A quick start helped the ASU men's club ice hockey team breeze to a 7-0 win over visiting Utah State on Saturday night at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe.
The Ice Devils (6-8-3) started so quickly that they were up 2-0 before Utah State registered its first shot of the game.
Freshman defenseman Adam Vanek opened the scoring just over four minutes into the contest, and sophomore forward Ryan Esner netted his first of three goals a minute and a half later.
Esner and teammates Adam Schoenfeld and Adam Fuelleman were the most successful ASU line of the night with Schoenfeld posting four assists to complement Esner's hat trick.
ASU head coach Mike De Angelis said he put the line together earlier in the day because he wanted to combine the trio's speed and ability to make plays.
"I hope to keep that line together," said De Angelis of the line that produced nine points.
Schoenfeld, a senior forward, said the overall speed of the line is what makes it so strong and forces opponents into bad situations. On Esner's third goal of the night, Schoenfeld and Fuelleman created a turnover at center ice and raced in on an odd-man rush before feeding a pass to Esner in front of the net for the goal.
The rest of the Ice Devils lineup displayed an impressive amount of speed as well, and the Aggies couldn't keep up. With ASU leading 5-0 in the second period, Utah State's frustration boiled over and started a parade to the penalty box.
The Ice Devils kept their composure throughout the game, and sophomore forward Kelsey Johnston scored on a power play late in the second period.
ASU kept the puck out of its own zone, and sophomore goalie Nate Schoenfeld was rarely tested in the shutout.
On Friday, the Ice Devils tied Utah State 4-4 in the opener of the two-game series.
Reach the reporter at cameron.eickmeyer@asu.edu.
