In game one of its final NCAA series of the season, ASU hockey’s best efforts to rally weren’t enough as it fell 4-2 to No. 9 Western Michigan.
The Friday night contest in Kalamazoo wasn’t the first time the Sun Devils have faced a top-ranked opponent this year; in fact, it was ASU’s 20th of the 21 games it will play this year against a nationally ranked opponent.
Western Michigan’s top-ten status proved legitimate when it squelched not one but two game-tying goals by the Sun Devils, answering back to keep the Broncos in the lead.
“That is one hell of a hockey team that our boys competed with for 60 minutes,” head coach Greg Powers said through Sun Devil Athletics. “It definitely hurts worse when you know you competed hard enough to win, and that's how our guys feel right now. However, we can build off that effort moving forward into tomorrow night."
HIGHLIGHTS: @WMUHockey tops Arizona State in first ever meeting between teams, 4-2 #NCHCHockey #NCHCtv https://t.co/OnXU4PL0Tg
— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) February 4, 2017
The Broncos were on the board first when sophomore forward Colt Conrad — a product of Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a popular hockey prep school that also produced ASU’s Jake Montgomery — put one past ASU freshman goalie Joey Daccord.
With nearly 12 minutes to play in the first period, it was 1-0 Broncos.
The game went scoreless until midway through the second period when sophomore forward Anthony Croston tied things up. He’s had the hot hand lately, and that goal was his tenth of the season.
Conrad lit the lamp for a second time, though, re-gaining the lead for the Broncos with a power play goal with two minutes left in the second that made it 2-1, WMU.
Nearing the midway point in the third period, the Sun Devils answered back again, as junior forward Wade Murphy scored on the power play to knot things up at two.
WMU finished 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Sun Devils went 1-for-1.
The Broncos answered back from another tying goal, as sophomore defenseman Corey Schueneman put an even-strength goal past Daccord to make it 3-2.
An empty-net goal from WMU with 13 seconds left in the game made it 4-2, where the score would remain.
In a bright spot for the Sun Devils, Daccord’s play earned him the “third star” of the game as he made 35 saves. It was his second start in as many games, the last one coming in ASU’s upset of No. 17 Quinnipiac last weekend.
WMU and ASU will play a rematch on Saturday at 5 p.m. MST.
Reach the reporter at matthew.layman@asu.edu or follow @Mattjlayman on Twitter.
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