TEMPE – At the 4:19 mark in overtime, with neither team finding a goal, Sun Devil junior center Jack O’Brien ripped a shot down Broadway.
As the ASU faithful leapt to their feet in excitement, a referee’s arms waved frantically side-to-side, signaling no goal. The reason? A matter of inches.
The Denver native’s shot just hit the vertical post, diminishing his chance to seal a dagger against his hometown team. As the arena attempted to calm down, the game ended on the opposite end.
Just 48 seconds after the rattling shot, the reigning national champions walked off when their freshman defenseman Daxon Rudolph walked it off with a deflected shot into the net.
Despite the loss, ASU coach Dave Hakstol was not disappointed by the outcome. Especially after he watched the same team lose 6-3 just two nights ago in the same venue.
“You’re based on wins and losses, right?” Hakstol said. “So, we’re really disappointed in not getting the win in OT and the extra point and all that. But, we addressed a lot of things from two days ago that our players did a really nice job carrying out onto the ice.”
Arizona State (5-5, 1-3 NCHC) dropped game two of the series to the Denver Pioneers (7-2-1, 4-0 NCHC) in a 1-0 overtime bout. After splitting in the shot department and controlling the pace, the Sun Devils could not find the same physicality in the third or overtime.
Sophomore goalie Samuel Urban led the way for Hakstol’s squad and gave them a fighting chance all afternoon long. He finished the Sunday matinee with 40 total saves and a .976 save percentage.
Unfortunately, for the Sun Devil loyal in attendance, he could not find the final exclamation point to close it out. His teammate and junior defender Rylan Brown made a great recovery on the puck and blocked it, but it rolled right past the netminder.
Urban’s confidence in the crease and heart-stopping saves urged his team to keep fighting against a consensus top-ranked conference opponent.
“He’s (Urban) definitely our best player,” sophomore forward Logan Morrell said. “He played unbelievable.
“He’s probably our hardest worker. I just feel like every day with him, it’s something where he’s getting better. He’s focusing on a new detail and shows up to the games.”
ASU came out aggressive on the offensive end, creating different opportunities in the first 20 minutes of the contest. With a mentality to “dump and run,” the Sun Devils’ speed proved evident against a strong Denver defense.
In the first period alone, the Maroon and Gold outshot the Pioneers 12-9 and won 11 faceoffs compared to Denver’s five. In the second, it was more balanced, but still leaned towards ASU in the offensive category.
But the third period and overtime proved costly for Sparky. Outshot 19-7, the Sun Devils felt No. 4’s pressure the entirety of the end, with the momentum eventually leading to exhausted skaters.
“I believe we can still make a significant step in terms of our conditioning,” Hakstol said. “You know, 60-minute hockey back-to-back nights, you have to be in such good condition to compete at the level that you need in this league.”
Just two days ago, on Friday, November 6, 2026, ASU was tied with Denver again headed into the third. From there, the Pioneers went on to score four goals in the final period.
While Sunday took 1:37 of an overtime period to decide, the speed and competitiveness of the NCHC is still an adjustment.
“Physicality has changed over the years,” Hakstol said. “Now it’s at such a high pace, and it’s in such tight spaces, and it is like every shift, it’s just there. So beyond the National Hockey League, this league is as tough as it gets.”
The Sun Devils penalty kill also kept them knotted with Denver, as they went 4-for-4 in the special teams category. Coming into the match ranked 4th in the NCHC at 90%, Hakstol’s squad did not falter at mismatches.
ASU also impressed in the faceoff department against the conference’s third-best team in the circle. Morrell led the way at a 13-for-18 clip, while his forward teammates Jack O’Brien and Daniel Shlaine both had seven faceoff wins themselves.
“I think it’s just detail,” Morell said. “That’s been a huge kind of harp on us. You know, Greeny (Assistant Coach Matt Greene) has come in, and he’s done a really good job with the PK and just bearing down on detail.”
After a weekend off from the competition, the Sun Devils will head north to take on Minnesota-Duluth. With another tough conference opponent on the schedule, the team has another opportunity to prove its skill.
Hakstol plans on using the restful week to build on some more details and refine the simple aspects of the game within his locker room.
“I think we’re getting there,” Hakstol said. “I thought today was a big step in the right direction for us. The great thing about it, coming out of it, we’ll break it down, and we’ll look at it. We’ll show the guys, and they’ll grow from it.”
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