The University of Arizona men’s hockey team swept a two-game home series against ASU over the weekend, winning the first match 5-4 on Dec. 6 and the final matchup 7-0 on Dec. 7 in Tucson Arena.
Game 1
Arizona began the first game against the Sun Devils with Haydn Gould in net. Coming into this series, Gould had started 10 games for the Wildcats as he boasts a 7-5 record after starting all three games in the Maryville Invitational Showcase.
ASU got its first points on the board after Matthew Gross scored a goal to lead 1-0 through the first period.
Arizona tied the game 1-1 in the second period off a goal by defenseman Nicholas Chiocca. Chiocca set a new career high because of this goal, scoring his 6th goal of the season.
The Wildcats went on the power play with 9:40 left in the second period and capitalized on a goal by forward Dylan Walker, giving Arizona a 2-1 lead.
Forward Riley Ruh was able to score late in the frame as ASU found no answer, trailing 3-1 heading into the third period. With 17:12 remaining, forward Tyler Shetland scored his first goal of the season, further extending the Wildcats’ lead to 4-1.
Despite being down 4-1, the Sun Devils were able to rally and scored 3 straight goals in the last 14 minutes to send the game to overtime. The overtime period saw no goals scored between either team as the game headed to a shootout.
Forward Justin Hughes ended the shootout after scoring the game-winning goal in the third round, giving Arizona the 5-4 win and its first victory in the back-to-back matchups against ASU.
Game 2
Gould started once again for Arizona, with the team’s hopes set on a potential series sweep. Forward Brian Ericsson started the scoring for Arizona, with a first period goal to give the team a 1-0 lead. The score was quickly doubled as Walker scored his second goal of the series to extend the 2-0 lead. This score was held until the end of the first period.
The Wildcats had complete control and recorded their best period of the season in the second frame, scoring 5 consecutive goals. Will Josephson, Walker, Chiocca, Carter Hanrahan and Ruh each contributed to the scoring spree.
Arizona stunned the Sun Devils, dominating the game with a 7-0 lead heading into the third period.
Gould continued his strong play in the third period, posting a shutout in a 7-0 Arizona Cactus Cup.
Looking ahead
Arizona is now ranked No. 7 in the WCHL standings with 16 points on the season. The Wildcats will play their next game on Dec. 12 against Minot State University, whom Arizona recently lost to 3-2 on Nov. 21 at the Maryville Invitational Showcase. After facing Minot State, Arizona will have a break until Jan. 10 with an important January schedule ahead.
Follow the Daily Wildcat on Instagram and Twitter/X
