TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University (13-20-1, NCHC 6-14-1) was handed its sixth loss in a row by Omaha (11-20, 7-14) in a 4-2 defeat on Friday, Feb. 20, at Mullett Arena.

The Sun Devils are now in last place in the NCHC standings and rely on the next three games to determine their postseason fate.

“Tonight was really bad,” head coach Greg Powers said. “It’s embarrassing.”

Despite ASU getting a shot 16 seconds into the game, that momentum ended quickly.

“I think the first five minutes were pretty good,” Powers said. “We challenged the guys to come out and win their first shifts of the game and they did.”

Sun Devils senior forward Cruz Lucius put ASU on the board at 4:24, giving his team a 1-0 lead. Senior forward Bennett Schimek and freshman defenseman Justin Kipkie assisted him.

ASU failed to score for the next 56 minutes.

Omaha was quick in transition throughout the game. Freshman forward Marcus Nguyen tied the game less than a minute after the Sun Devils’ goal, with help from senior defenseman Griffin Ludtke.

“As soon as (Omaha) scored their first goal, our guys just kind of stopped playing,” Powers said.

The Mavericks then capitalized on a power play and scored less than three minutes later, thanks to sophomore forward Brett Hyland. 

Hyland is currently the Mavericks’ third-leading scorer.

While neither team scored in the second period, both played sloppy hockey, with missed passes and multiple penalties on both sides.

The Sun Devils had a chance to tie the game when Lucius broke free and went one-on-one with the Omaha goalie, but he was unable to find the back of the net.

Mavericks senior goalie Simon Latkoczy played a major role in the win.

Latkoczy finished with 31 saves, including 11 in a scoreless second period. He ended the night with a .939 save percentage, above his .913 season average.

Omaha’s defenders also sacrificed their bodies in front of the net. Hyland blocked multiple shots to keep the puck from reaching the crease, and senior defenseman Jacob Guévin did the same.

ASU fell further behind early in the third period. Just 37 seconds in, sophomore defenseman Sam Court took a tripping penalty.

The Mavericks once again took advantage.

Freshman forward Jérémy Loranger scored on the power play to extend the lead to 3-1.

The Mavericks spent most of the period on offense, but when they were forced to defend, they quickly turned stops into breakaways.

On one of those rushes, sophomore forward Trevor Wong carried the puck into the zone and dropped it to Nguyen, who went in alone on senior goalie Connor Hasley. Nguyen’s goal pushed the lead to three.

Nguyen is now Omaha’s leading goal scorer this season with 10.

The Sun Devils responded with less than three minutes left in the game, but it wasn’t enough.

Lucius scored the final goal of the night off a feed from junior forward Kyle Smolen and Schimek. The point marked the 40th of the season for both Lucius and Schimek.

Lucius and Schimek also rank among the top seven skaters in the NCHC in points per game. Schimek is third and Lucius is sixth.

ASU went on the power play three times but managed just one shot in those six minutes.

“We’ve been prolific on the power play for six, seven years,” Powers said. “It just hasn’t gone that way this year.”

The season is on the line for the Sun Devils. If they want to reach the postseason, they will likely need three points from a regulation win.

ASU currently has 19 points, while Omaha moved up to 21 after Friday’s victory.

With just three regular-season games remaining, the final NCHC tournament spot could go to either team.

“Our fans deserve better,” Powers said.