In a thorough 5-2 victory over ACHA No. 6 Ohio on Saturday, ACHA No. 4 ASU looked like it wanted to make a statement.
ASU swept the series with a close 4-3 win Friday night, but the one-goal victory didn’t seem to feel that way, as the team started out hot going up 3-0 in the first period before being outscored 3-1 in the final two periods.
“They threw the house at us (Friday) and we survived,” coach Greg Powers said. “That’s a good hockey team we just swept. (Saturday) we were just way better from start to finish.”
ASU controlled much of the physical play in the second game, which led to the team’s success. Big hit after big hit wore down an Ohio team that was playing its third game in three days.
“When they hit us, we hit back,” ASU senior defenseman Jason Maltese said. “The more physical we are, the more they layup. When they layup we get the goals.”
That aggression partly stemmed from the questionable officiating. One of the biggest turning points in the series from a momentum standpoint occurred with 1:15 left in the first period of second game, where after a scuffle involving both teams, ASU sophomore captain Colin Hekle was given 10-minute misconduct.
For the rest of the period the Sun Devils asserted themselves putting Ohio on its heels with tough physical play.
Despite this, the questionable calls late in both games kept Ohio in the series. 29 penalties were committed in the two games, which is close to five penalties per period.
“It was both ways bad officiating,” Powers said. “For both these guys, they are not ready to call games at this level. It’s as simple as that. It’s disappointing that we got Ohio to come all the way from Ohio and got this kind of officiating. It’s embarrassing.”
There were also two goal decisions in the second game that could have played a big part in the outcome. In both situations, it was questionable whether the puck crossed the goal line or not. ASU had a goal disallowed first and then Ohio had a goal awarded later on.
With so many questionable calls the special teams’ play was crucial. ASU, led by their senior backstop Mark Schacker, played exceptionally well on the penalty kill shutting down two two man advantages for Ohio in the third period of game one.
“In those situations, I am just trying to keep track of the puck, because if I can see it, usually I can stop it,” Schacker said, “We kind of knew, after yesterday, how they set up and where they liked to move the puck.”
Schacker said that one of the things that helped him so much was getting the lead early in both games.
“We get that first goal and it allows me to relax a little,” Schacker said. “Not that I’m complacent, but I’m not on edge where I don’t want the other team to score first.”
ASU junior forward Dan Styrna, led the offensive attack with two goals and three assists in the series. Both he and sophomore Kale Dolinski won almost every battle to the puck with the Ohio defenders, making life miserable for Ohio in their defensive zone.
After Friday’s game senior defenseman Kris Myshak was released from the team because of private matters. Myshak had played in 93 games in his career at ASU.
There were two recruits in attendance this weekend. Forward Mike Henrici from Manhattanville College and Joseph Delia from Davenport are both considering a transfer to ASU.
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
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