Sophomore goalie Robert Levin makes a dramatic stop as the ice flies on Jan. 22, 2015, at Oceanside Arena in Tempe. (J. Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)The No. 1 ASU hockey team (26-3-1) defeated No. 7 Stony Brook (20-5) Thursday night with a 3-0 shutout. With the win, sophomore goalie Robert Levin had his seventh shutout, the most of any goalie currently in the ACHA.
The Sun Devils controlled the puck for the majority of the first period, with 20 shots on net compared to Stony Brook’s three. This control led ASU to be first on the scoreboard with a goal from junior forward Ryan Belonger off assists from senior forward Faiz Khan and sophomore forward David Norris.
Stony Brook was unable to capitalize on power plays during this opening period after two penalties were called against junior defenseman Jordan Young. Young was penalized for hooking and inference. During the middle of the first period, there was 30 seconds of 4-on-4 after Stony Brook sophomore forward Justin Lazalde was sent to the box for high-sticking.
The beginning of the second period had just as much energy as the previous with another goal for ASU within 15 seconds. Khan pushed ASU ahead 2-0 with his first goal of the season off assists from Norris and sophomore defenseman Drew Newmeyer.
During the first two periods, the Seawolves thought they had two goals but the net moved before the goals, causing referees to waive them.
It looked like the Sun Devils were going to pull even further ahead, but Stony Brook defensemen prevented ASU junior forward Kyle Bowen’s shot with a diving block.
There were great attempts on net during the middle period including a breakaway from sophomore forward Sean Murphy but ASU would go into the final period leading 2-0.
Stony Brook was on the power play early in the final period after sophomore forward Michael Cummings was sent to the box for cross checking, and again were unable to get on the board.
With his second goal of the season, Khan pushed the Sun Devils even further ahead with a goal off the assists from Norris and freshman defenseman Gianni Mangone.
ASU's Ryan Belonger (22), Faiz Khan and David Norris celebrate the Sun Devils' first ASU goal of the evening on Jan. 22, 2015, at Oceanside Arena in Tempe. - (J. Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)Khan had a solid performance tonight with his two goals and an assist.
“It felt good to be back," Khan said. "Last time I scored was against this team so that means at Nationals. I have been chomping at the bit to get out there and it took a few games to get it going, but it feels good.”
After a few penalties against both teams late in the final period, the Sun Devils ended up shutting out the Seawolves 3-0 in their only game this week.
ASU will play at home again next weekend against Arizona, but the lineup will be much different because of six key players traveling to Spain.
“We are going to have a different look next week. We have six guys going to Spain for the World University Games team,” ASU coach Greg Powers said. “It’s adversity that we are going to look forward to swallowing and facing; we will be fine.”
The players traveling to Spain include defensemen Jordan Young, Ed McGovern, and Connor Schmidt, as well as Ryan Belonger, Sean Murphy, and Chris Burkemper.
The next weekend series against UA at Oceanside will be Jan. 30 and 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Three Stars
Third Star: David Norris, ASU (three assists)
Second Star: Robert Levin, ASU (0 GA, shutout)
First Star: Faiz Khan, ASU (two goals, one assist)
Additional Information
- ASU will celebrate senior night and induct three former Sun Devils into its hall of fame at its home matchup against Arizona next weekend.
- In the ACHA, Liam Norris is ranked 12th for points with 40 and Sean Murphy is at 17th with his 37 points.
- Levin is one of only two goals in the league with 26 games or more played this season.
Injury Report
- Tommy Cooney is expected to be out for 2-3 weeks after suffering a lower back injury during the shootout against Lindenwood last weekend.
Reach the reporter at kewens@asu.edu or follow @katlynewens on Twitter.
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