The No. 8 ASU club hockey team continued its season-long domination of UA this past weekend, winning 5-2 on Friday night and 8-3 on Saturday night. The Sun Devils’ two victories over the Ice Cats moved their mark to 6-0 against UA this year.
The key in both victories was the Sun Devil’s monopoly on goal-scoring in the third periods, as ASU outscored UA by a combined score of 4-0 in the final periods.
“We still haven’t put it together for 60 minutes,” ASU junior forward Pat Lind said. “But overall, when it came down to the third period in both games, we put the clamps on to put them away.”
After UA got on the board first Friday when the Ice Cats capitalized on a turnover at center ice, ASU went to work.
Junior forward Paul Scola followed his own rebound after an initial shot from the left circle to tie the game at one only 2:14 after UA scored.
The two teams traded goals to produce a 2-2 tie early in the second period.
ASU took advantage on the power play to get a permanent lead when Scola redirected a point shot from freshman defenseman Lee Stone .
The Sun Devils tacked on another goal at the end of the second period, and then Lind put home a rebound off a Scola shot late in the third to seal the game for ASU.
The Sun Devils completely controlled the area in front of the Ice Cats’ net, as three goals came on rebounds and another came on a redirection in front.
“Our goal was to go out and throw the rubber on the net,” Lind said. “Once we started doing it, [the UA goaltender] let out a lot of rebounds and pucks bounced out and we put some goals in.”
Saturday yielded an even greater margin of victory.
After the teams exchanged goals throughout the first period to head into the first intermission tied 2-2, the Sun Devils proceeded to steamrill the Ice Cats. Freshman forward Danny Anderson put a wrist shot through the pads of UA goaltender Nick Taylor only 1:45 into the second to give ASU the lead for good.
Lind then too a loose puck from his own blue-line and weaved through three UA defenders down the ice before throwing backhand just under the glove of Taylor.
After 15 minutes of inaction to open the third period, the Sun Devils exploded for three goals in a 2:40 span by Scola, Mackey, and freshman forward Cameron Morgan to put the game away.
Reach the reporter at kaglaser@asu.edu
