NEWARK, Del.– It took until Thursday night, but No. 1 ASU hockey knows its first-round opponent.
With a 4-3 victory in the play-in round Thursday night, No. 16 Rhode Island advanced to the round of 16 to face the top-seeded Sun Devils.
“They’re a hard-working, grind-it-out team,” ASU coach Greg Powers said of the Rams. “They’re here for a reason and they beat a good team tonight.”
Rhode Island lost last year as a No. 17 seed to No. 16 Stony Brook 6-3 in last year’s tournament. This year, they advance to play the ACHA’s top team.
But the game didn’t start well for the Rams: Lindenwood dominated Rhode Island in the first period, putting up two with allowing Rhode Island to score.
Then the Rams’ offense showed up and never looked back. Rhode Island scored twice in the second frame, both by sophomore forward Brian Gara, and twice more in the third.
The fourth Rhode Island goal was unblockable by any goalie in any level from mites to the NHL. Sophomore forward Robbie Buehrer came in off the right wing side, deked to his left and fired a wrist-shot to beat junior goalie Linus Ahgren high stick-side.
Gara, Buehrer and the rest of the Rams are going to need to be at the top of their game in their toughest challenge of the season Friday night. They put up four against a stingy defense, but ASU only allowed four goals or more in a season once.
Powers said he would like to use one goalie for the entire tournament, and it would seem that goalie being freshman Robert Levin, who led the ACHA in goals agains average (1.12), save percentage (.956) and tied with six shutouts.
Whoever is in net, either Levin or senior Joe D’Elia, he will be up against a Rhode Island team that averaged 3.7 goals per game in the regular season. Buehrer led the team with 16 goals and tied for the lead with 31 points.
Additional notes:
– ASU and Rhode Island met twice last season, with the Sun Devils pitching two shutouts in Tempe and outscoring the Rams 7-0.
– The winner of Friday’s game will play the winner of No. 8 Delaware and No. 9 Minot State. ASU was a combined 3-0 against both teams in the regular season.
– Lindenwood’s loss not only eliminated the Lions, but a chance for a 2013 tournament rematch. Lindenwood eliminated ASU in the semifinals last year.
– Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. at Fred Rust Ice Arena.
Reach the reporter at justin.emerson@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @J15Emerson
