After No. 20 Colorado College defenseman Fisher Scott scored to make it 2-0 Tigers, Mullett Arena quietened. The boos from the fans rained down on the referees, only getting louder and louder as the patience slowly left the building.
Pair that with the Colorado College faithful in the stands, and it looked like the Maroon & Gold were outmatched — a comeback like Friday night’s wasn’t in the cards this time in Tempe.
That proved true, as ASU head coach Greg Powers and company couldn’t find the same spark from Friday night, falling 3-1 to the Tigers on Saturday, Nov. 8.
“I don’t think we played poorly tonight at all,” Powers said following the 3-1 loss. “I thought we played well. They capitalized on a couple of mistakes, they got a bounce off Dowd’s stick for the second goal. Their power play potted one, ours didn’t. Both goalies were really, really good. So it was a good, even played game and we just lost it.”
ASU’s two-point weekend now positions them with five points in NCHC (National Collegiate Hockey Conference) play.
For Colorado College, it was another fast start. Freshman Tomas Mrsic opened the scoring before Scott doubled the lead midway through the second, capitalizing on sustained zone pressure.
“Look at our record, six losses (and) in all six we’ve had the goalie pulled,” Powers said. “It’s really frustrating, because we know it could easily be flipped. It’s a young team that we just got to continue to get better.”
Freshman Jack Beck answered for Arizona State, scoring his third goal of the season — and second of the series — to cut the deficit in half.
Assisted by sophomore Cullen Potter and senior Johnny Waldron, the line continues to show strong chemistry.
“He’s a super smart guy,” Potter said. “He’s really easy to play with. And for me, just being able to play with someone that you know smart is really fun. I really like playing with him.”
The Tigers would tack on an empty-net goal late in the third to seal the win and split the weekend.
The Sun Devils’ remaining schedule doesn’t get any easier, with North Dakota University next weekend, followed by Denver and Ohio State.
Although there are still things to take away from Saturday night, despite the loss.
“I think the main thing is just focus on the positives we did and learn from the negatives, and then also just be more confident as a team together,” Potter said. “I think sometimes we miss some passes, or don’t put it right tape on tape, so I think those are big things we can focus on.”
ASU moves to 3-6-1 through nine games and will travel north to Grand Forks, North Dakota, next weekend to face the Fighting Hawks.
“We got to continue to work and keep the faith,” Powers said. “We got a great opportunity going up to a really tough environment next weekend against a really good team in North Dakota.”
Read more on The Hockey Writers
