TEMPE — No. 14 Arizona State hockey welcomed No. 5 Penn State to Mullett Arena on what promised to be a sold-out crowd and a national audience. While former Sun Devil goaltender Joey Daccord’s No. 35 was hung to the rafters of Mullett Arena, the Maroon and Gold weren’t able to deliver Daccord a win on his commemorative night, falling 6-3 to the Nittany Lions.
Currently manning the Seattle Kraken’s goal crease, Joey chants broke out from the crowd as Daccord came out onto the ice. The three-year Sun Devil backstopped ASU to its first and only NCAA tournament appearance in 2019.
“I came here like knowing the Sun Devil fans were going to be crazy, and it was going to be one kind of night,” Daccord said. “I’m just so grateful to coach, this university, and that program. To be here tonight and have this moment to share with friends, family and my old teammates is just so cool and so special.”
ASU head coach Greg Powers commented on Daccord and what he has meant to the program.
“I mean, it was awesome, I wish we could have won it for him (tonight),” Powers said. “He is the greatest ambassador for our program that you could ever ask for. He has got a great story … I am happy he got to come back and see what he helped build … He follows us every game.”
Although Powers was happy to see the program’s greatest goalie come back to his roots, his own team had to come back in the game as well.
Penn State freshman forward Gavin McKenna, the projected first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, fed junior forward Aiden Fink at the right-wing faceoff circle from the high slot, setting up Penn State’s first goal of the season. The assist marked McKenna’s first collegiate point.
“Yeah, I thought it was good … I thought it was a great game,” McKenna said. “I heard the boos when I got to touch the puck, and that was fun. Playing in a crowd like that, it’s easy to get up for a game like this.”
Penn State extended its early lead to 2-0 with less than a minute remaining in the opening period. McKenna collected the loose puck in the slot and passed it to the bottom of the right-wing faceoff circle. Cerrato, the left-handed shot, one-timed the puck into the back of the net.
“He’s a very unselfish player.” Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky said of McKenna. “I think he sees things (like) creating space when there is none … He sees the game in a unique way.”
Cerrato recorded two of his five points on the night in the first period.
“Unbelievable competitor, very skilled player,” Gadowsky said of Cerrato. “Chuck [Cerrato], he’s one of the best competitors I have ever coached.”
Arizona State mounted the start of its comeback when freshman forward Sam Alfano potted his first goal as a Sun Devil. Following a turnover near the blue line, Alfano skated down the left side, right near the faceoff circle, where he labeled the puck over the glove side of Penn State sophomore goalie Kevin Reidler.
“He could’ve easily gone south mentally after jumping and giving us a penalty,” Powers said of Alfano. “What does he do? He goes back out there, and he cuts it to one on a great goal.”
Another ASU addition got involved on the score sheet to tie the game up 2-2. Junior forward Sean McGurn scored a power-play goal that sophomore forward Cullen Potter assisted. Potter flipped a pass into the slot, and McGurn batted it into the cage.
The Maroon and Gold continued their dominant second period by tacking on their third goal of the period. Sophomore forward Ty Nash was able to find Alfano, who connected down low near the slot with sophomore forward Logan Morrell. The Michigan Tech transfer slid it through Reidler’s five-hole.
The goals from McGurn and Morell came 44 seconds apart.
“It was great,” Powers said. “That was a really, obviously great stretch of hockey there for us, and we have to find a way to replicate that.”
The Sun Devils looked to cling to a one-goal lead heading into the third period. However, the Nittany Lions posted a four-goal third period, while allowing no goals. Junior forward Matt DiMarsico notched a hat-trick in the game’s final period, which included the game-tying and winning goals.
“I was really happy to see us come back,” Gadowsky said. “I think we got our heads back in the game … A couple big-time players made some big-time plays.”
For the Nitanny Lions and the Sun Devils, the chance to play in the national spotlight was something that could only be dreamed of a while back.
“I think it’s awesome that two very recent programs to join the NCAA Division I are getting this kind of attention,” Gadowsky said. “Top 15 matchup and in a great environment and excellent hockey game.”
The national media were there for several reasons, one of the biggest being McKenna’s collegiate debut. He finished with two primary assists on the night.
“You know what, I give him a lot of credit,” Gadowsky said of McKenna. “ He was really good without the puck, like really good. He played his position well in the d-zone, which actually really impressed me … He is a different animal. He sees the game in a unique way, and he is quick, so really fun to watch.”
For most young players and most 17-year-olds, the moment could get too bright in front of a sold-out crowd of people booing you and national spotlights on you, but for McKenna, he relished the experience.
“I think when you are out there, it is quiet,” McKenna said. “You are just playing the game you love. Obviously, away from the rink, there is a little pressure, but I think staying off social media helps with that a little bit … I am just a normal kid. I think sometimes people do not see that. I like golfing and hanging out with my buddies.”
McKenna’s teammate, Cerrato, chimed in with a few thoughts of his own.
“Like he is Gavin McKenna. He is the guy,” Cerrato said. “ I do not think you guys see the amount of outside noise he deals with … we got people coming to the hotel late at night, after dinner, it is crazy. He is 17 and he is handling like that, it is incredible.”
As mentioned previously, it was a big night for Daccord, who had his jersey retired. His decorated senior season led him to a Mike Richter Award finalist, awarded to the best goalie in college hockey. From there, he became the first Sun Devil to be drafted, signed and play in an NHL game.
Daccord knows all about the highs and lows of a hockey season. He will tell you himself that it was not all easy sledding in his career at Arizona State or in the NHL.
“I have been given a lot of advice, but for me, the biggest thing was always believing in myself,” Daccord said. “It appears like people were always that good, or it was always smooth sailing … It was not like that for me, and it hardly is like that for anyone ever.”
The Sun Devils aim to carry their belief into Saturday’s matchup with the Nittany Lions. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. MST at Mullett Arena.
“You have to find a way to keep going through the ups and downs … It is going to make you stronger, and that is what I learned here,” Daccord said of Arizona State. “I went through a lot of ups and downs that prepared me for professional hockey, and I feel like that made me a better person, too.”
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