In a game that lasted 60 minutes, it took just a few seconds for the ASU ice hockey team to secure a win against intrastate rival UA at the new Glendale Arena, 3-1.
After an opening two periods that saw the No. 12 Ice Devils (12-12-3) look sluggish and out-of-place inside the spacious NHL arena, a quick barrage of shots at Ice Cats' goalie Brian Aronchick left ASU with two goals in a 15-second span.
Team captain, junior defenseman Adam Blossey started the action with a goal 21 seconds into the period. Then, with a new line on the ice, sophomore forward Wes Pongracz put another puck past Aronchick.
"We knew the weekend was on the line," ASU head coach Mike De Angelis said. "The guys came out in the third and just rode the wave."
Before the rapid scoring burst, Aronchick, a junior from Pennsylvania, had been nearly unbeatable, as he blocked 22 of the Ice Devils' first 23 shots.
Sophomore Nate Schoenfeld led the Ice Devils between the pipes, making 22 saves and shutting No. 16 UA (11-10-2) down in the final two periods.
The breaks went ASU's way throughout the day. Five minutes into the game, the Ice Cats appeared to score a goal through Schoenfeld's five-hole. However, ASU senior defenseman Kelley Lytle was able to clear the puck as it rested on the goal line.
"It has to cross completely on the goal line, and (Lytle) stopped it before it did," Schoenfeld said.
In the opening night of the two-game series on Friday, Arizona defeated the Ice Devils 6-3 at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe. ASU took their first lead of the night on a goal by senior Jeremiah Jones with 2.6 seconds remaining in the second period -- much to the delight of the capacity crowd of nearly 500.
The lead was short lived as the Ice Cats scored four unanswered in the third period, including an empty net goal with just over two minutes remaining to put the game on ice.
Freshman forward Justin Hart led ASU with a goal and an assist. Freshman forward Tony Biffignani -- the team's leader in goals -- added his 14th of the season in the losing effort.
Reach the reporter at jeffrey.hoodzow@asu.edu.
