DULUTH, Minn. – Sun Devil Hockey fell in its series opener against Minnesota Duluth, 3-1 (EN), on Friday night inside Amsoil Arena.
Ty Nash gave the Sun Devils (7-9-1, 3-5-1) an early 1-0 lead when the sophomore forward scored his second goal of the year during the first period. Minnesota Duluth (14-5-0, 7-4-0) used a two-goal second period to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission, then sealed the victory with an empty net goal late in the third period.
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
The Sun Devils were put on the power play in the early moments of the opening period, but had nothing to show for it. With three minutes left in the period, ASU capitalized on a two-on-one opportunity as Sean McGurn connected with Ty Nash, who scored his second goal of the season to give the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead. The Maroon and Gold carried the one goal advantage into the first intermission.
Second Period
Minnesota Duluth took advantage of its power play opportunity and tied the game, 1-1, with 12:23 left in the period. The Bulldogs added another goal late to take a 2-1 lead with 4:29 left in the second period. ASU had six shots on goal throughout the second period, though, but faced a one-goal deficit going into the game’s final period.
Third Period
Both teams traded scoring opportunities to open the third period, but the score remained 2-1 in favor of the Bulldogs by midway point of the period. With 6:11 remaining in the third period, the Sun Devils were given a five-minute power play after the Bulldogs were called for a major interference penalty following an official review. Despite firing multiple shots on goal during the power play, the Bulldogs killed the five-minute power play, before scoring an empty netter to make it 3-1.
GAME NOTES
- Arizona State’s senior goaltender Connor Hasley was credited with 36 saves throughout the contest and, as a result, moved into sixth place among active Division I goaltenders with 2,227 career saves.
- Cullen Potter had his seven-game point streak snapped on Friday night. Potter, the 32nd overall pick by the Calgary Flames in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, registered nine points - five assists, four goals - over the course of the seven-game stretch, marking the second longest point streak by a Sun Devil in program history.
- Alternate captain defenseman Brasen Boser recorded a season-high six blocks in the game.
- As a result of his assist on Ty Nash’s first period goal, defenseman Joel Kjellberg was credited with his fourth assist of the year. The sophomore leads all defenseman in points with five.
UP NEXT
Game two of the NCHC series is scheduled for 4 p.m. MST on Saturday, Dec. 12. The game will be available to watch on NCHC.TV or listen to on Fox Sports Phoenix 910AM.