ASU Hockey’s Growing Pains Continue in Costly Loss to St. Cloud State
TEMPE - Arizona State had its moment. Tied 1-1 in the third period, freshman forward Sam Alfano jumped a pass deep in St.
Cloud State’s zone and suddenly had nothing but open ice and the goaltender in front of him. It was a golden opportunity - the kind that can flip a game - but Alfano’s shot sailed wide, and with it, a chance to take control slipped away.
Moments later, the game turned. A costly turnover in ASU’s own zone led to St.
Cloud junior Tyson Gross burying his second goal of the night, silencing Mullett Arena and putting the Sun Devils on their heels with just eight minutes left in regulation. That was the backbreaker in a 4-1 loss that felt closer than the score suggests - but still counts the same in the standings.
For a Sun Devils team now sitting at 13-15-1 overall and 6-10-1 in NCHC play, the result stings. It’s their fourth loss in five games, and another reminder that close isn’t good enough in a conference this competitive.
St. Cloud State, meanwhile, improved to 14-15 and 7-12 in the NCHC.
“Tonight’s another winnable game,” head coach Greg Powers said postgame. “It was a winnable situation, but a young player turned it over twice in the same shift and it cost us the game.”
That’s been the theme lately for ASU - flashes of strong play undone by critical mistakes. And with injuries piling up, the margin for error has all but disappeared.
Sophomore Cullen Potter and freshman Jack Beck are both out for the season, and their absence is being felt, especially up front. Potter’s leadership and chemistry with senior Bennett Schimek and Cruz Lucius gave ASU a top line that could tilt the ice.
Without him, the group hasn’t looked the same.
“We’re trying to do something special, which we know we shouldn’t do,” sophomore forward Logan Morrell said. “Just little plays like that make the game.”
The Sun Devils have been their own worst enemy in third periods all year. The numbers tell the story: a minus-19 goal differential in the final frame, including minus-16 in conference play. They’ve actually outscored opponents in the second period this season, 30-28, but when it comes time to close, things fall apart.
“We’ve definitely struggled with third periods,” Morrell added. “We know what we have to do, we’re just not doing it.”
Friday’s game followed that script. ASU played with energy, physicality, and a strong forecheck for most of the night. But the mistakes - the turnover that led to Gross’s go-ahead goal, the missed breakaway chance, and a shorthanded goal allowed during their own power play - were too much to overcome.
And that power play? It’s been one of ASU’s strengths this season, ranking eighth in the nation at 26.2%.
But against a St. Cloud penalty kill that came in ranked 52nd out of 63 teams, the Sun Devils not only failed to capitalize - they gave up a shorthanded goal.
That stung.
“It has to win us games, and it certainly can’t lose us games,” Powers said. “Tonight, it just wasn’t any good.”
Freshman goaltender Samuel Urban did what he could to keep ASU in it, stopping 30 of 32 shots, including a big-time save on a breakaway from St. Cloud senior Grant Ahcan. But the support wasn’t there when it mattered.
This was the second-to-last home series of the season for ASU, and with Omaha on a bye, the Sun Devils had a chance to create some breathing room near the bottom of the NCHC standings. Instead, St. Cloud took three of the six possible conference points on Friday, and ASU now faces a must-win Saturday if they want to avoid being the lone team left out of the conference tournament.
“There was way more good than bad,” Powers said. “But we have to figure out how to manage pucks for 60 minutes.”
That’s the challenge now. With eight freshmen on the roster and a shrinking bench due to injuries and departures, ASU’s young core is being asked to grow up fast. The learning curve is steep, and the clock is ticking.
“It always stings,” Powers said. “I don’t even want to know how many empty-net goals we’ve let in this year.
Our guys did a lot of really good things tonight. We have to stick with it, dig deep and find a way to be a little bit better tomorrow to salvage three points.”
Saturday’s rematch isn’t just about bouncing back. It’s about survival in a season that’s teetering.