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ASU hockey makes history with shutout

Hoping to finish their first NCAA season on a high note, the Sun Devils record their first ever shutout.

Right wing Ryan Belonger, center, takes a shot at the goal in the second period of a game at the Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe, Ariz. The Sun Devils led Southern New Hampshire 7-1 after the second period.
Right wing Ryan Belonger, center, takes a shot at the goal in the second period of a game at the Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe, Ariz. The Sun Devils led Southern New Hampshire 7-1 after the second period.

ASU hockey continues to establish history in its first NCAA season.

On Saturday, freshman goaltender David Jacobson led ASU to its first ever shutout, beating ACHA Liberty Flames 7-0.

The last time ASU played Liberty, it was October of 2014. Neither teams were NCAA. ASU won by a slim margin of 6-4, making this matchup tough to predict.

On Saturday, ASU stepped up and overcame long-standing issues, including the inability to convert during power play and incohesive chemistry among the offense.

Junior forward Ryan Ostertag recognized that the team collectively did not “test the goalie as much as possible” in past matchups. The Sun Devils made this a focus against Liberty, slamming junior  goaltender Matt Pinel with 50 shots and dominating possession of the puck.

The majority of the shots came in the second and third period — ASU logged 15 in the first. Powers said his team adjusted and became more confident.

“The first period, we had wide open looks and our guys are just so used to shooting lanes closing so fast that the confidence wasn’t there to make plays from the blue line,” he said.

ASU headed into the second period with a 1-0 lead and a power play opportunity left behind. Throughout the season, Powers pushed the importance of converting during this advantage; however, the Sun Devils’ efforts often fell flat. Tonight, Liberty gave up six power play advantages, leading to another 35 shots on goal and six more points.

This domination of the puck allowed freshman goaltender David Jacobson time to breathe and focus on each of Liberty’s 16 shots. He didn't allow one to pass him, resulting in a 7-0 win and the Sun Devils’ first shutout in history.

“Shutouts aren’t just a personal thing,” Jacobson said. “It’s a team thing. So to play together and shut them out for 60 minutes was great.”

The collaborative effort was obvious through the fact that each of the seven points came from a different player. After junior forward Ryan Belonger scored the first goal of the night at 14:13 of the first period, points would quickly stack up from six other Sun Devils. Finishing the night with a goal and two assists, senior forward Liam Norris impressed Powers these past two weekends.

“Liam’s been really good and he’s trying to finish his career the right way,” Powers said. “He was arguably our best player last week and tonight he did a really good job. I’m glad to see him going out the right way and leading.”


Reach the reporter at ncorr@asu.edu or follow @natalieorr19 on Twitter.

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