The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes suffered their first defeat of the season, falling to the Arizona State Sun Devils by a score of 4-1. The game, which took place Friday night, saw Miami's record drop to 6-1-0. Here are three key takeaways from the contest:
Costly Penalties Hurt Miami
The Hurricanes found themselves in penalty trouble throughout the game, accumulating a total of eight penalties. Arizona State capitalized on these opportunities, scoring two power-play goals, one late in the first period and another late in the third. Several players were penalized, including Ryder Thompson and Matteo Drobac, who each received two penalties. The team as a whole was tagged with four tripping penalties, two cross-checking penalties, and one holding minor. According to the source, many of the calls were questionable. Miami's head coach, Anthony Noreen, alluded to the officiating without directly criticizing it.
Offensive Struggles and Inability to Test the Goaltender
Despite totaling 53 shot attempts, Miami only managed to get 20 shots on net. Arizona State effectively blocked 16 shots and limited Miami's high-danger scoring chances. While Miami had some strong offensive sequences, they struggled to consistently challenge Arizona State's goaltender, Connor Hasley. Their best looks came early in the game, but as the game progressed, Arizona State's defense tightened up and clogged the lanes. Hasley stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced.
Doug Grimes' Early Goal Not Enough
Doug Grimes scored early in the first period, giving Miami a 1-0 lead just 2:15 into the game. Unfortunately for the RedHawks, this would be their only goal of the night. Arizona State responded with four unanswered goals from Bennett Schimek, Sean McGurn, Jack Beck, and Cullen Potter. Goaltender Matteo Drobac played well for Miami, stopping 26 of 29 shots, but ultimately suffered his first loss of the season.
