Outshot 35-55, ASU struggled on both sides of the ice. Several power play opportunities were not enough to overcome many defensive errors.

Senior forward John Perry acknowledged that the Sun Devils had to tighten up their defensive zone play.

“I feel like we just got to work on our defense… not run around and puck watch,” Perry said. 

Despite allowing four goals, freshman goalkeeper Matiss Bars played great, stopping several breakaways and saving 51 of 55 shots. 

“(Bars) played unreal. 55 shots is way too many,” junior forward Jacob Renbarger said, acknowledging the goalie's performance. 

The early game was very physical and closely contested. That was until halfway through the first period, when Renbarger sniped one past the Wildcats junior goalkeeper Trey Hirschfield to give the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead. 

Renbarger was hopeful that early offense could inspire his team.

“It’s always good to get the ball rolling… It's important in a game like this when we're going against a tough team to get some momentum early,” Renbarger said. 

ASU continued to have good chances throughout the first, yet went a man down to the penalty kill when graduate defensemen Chase Sechrist took an interference penalty. 

Despite having several good looks, the Wildcats could not convert, as Bars stood tall in goal.

Then, the Sun Devils were awarded a power play late in the period. 

However, ASU was unable to score on the man advantage and went into the first intermission tied 1-1.

After little action in the first minutes of the second period, Weber State broke the deadlock six minutes in with a goal from junior forward Kevin Norwood. This would only be the start of a dominant period for the Wildcats.

Despite fighting hard on the penalty kill after senior defenseman Liam McGinnis tripped a Weber State player while trying to stop a breakaway, ASU failed to get anything going.

An opportunity to turn the tide arose when the Wildcats' graduate forward Jaden Hewes took another penalty, putting the Sun Devils back on the power play. 

Yet, turnovers and an aggressive forecheck from Weber State killed any momentum the penalty may have generated.

The energy gained from a strong penalty kill led the Wildcats back down the ice and into the offensive zone right after time expired on ASU's man advantage. A misplay by senior forward Ethan Sanders would then result in an own goal, giving Weber State a 3-1 lead with less than five minutes to go in the period.

A late Sun Devil’s power play failed to generate any pressure, and ASU went into the 2nd intermission still trailing by two goals, having given up 28 shots in the period. The Sun Devils had their work cut out for them going into the second intermission.

Yet, ASU continued its struggles in the third period. The Wildcats junior forward Cory Mater scored just a minute and 15 seconds into the frame, cleanly deking out Bars to score an impressive goal.

The Sun Devils, however, refused to give up, with sophomore forward Brady Sisto scoring a goal just under halfway through the period to bring them back within two.

ASU then got another man advantage with 6:10 left in the third period, following a hooking penalty that was called on Weber State’s junior forward Andrew Alonzo. Despite being gifted a golden opportunity to get within one, the Sun Devils once again failed to convert on the power play.

ASU pulled Bars with about 2 minutes left in the period to gain the extra attacker. After winning a puck battle in their own zone, the Sun Devils then took it back down the ice in an attempt to capitalize with an extra skater.

Perry shot a puck on net, which Hirschfield gloved down. An ASU player then ran into Hirschfield, and a brief scrum ensued, putting the Sun Devils on the penalty kill for the remainder of the game. 

The game ended with a final score of 4-2 in favor of the Wildcats. Both Perry and Renbarger acknowledged that their defensive play must improve. Renbarger specifically mentioned the power play as an area of improvement going forward.

“We have to work as hard as we can in practice… just getting confidence, trying to get a lot of looks early and just building from there,” Renbarger said.