The Arizona State Sun Devils (1-2-0) hosted the Michigan Wolverines (2-1-0) for their first home opener as a member of the NCHC on Friday afternoon. Special teams, an unbeatable goalie, and a second-period collapse were the difference makers in a 4-1 loss for the Sun Devils.
If you have kept up with the state of hockey in Arizona you would know that the Coyotes are no more. The Sun Devils are Arizona’s hockey team now and you could feel that through the energy displayed throughout Mullett Arena.
The arena was packed, the student section was loud and the Sun Devils fed off it once the puck dropped. It was high-paced and the Sun Devils carried a majority of the play getting five shots on net in the first four minutes of the game. The Wolverines didn’t settle into the game and get their first grade-A opportunity till just before the halfway mark of the first period.
“It was a full-team buy-in, every guy was hunting pucks whether it was in the D-zone or O-zone,” said senior captain Ethan Szmagaj.
“We didn’t close out the first period […] I thought we probably outplayed them in the first and then to go out with a one-goal deficit was disappointing,” said ASU coach Greg Powers.
From that point, it was back-and-forth with both teams trading opportunities off the rush but neither goaltender could be beaten.
Arizona State junior goaltender Gibson Homer made an incredible back-door save with his right pad late in the first period to keep it scoreless.
With 1:42 left to go in the first period, Wolverines junior forward Josh Eernisse picked up a loose puck in the corner and quickly shoveled it to the front of the net where sophomore forward Garret Schifsky deposited it in the back of the net to give Michigan a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.
The momentum the Wolverines developed near the end of the first carried into the second period as they wasted no time capitalizing again.
The Sun Devils started the second period on the power play but if anything it looked like the opposite. Freshman defenseman Sam Court turned the puck over in the neutral zone allowing the Wolverines to go in on a 2-on-1 shorthanded. Junior forward Jackson Hallum slid one across to Schifsky who potted his second goal of the game giving the Wolverines a 2-0 lead.
“You give a talented team like Michigan odd-man opportunities and 2on1s, they’re going to put it in the back of the net […] they’re one of the best teams in the country for a reason,” said Powers.
Michigan wasn’t done adding to the scoreboard early in the second period. 3:20 in, 2024 first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens Michael Hage, gave Michigan a 3-0 lead. The freshman forward deflected in a shot from the point on the power play, giving the Wolverines complete control.
Michigan continued to feed off of that great start to the second period and the Sun Devils along with the energy in the building collapsed. The Wolverines were exceptional on the forecheck not allowing the Sun Devils to breakout which caused them to panic and continue to give pucks away. It was giveaway after giveaway while the Wolverines hemmed ASU in their own zone. All structure and flow disappeared from the Sun Devils’ game and they began to play sloppy and desperate for the majority of the second period.
“It was obviously a tough stretch right […] it was a big momentum swing, it took us probably the next ten minutes to get out of a rut,” said Powers.
The Sun Devils started to get back to their game late in the second getting pucks to the net and creating chances. ASU finished the game with 36 shots but couldn’t find a way to figure out Wolverines graduate goaltender Logan Stein, only mustering up one measly goal.
The third period was really where the Sun Devils tried to fight their way back into the game. Down three goals, they were generating some good looks but Stein continued to shut the door.
With 6:40 left to go in regulation, the Sun Devils went to the power play. Unable to capitalize on the previous three power plays, graduate forward Ty Jackson finally got the Sun Devils on the board.
Jackson’s goal injected some life back into the Sun Devils and with two minutes left, a power play and their goalie pulled, there was still some hope.
With 20 seconds left in the game, the Sun Devil slayer triple-dipped. Schifsky iced the game with an empty netter collecting a hat trick and his fourth goal of the season.
The Sun Devils have a chance to bounce back and earn a split against Michigan as game two is set for 5 p.m. at the Mullett.
“We just gotta be more physical, they came out hard and fast but we’re not scared of it,” Szmagaj said.
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