ASU hockey took the ice looking for its first NCAA win Friday night, but came up short as it was defeated in overtime.
On Saturday, junior Ryan Belonger's breakaway goal with 34 seconds left in regulation gave the Sun Devils (1-1) their first Division I victory, a 2-1 win over Alaska Fairbanks in the Kendall Hockey Classic.
The man himself with the puck that won the game pic.twitter.com/YOHhGv4nBI
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 11, 2015
ASU head coach Greg Powers opted to put Ryland Pashovitz between the pipes, and the freshman faced an early barrage before Alaska Fairbanks (1-2) captain Tyler Morley finally got one past him to give the Nanooks a 1-0 lead in the first period.
However, the Sun Devils responded when Garrett Peterson — a graduate transfer from Notre Dame — scored off a rebound to tie the game 1:13 into the second period. Saturday marked Peterson's 42nd NCAA game, the most of anyone on ASU.
Freshman defenseman Joey Raats continued his energetic play with yet another assist on Peterson's goal. And to go along with his late-game heroics, Belonger was also credited with an assist which is perhaps lost in all of the madness.
After a seemingly pressure-filled start in net, Pashovitz was solid the rest of the way, finishing with 37 saves, including an impressive pad save to keep the game level in the second period.
Perhaps the most underrated moment in the game was when ASU was down two men due to penalties. Facing a 5-on-3 Alaska Fairbanks attack, the Sun Devils only allowed one shot in seven minutes.
Those crucial seven minutes proved to be the Nanooks' lone power play opportunity. However, ASU failed to convert on its two opportunities.
After putting 23 shots on goal the night before against Alaska Anchorage, ASU finished Saturday's game with 26 shots on Alaska Fairbanks junior Davis Jones.
Another notable storyline was junior forward Ryan Ostertag, who played his first shift in 384 days after an injury ended his sophomore campaign.
Sun Devil hockey continues its road trip as it travels to Connecticut next week for three games in three days against Quinnipiac, Connecticut, and Sacred Heart on Oct. 15-17.
Reach the reporter at Justin.Toscano@asu.edu or follow @justintoscano3 on Twitter
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