GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Sun Devil Hockey sophomore netminder Evan DeBrouwer set a career-high in saves with 44 Saturday as No. 20 Sun Devil Hockey tied No. 4 Denver, 2-2. The tie at Gila River Arena came after ASU notched a 4-1 win over the Pioneers (9-4-3) last night, and Sanchez's goal tonight marked his fifth goal of the season and 13th point in his last 10 games.
"The takeaway is a lot of positive from one of the best teams in the country, but our goalie held us in it," said head coach Greg Powers. "It stings right now, a little more than it probably should with the nature of how they outplayed us because we were 40 seconds away from sweeping them.
"They are a heck of a team and I think as we progress throughout the season, we're going to look back on this weekend and see it as a major building block."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
"The takeaway is a lot of positive from one of the best teams in the country, but our goalie held us in it," said head coach Greg Powers. "It stings right now, a little more than it probably should with the nature of how they outplayed us because we were 40 seconds away from sweeping them.
"They are a heck of a team and I think as we progress throughout the season, we're going to look back on this weekend and see it as a major building block."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both teams were held scoreless in the first 20 minutes, while the Pioneers outshot the Sun Devils 12-9.
- Nearly eight minutes into the second period, senior defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk took a shot on net and sophomore forward P.J. Marrocco capitalized on the rebound to give the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead.
- During a 5-on-3 penalty kill, Denver was able to sneak in a goal on a backdoor tap in to tie the game.
- Late in the 2nd, Sanchez received a centering pass from junior forward Johnny Walker and the loose puck dribbled five-hole on goaltender Devin Cooley to give the Sun Devils their second lead of the night.
- In a last-ditch effort, the Pioneers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with 40 seconds remaining, and were able to finally get one past DeBrouwer to tie the game, 2-2.
- With the conclusion of regulation, the game went into a five-minute overtime where neither team was able to capitalize.
- ASU dealt Denver their first winless non-conference road trip since Dec. 30-31, 2016 vs. Providence (also: 0-1-1)
- Four-game unbeaten streak vs. top-10 opponents
- James Sanchez recorded his 13th point in his last 10 games (4 G, 9 A)
- He has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) in 8 home games this season
- 44 saves were a career best for DeBrouwer, surpassing his previous mark of 38 on Oct. 19 @ Air Force
- DeBrouwer is on a five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2), allowing just six goals (1.2/G) while posting a .960 SV% (144 saves on 150 shots) in that time
- The Sun Devils are unbeaten in their last three games @ Gila River Arena after going 1-8-0 in their previous nine.
- The Sun Devils are on a seven-game home unbeaten streak
- Longest since 10 in a row from Oct. 26, 2018 to Feb. 16, 2019
- ASU is 5-2-1 in their last 8 contests vs. NCHC opponents after going 0-10-2 in their first 12.