(Photo:Alexis Ramanjulu/WCSN)
ASU Elite’s return to Oceanside Arena Thursday night ended in a 6-0 shutout against Western region foe Utah.
A strong effort from many players keyed the ASU win that was a blowout by the time the second period ended.
The game started off uncharacteristically low-scoring for both sides, as ASU led just 2-0 at the conclusion of the first period. The Sun Devils received two goals from Jason Kuta, which allowed him to take over the team lead from Ryan McNeely. However, Utes goalie Chris Komma made some fantastic saves to prevent the Sun Devils lead from increasing.
The shot comparison between the two teams was one-sided, as the Sun Devils outshot the Utes 18-1. This strong defensive play gave ASU goalie Ryan Seltenreich a shutout through the first period.
There was no shortage of physical play from both sides, but it resulted in only one penalty: a slashing call on Justin Butler with 1:03 remaining in the period.
The second period of play was not much different than the first. The Sun Devils were able to extend their lead to 4-0, on goals by Austin Ehrlich and Jayce Davis.
Utah had a lot more chances than they had in the first period, putting seven shots on goal to the Sun Devils 12, but the Utes came up empty every time. Seltenreich made some nice saves throughout the period to keep the shutout intact.
A strong point for the Sun Devils was on the power play, as they scored on both of their chances in the period. The power play unit has been a strong point all season long for ASU, as the two goals in the game put them at 33 power play goals on the season.
The game continued its continuity in the third period due to a pair of Sun Devil goals. Ehrlich notched his second goal of the game while Brady Morgan added a late goal of his own. Morgan, the team leader in points, also contributed with two assists. McNeely assisted on two ASU goals as well, giving him 18 on the season.
Liam Pues, Steven Casaceli and Morgan all committed two minute minor penalties in the period, which put ASU at eight penalty minutes for the game.
Seltenreich, who got the start over Alex Taylor, finished with his second shutout of the season to complete the strong all-around effort from the home team.
Next up for the Sun Devils is game two of the two-game series against Utah on Sunday.
