After the No. 19 ASU men’s hockey team lost its past two games, the team bounced back to sweep Princeton on the road on Friday and Saturday night.
No. 19 ASU (12-6) won 4-0 on Friday and won 3-2 in overtime on Saturday, Sun Devil coach Greg Powers's birthday, avenging a 4-0 defeat on his birthday last season at home against Princeton.
It didn’t take the Sun Devils much time on Friday night to put the puck into the net. Sophomore forward Johnny Walker scored just 15 seconds into the matchup, which put him at 13 goals on the season as he regained his NCAA lead.
Late in the first period, junior forward Brett Gruber scored to give ASU 2-0 advantage against Princeton.
Brinson Pasichnuk, a junior defenseman, added a goal early in the third period, and senior forward Anthony Croston finished the game with an empty net goal.
Junior goaltender Joey Daccord completed his fourth shutout this season with a 45-save performance. This win broke the program record for most wins in a season.
On Saturday, the Sun Devils nearly had deja vu, almost scoring 15 seconds into the game, but the puck deflected off the post. However, Pasichnuk and sophomore defenseman Jacob Wilson each scored in the first period to give ASU a 2-0 lead against the Tigers.
Princeton answered with two goals in the second period, and after nothing in the third period, the game went to overtime.
Following a rebound, senior forward Jake Clifford scored the winning goal to complete the series sweep.
Up next, ASU takes the ice in Tempe against Colorado College on Friday, Dec. 14 at 7:05 MST.
Reach the reporter at nahiatt@asu.edu or follow @NATE_HIATT on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepressport on Twitter.
