After both teams struggled to muster up offense in the first 14 minutes of play Saturday night, the Arizona State Sun Devils scored to break the scoreless tie never looking back as they went on to defeat the Quinnipiac Bobcats 4-2 at the High Point Solutions Arena.
“It was a frustrating night,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “But I want to congratulate Arizona State, I thought they played hard.”
Arizona State jumped out in front when captain Dylan Hollman delivered a pass to Anthony Croston after a Bobcats turnover. Croston corralled the pass and scored to give Arizona State a 1-0 lead.
Just two minutes later, Arizona State wasted little time on their first power play opportunity of the night when Brinson Pasichnuk got a puck off the face-off at the point and shot one on net. With a plethora of bodies in front of Andrew Shortridge, the puck squirmed past the goalie to push the Arizona State lead to three.
Quinnipiac had another turnover less than 15 seconds out of the first intermission as Croston possessed the turnover and shot one past Shortridge ending the freshman’s night between the pipes. The goal silenced the Quinnipiac faithful at the High Point Solutions Arena and put Arizona State out in front, 3-0.
The Bobcats thought they restored life in the building on the power play when Craig Martin passed one from the left side of Arizona State goalie Joey Daccord and found Tim Clifton waiting on the opposite goal post. However, Clifton played the puck off his skate as it found the back of net. The goal would not stand.
Less than a minute later, during the same power play, the same unit skated down the ice as Martin played the puck to Chase Priskie who played it back to Clifton. This time the senior would not be denied as he rocketed one past Daccord to draw the Bobcats within two goals with five minutes remaining in the second period.
With the assists on the play Martin and Priskie extended their point streaks to five and four games respectively.
Arizona State would answer back, pushing its lead back up to three when Jakob Stridsberg shot a slap shot from the point grazing a Quinnipiac skater during a block attempt and redirecting the Stridsberg shot into the back of the net, giving Arizona State the 4-1 lead.
The Bobcats last effort came when they struck within two goals once again with a little over 14 minutes remaining in the third period.
The puck was played up to the blue line where it found the stick of Quinnipiac captain Connor Clifton. Clifton gathered the puck on his tape and struck the back of the net to cut the Arizona State lead to two.
Even after a late surge in the final period, the Bobcats could not find the back of the net solidifying the Arizona State victory.
“Just focus and regroup,” Tim Clifton said after the game. “Obviously tonight is a tough one. But there is nothing we can do but take a day off, rest. Come back Monday and get back to work.”
Quinnipiac will return to action next weekend when they resume ECAC Hockey play on the road against Brown and Yale.
