Mak Barden skates with the puck against West Chester University, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe. ASU beat West Chester 9-0. (Photo by Ben Moffat)ASU hockey's first road test was a resounding success after they knocked off Minot State 4-2 on Saturday, completing a weekend week of the No. 6 team in the country.
After getting off to a slow start in Friday's series opener, ASU's offense exploded Saturday with a flurry of goals in the opening minutes.
ASU wasted no time in taking the lead on Saturday, as sophomore forward Tommy Cooney found sophomore forward Chris Burkemper just minutes into the game to open up a 1-0 lead for the Sun Devils.
Moments later ASU converted again, as freshman defenseman Ed McGovern took the puck and fired it into the next to give the Sun Devils an early 2-0 advantage.
Just minutes before the end of the first period the Sun Devil offense found the back of the net again, as sophomore defenseman Connor Schmidt scored a power play goal off of the assists from junior forward Ryan Belonger and sophomore forward Sean Murphy.
The power play goal extended a growing trend for the Sun Devils, who have now scored off of a power play in each of their last four games. It was their second power play goal of the weekend after converting on nine of 13 opportunities last weekend.
The quick start extended into the second period, as Belonger found the back of the net off a pass from senior forward Liam Norris to extend ASU's lead to 4-0.
As the game looked to be getting away from the Beavers, Minot State mounted a comeback.
Moments after allowing a fourth goal, Minot State answered with a goal of its own.
The Beavers would control the puck for a majority of the second and third periods after their first goal but were unable to push across another goal until midway through the final frame.
After Minot State cut the Sun Devil lead to 4-2, ASU's defense clamped down and the team was able to pull out the victory.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- Once again, the Sun Devils were without sophomore forward Ryan Ostertag, who is out for the second straight week with an undisclosed injury
- ASU is now 2-0 on the road this season, and 4-0 against teams ranked nationally in the ACHA top 25 (No. 6 Minot State, No. 20 Niagara).
- ASU returns home next Friday and Saturday to face in-state rivals No. 18 UA, who are coming off of a 6-5 shootout win over No. 8 Liberty on Saturday.
THREE STARS:
First Star: Ryan Belonger (one goal, one assist)
Second Star: Ed McGovern (one goal)
Third Star: Connor Schmidt (one goal)
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @fardaya15
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