Entering last weekend the No. 9 Sun Devil hockey club wanted to win its two games against No. 10 Robert Morris College and remain undefeated on the season. But, after struggling on its power play and special teams during the trip to Illinois, the Devils had to settle for a split with the Eagles.
ASU (5-1) won the first game of the weekend series Friday night 5-4. But, Robert Morris stormed back for a 4-2 victory over the Devils on Saturday.
"We played well enough to win both games," head coach Mike De Angelis said. "The effort was there and we're getting better."
Junior goaltender Colin Cook played strong in net Friday, continuing his early season dominance. He saved 30 of the 34 shots he faced on the night.
The Devils jumped out early on the Eagles, quickly taking a 2-0 lead in the first period. But, leading 5-2 after two periods, ASU allowed Robert Morris to get back into the game before holding on for the 5-4 victory.
"We had a little bit of a breakdown and they came back," De Angelis said. "We played fairly well but we did have a couple mistakes."
One of those mistakes was the team's defense on the power play. The Devils allowed Robert Morris to score two short handed goals on the night -- one in the first period and the other in the third.
The little mistakes the team made Friday escalated on Saturday as the club fell down early and never could really get the rhythm it had in previous games this year.
Junior forward Ryan Esner said playing from behind was a new experience for this year's club.
"We were playing catch up and we really hadn't done that this year," he said. "It was a good test for us because we need to know how to catch up and win close games. We just didn't capitalize on our power play and they did."
Cook saved 20 of 24 shots he faced Saturday night, but it wasn't enough as the Devils only managed to get the puck in the Eagles' net twice.
Defenseman Adam Blossey had an assist in Saturday's loss. He said the team played well over the weekend, but had to continue working hard to improve.
"I thought it was a good overall effort in both games, but the power play has to step it up," he said. "We played pretty well defensively and we did a good job of keeping the odd-man rushes down, but we can't let guys stay in front of our net and take three or four whacks at the puck."
Over the weekend, Esner had two goals and an assist to lead the Devils. Sophomore forwards Ray Corey and P.J. Nelson each added two assists.
The Sun Devils return home to battle Division II opponent Utah State Friday and Saturday at the Oceanside Arena in Tempe. The puck drops for both games at 7:15 p.m.
De Angelis said the team could overcome its past mistakes and play better in the future.
"Our special teams and our power play are what killed us," he said. "If we score on our power play things will improve for sure."
Reach the reporter at jeremy.a.cluff@asu.edu.
