(Providence, RI) Two unlucky bounces turned a goaltending battle sour for the Sun Devils on Saturday afternoon at No. 14 Providence (2-1-0). The Arizona State ice hockey team (1-4-1) fell, 2-1, despite ASU netminder Luke Pavicich’s 36 saves in his second start of the season.
The Sun Devils couldn’t strike gold until only 33 seconds remained in regulation when senior left wing Ryan Kirwantallied his second goal of the weekend with assists from Ty Jackson and Noah Beck.
With an assist in game two against the Friars, Beck extended his lead in the nation’s point scoring statistical category with one goal and eight assists for nine points through six games played.
It was another quiet night of penalties with only three between both teams. Neither could convert on the man-advantage but ASU’s 23.5 percent success rate on the season now ranks 12th in the country.
Pavicich made his second start of the season, standing on his head through the first two periods. A bad bounce early in the third and another odd puck entry by the post ended up smarting the senior to two goals against after a perfect 40 minutes of play. He made 36 saves on the night but moved to a 0-2-0 record on the season with a 2.99 goals against average and .915 save percentage.
UP NEXT
The Sun Devils continue a massive road schedule extending through the month of October with a trip to Northern Michigan on Oct. 25-26.
First Period
ASU was assessed two penalties before reaching the halfway point of the opening frame on Saturday afternoon. At 5:37 into the game, Bennett Schimek was called for slashing and Noah Beck was assessed a penalty for holding at 8:56. Both penalties were successfully killed by ASU’s special teams.
ASU went on its own power play at the 11-minute mark but couldn’t get anything solid setup. Goaltender Luke Pavicich made a huge breakaway save to keep the game scoreless.
By the end of the period, Providence tallied 10 shots on net to ASU’s five.
Second Period
The middle frame proved the match was a goaltender showdown as both netminders held their opponents scoreless. ASU picked up the intensity with 15 shots on goal in the second period alone which tied the season high for SOG in a period in 2024-25. Pavicich once again turned away all 10 Friar shots on target.
Third Period
Almost six minutes into the period, Providence scored on a bad bounce that arched over Pavicich’s head after he made the initial save. Ten minutes later, the Friars doubled their lead.
With two and a half minutes remaining, ASU pulled Pavicich for the extra skater and once again evaded the road shutout thanks to Ryan Kirwan. The senior winger tallied his second goal of the weekend with assists from Ty Jackson and Noah Beck.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Paige Shacklett
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