The Sun Devils' impressive first National Collegiate Hockey Conference season was full of firsts but fell short in the conference tournament on March 21.
ASU entered the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Minnesota, needing a conference title to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. Those chances shrank drastically when ASU lost to Denver 4-2 in the tournament semifinals.
In a conference where they were picked to finish eighth, the Sun Devils finished second in the regular season and won a conference playoff series for the first time in program history.
Head coach Greg Powers said this season was a success and his team deserves to keep playing.
"I think that this year we definitely earned respect," Powers said in a postgame press conference . "We feel like a team that should still be playing. We are the first team in the history of the NCHC to finish second and not advance."
Denver showed why they are the defending national champions in the first period. The Pioneers got off to a hot start with sophomore defenseman Boston Buckberger scoring one minute and 29 seconds into the game.
Denver created chaos in front of senior goaltender Luke Pavicich. Screens and low shots created rebounds, making it difficult for the Sun Devil defense.
ASU had Sun Devils in the penalty box twice in the first period, giving Denver the opportunity to use its second-best power play in the country. Denver's sophomore forward Sam Harris scored after a scramble in front of the net created a rebound the Sun Devils couldn't clear.
"I thought the first was a pretty evenly played period," Powers said. "We were in this position last week down 3-0. It's a team (ASU) that it didn't matter what the score was at any point in the year, any point in the game; we have the weapons to get back against anybody."
Senior forward and NCHC top scorer Ryan Kirwan broke Denver's seal with a power play goal halfway through the second.
With a few seconds left in the period, graduate forward Artem Shlaine created a turnover in front of the net to pop another one in and tie the game. Powers said Shlaine likely fractured his foot blocking a shot in the first period, making his game-tying goal that much more impressive.
"We've got a great support staff," Shlaine said in a postgame press conference. "They've done everything all year to put guys on the ice to play, and they do their best. I'm super thankful to them throughout the year. They've done an unbelievable job."
The Pioneers scored the game-winning goal 10 minutes into the third. Powers pulled Pavicich a few minutes later to give the Sun Devils a man advantage with the empty net.
The Sun Devils couldn't get the job done. Denver scored an empty net goal to seal the win over ASU and punch its ticket to the Frozen Faceoff championship game against Western Michigan.
The Sun Devils moved down to No. 16 in the PairWise rankings, likely eliminating them from NCAA playoff contention. The team's last hope is for the selection committee to choose it over schools like Michigan or Minnesota State.
Senior defenseman Ty Murchison, the NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year, said the loss stung due in part to its playoff implications.
"This is home for me," Murchison said in a postgame press conference per Devils Digest. "I can't even express how much this place means to me and how amazing of a program it is and how well Greg (Powers) has done with these teams over the years and how special it really is. It's still fresh, it hurts really bad, this felt like a team that could go all the way. It was by far the most special group I have been a part of in my four years."
Edited by Jack Barron, Sophia Braccio and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporters at niall.rosenberg@gmail.com and Gbarberi@asu.edu and follow @RosenbergNiall and @Giobarberio1 on X.
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Giovanni is a sophomore studying history. This is his third semester with The State Press.
Niall is a junior studying sports journalism. This is his first semester with The State Press. He has also worked at WCSN and Blaze Radio.
