“It was a winnable game,” Powers said. 

Following 53 minutes of even hockey, St. Cloud State netted three goals in the final seven minutes and took down ASU 4-1 to break a three-game losing streak on Friday, Feb. 6, night at Mullett Arena in Tempe.

The game-winner came off the stick of Huskies junior forward Tyson Gross with 6:40 left to play in regulation from assists by sophomore forward Austin Burnevik and junior forward Barrett Hall.

After four minutes of neither team getting any good chances, the Sun Devils’ decision to pull freshman goalie Samuel Urban with 2:30 remaining quickly turned into two empty-net goals that put the game on ice for St. Cloud State.

The first came from junior forward Verner Miettinen and started a stampede of ASU fans to the exits. Just 18 seconds later, Burnevik buried another, much to the delight of the visiting Huskies fans who took over the arena in the final minutes.

Gross, who assisted on Burnevik’s score, had a big day for St. Cloud State. The game-winner was Gross’s second of the game, with his first coming early in the second period on a short-handed 2-on-1 breakaway with sophomore defenseman Finn Loftus to get the scoring started for both sides.

The Huskies’ immense play down a man was crucial to Friday’s victory, killing two Sun Devils power plays and burying a goal in the process.

On the flip side, Powers wasn’t happy with how ASU performed on the power play.

“It certainly can’t lose us games,” Powers said. “Tonight, it just wasn’t any good.”

On top of that, St. Cloud State’s success on the penalty kill Friday night was an anomaly, as the Huskies went into the contest ranked 52nd in the nation when down a player.

Sophomore forward Noah Powell converted a rebound for the Sun Devils’ lone goal late in the second period, assisted by sophomore forward Logan Morrell and freshman forward Sam Alfano.

The assist made it six straight games with a point for Alfano, someone who Powers has been impressed with this season.

“He’s just working,” Powers said. “He’s gonna be so good.”

Morrell shares the same appreciation for Alfano as well.

“He can hit guys, make plays in front, and score goals,” Morrell said. “I think he’s done a really good job.”

Outside of Powell’s score, sophomore goalie Patriks Berzins was lights out for St. Cloud State. The Latvia native racked up 33 saves, with over half of them coming in the second period, where ASU sent 18 shots in the direction of Berzins.

Friday was a bounce back for Berzins after losing in three straight appearances between the pipes, allotting a forgettable .831 save percentage in those three games.

On the other end of the ice, Urban also showed out in the crease, collecting 30 saves on 32 shots. The goalie play kept both the Huskies and Powers’ Sun Devils in contention for most of the contest.

“Both goalies were really good,” Powers said. “Both goalies gave their teams chances to win.”

Despite the solid showing, Urban and ASU ended up on the losing end on Friday, something that has become all too familiar for Urban as of late. The Slovenian goalkeeper has lost three straight starts in net, with his last win coming almost a month ago in a 37-save shutout against Miami on Jan. 10.

Now, the Sun Devils look to split the series as they host St. Cloud State once more on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 5 p.m. MST in Mullett Arena. After stringing together seven straight wins on Saturdays, Powers and ASU look to flip the script after dropping the second game in two straight series.

“Just come back hungry,” Powers said. “You always have to come back a little more desperate after a loss.”