.
The Sun Devils continued to develop chances late, and with 21 seconds left and an empty net at their backs, junior Brinson Pasichnuk fired a blast through traffic that found twine to make it a one-goal game.
Several loose pucks lingered in front off shots in the final seconds, but a 2-for-1 penalty exchange favored Cornell and would seal ASU's fate with seconds remaining.
The Sun Devils finished 0-for-5 on the man advantage.
Despite the sweep, ASU only fell one spot in the Pairwise rankings to No. 11 – a tie with Providence. They entered Saturday night's game as No. 13.
Another weekend off lies ahead for the Devils before hitting the road again to Boston University on Jan. 25-26.