TEMPE, Ariz. - After a 12-shot barrage in the first 15 minutes of the third period in a scoreless tie, Arizona State sophomore forward Daniel Shlaine finally broke through, putting the Sun Devils ahead with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

Given the war of attrition that preceded Shlaine’s goal, the 1-0 deficit felt like a mountain Holy Cross couldn’t climb by the 58-minute mark. 

However, in the blink of an eye, the Crusaders (2-1-0) took a helicopter ride to the summit with under two minutes remaining, shocking the crowd of 5,002 with two goals in 11 seconds to steal a 2-1 win over the Sun Devils (1-2-0) on Friday, Oct. 9, at Mullett Arena. 

ASU acting head coach Mike Corbett doesn’t believe the disastrous late sequence defines his team’s showing. 

“I think they came out and they played very well today,” Corbett said. “We had a tough 30 seconds.” 

Before surrendering the lead, the Sun Devils held the game in the palm of their hands, with sophomore goaltender Samuel Urban a few saves away from his second shutout in three games to start the season. 

However, sophomore defenseman Quinn McCall broke up the clean sheet with a laser from just inside the blue line to pull Holy Cross even with around 90 seconds left.

Just a mere 11 seconds later, the Crusaders caught Urban and ASU on their heels again, with sophomore forward Ben Riche delivering the game-winner and silencing the home crowd for good. 

The Sun Devils dominated the battle for shots on goal, outshooting Holy Cross 40-22 in the loss. 

Even with ASU’s offensive pressure, Crusaders sophomore goaltender Danick Leroux stood tall, posting an impressive 39-save performance and earning him honors as the first star of the game.

Sun Devils senior center Sean McGurn gave props to Leroux for keeping ASU’s attack off the scoreboard. 

“Tonight, we just ran into a hot goalie,” McGurn said. “Kudos to him. He played well.” 

Leroux also put a lid on the Sun Devils’ power-play crew, as ASU came up empty on three power-play chances on Friday. 

Holy Cross followed suit by posting its own 0-for-3 mark on the advantage. 

Similarly to McGurn, Corbett highlighted Leroux’s work between the pipes with the Crusaders down a man. 

“We got our chances on the power play … and (Leroux) made some saves,” Corbett said. “He made some saves at the right times.” 

Friday’s stunning loss served as the Sun Devils’ first home game since the collapse of defenseman Matthew Mayich on Aug. 20. 

As a result, the situation around Mayich’s status and the ongoing investigation surrounding the incident somewhat overshadowed the game itself. 

ASU hung Mayich’s jersey in the locker room, and the coaching staff wore commemorative gold pins bearing Mayich’s number 27. 

In addition, every fan who walked through the doors on Friday received their own gold pin with the number 27 stitched on. 

Senior forward and team captain Kyle Smolen detailed the difficulty of Mayich’s collapse and how the team is pushing through. 

“It’s been tough,” Smolen said. “I think the best way we can deal with it is just to be with each other at all moments and to help each other get through it day-by-day. 

Corbett credited the Sun Devils’ persistence in such an unfortunate situation. 

“We got good kids, and they want to play and come out every day in practice and work hard,” Corbett said. “There’s always challenges, with the home opener … and the emotions of that.”

Throughout the process, Corbett and the ASU coaching staff have been under fire, with disapproval coming from players and fans alike. 

After a letter from seven players to university president Michael Crow led to head coach Greg Powers being placed on paid administrative leave, many are still calling for a full overhaul of the Sun Devils’ coaching staff. 

Corbett and his staff are trying to drown out the external noise and still look to coach hockey their way. 

“I try to be myself every single day and show them that we are in it with them the entire way,” Corbett said. “These guys came to us and they said they want to be coached and they want us to do everything we can to help them win, and we’re going to do that.” 

However, according to reports from Adam Wodon at College Hockey News, at least one player out of ASU’s three healthy scratches on Friday is stepping away from Corbett’s coaching, taking himself out of the lineup and “expecting to return once a new coach is named.” 

With the letter to Crow and the ongoing uncertainty in mind, the self-scratch raises questions about the relationship between the Sun Devils’ staff and players. 

Corbett denied the reports about the scratch. 

“That, I don’t know,” Corbett said. “As far as that, all the guys were healthy scratches and they were coach’s decisions.” 

As stories continue to swirl around ASU hockey, the Sun Devils must regroup and prepare for a chance to split the series with Holy Cross in an afternoon matinee on Saturday.

With reports confirming that ASU is inching closer to signing a new head coach, interim or otherwise, any game could be the last for Corbett and the current staff. 

Even with termination looming, Corbett is staying genuine with the Sun Devils. 

“You can’t fake passion,” Corbett said. “This is what I love to do, and this is what these kids want us to do … I’m going to give them everything I got.”