The No. 17 Arizona (5-7-0) hockey team suffered a heartbreaking 3-1 loss to top-ranked ASU (12-0-0) on Saturday night. The game was tied 1-1 for most of the second and third periods before ASU pulled away.
“We outshot them, we out-played them,” head coach Sean Hogan said.
“ASU is obviously a very good hockey program, I’m not taking anything away from them, I just feel we didn’t get some of the bounces.”
Arizona outshot the Sun Devils 45-43 after getting dominated 7-1 and getting out shot 48-21 in Friday night’s loss.
“We definitely came out a lot stronger this game and we had it there,” freshman forward Brennen Parker said. “Just a couple bad bounces, but there’s nothing much we can do about that.”
The loss extends Arizona’s winless streak against the Sun Devils to 28 games and its losing streak against them to 10.
The Sun Devils opened up the scoring with about four minutes left in the first period, lighting the lamp after they swarmed the UA goal.
“Our mentality was better today,” Hogan said. “We decided we were going to play physical, what we call ‘Wildcat hockey,’ which is out-willing, out-competing and out-working opponents, and that’s what we’re going to be about.”
In the second period, Arizona took control of the game, outshooting ASU 19-9 and scoring. With 13:19 left, Parker scored his second goal in as many nights; sophomore forward Jason Effertz and freshman defenseman Bryan Drazner got assists.
“If we play like that, from here on out, we’ll be a really good hockey team,” Hogan said.
ASU scored the game winning goal with nine minutes left and then added a third with a 1:41 left right after an Arizona time out.
Parker said Saturday’s loss was tougher than the blowout the night before.
“We were in it the whole entire game and everyone was going, everyone was hitting, getting shots to the net,” Parker said. “It’s definitely tougher losing this way, but now we can learn from this.”
The game was delayed a few minutes after a Wildcat checked a Sun Devil into the glass in front of the student section, it broke and had to be replaced. Hogan, who is in his second year, said that was the first time it happened during his UA tenure.
“I don’t think it hurt us, that’s just going to happen,” Hogan said.
Junior goalie Steven Sisler had 40 saves, after giving up seven goals Friday night.
“The kid played great, he bounced back after last night,” Hogan said. “Tonight he was a good goalie and he held us in there, because there was times in that first period when they were all over us, but in the second and third period we out played them.”
