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ASU women's hockey sweeps Colorado State

The ASU women's hockey team defeated Colorado State 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at home

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ASU senior forward Amber Galles (22) gains control of a loose puck in the second period of ASU's 5-3 loss to CU Boulder on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017 at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe, Arizona.


ASU defeated Colorado State 2-1 on Saturday afternoon, picking up its first sweep of the 2017-18 season. The Sun Devils were back on the ice less than 24 hours after their dramatic overtime victory against CSU on Friday night. 

Going into Saturday night’s matchup with Colorado State, ASU senior forward and captain Amber Galles had eight points in just five games, and she has picked up a point in every game this season. 

With just under a minute remaining in the third period, that streak was in jeopardy. However, Galles would keep this pattern going when ASU needed it the most. The Sun Devils put the game away with 16.2 seconds remaining in the third period when Galles buried a loose puck in the back of the net.

“The rebounds tonight were big,” Galles said. “Getting to the net and being there, and being an option was a big key.”

On Saturday, CSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a goal by freshman forward Stephanie Talone less than five minutes into the first period.

Saturday was ASU’s breast cancer awareness game, and the Sun Devils donned their pink jerseys in support of breast cancer research.

Despite the slow start in the first period, ASU would turn things around in the second period when sophomore forward Megan Mroczek broke free on and buried a shot through the five-hole. 

The last time Mroczek participated in ASU's breast cancer game, she experienced a debilitating injury. 

“It feels really good,” Mroczek said of her goal. “The last time I wore the pink jerseys, I broke my spine. It’s good to stay safe and score goals.”

Last week, Mroczek did not play against Colorado-Boulder due to illness, and she was happy to get back on the ice with her teammates for the CSU series. Her goal to tie the game in the second period was her first of the season.

“It felt good to play,” Mroczek said. “Watching sucks … it felt good to move again, and I am feeling way better.”

Sophomore forward Alyssa Ayers picked up the assist on Mroczek’s goal.

“She has really stepped up,” head coach Lindsey Ellis said. “We moved her to the first power play, and moved her to the PK (penalty kill), and she has been able to step up in practice and during games and everything else, so her leadership shows.”

Among other notable Sun Devils, senior defenseman KC McGinley picked up an assist on Galles’ game winning goal, and sophomore goaltender Jordan Nash-Boulden made a number of crucial saves during the third period to give ASU an opportunity to pick up the victory.

One of the most pivotal points in the game was at the start of the third period, when ASU was faced with a five-on-three penalty kill for 52 seconds. 

The Sun Devils killed the penalty and picked up some momentum throughout the rest of the period.

“Not only Jordan, but when we had to kill those penalties … that’s what made or broke our game right there,” Ellis said. “That was huge for our game overall.”

During the penalty kill, Nash-Boulden made back-to-back critical stops to help kill the penalties. Despite Nash-Boulden’s performance between the pipes, she credited her teammates in front of her, who kept traffic out of the way all night long.

Following its first sweep of the season, ASU will now take to the road for the first time this season. However, until then, the Sun Devils will enjoy some rest until the beginning of November, when they play the University of Minnesota on Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. MST to start a difficult road test.


Reach the reporter at atbell1@asu.edu or follow @AndrewBell7 on Twitter.

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