ASU Hockey: Jordan Masters' hat trick powers Sun Devils 6-1 win over Ohio

The best medicine for a losing streak is simply winning games.

The Arizona State Sun Devils did just that this weekend, completing a two game sweep of ACHA Ohio on Saturday night. Behind the first hat trick in Sun Devil hockey history from Jordan Masters, the Sun Devils downed the Bobcats 6-1.

ASU coach Greg Powers said after Friday's game that he thought the team got outworked by the Bobcats. That was not the case on Saturday, as the Sun Devils had complete control of the contest from the start.

They were making crisp passes, winning board battles and generating multiple chances every time they were in the Ohio end.

"Way better," Powers said. "I thought we were better for sixty minutes. We came out really hard. That was the key. They had three in three days, long travel. So it was really key for us to get out on them and kind of crush them, any hopes they had of an upset. I thought we had a really consistent effort for sixty minutes, just missed some chances in the second and third."

It all culminated when Drew Newmeyer put a shot on net that was redirected in by Masters, putting the Sun Devils up 1-0. A couple minutes later Michael Cummings added to the lead with a goal of his own. Then, Sean Murphy had the prettiest goal of the period, receiving a pass at the Ohio blue line, making a nifty move on a defenseman and picking a corner to put the Sun Devils up by three.

Masters would add another goal to his stat sheet before the first ended.

The Sun Devils thought they got a fifth goal, as Liam McGing put a shot in the back of the net but the buzzer sounded before the puck crossed the line, so the referee's waved it off.

The message in the locker room up four goals after one period? Keep up the intensity.

"Play 60," Powers said. "Play like it's 0-0. It's 4-0 , but the key was to play the second like it was zeros. I think they only had two or three shots in the second. The kid made a really good shot, it's hockey. Really happy with the effort."

Ohio got on the board in the second period off of a Michael Harris goal, cutting the Sun Devil deficit to 4-1. That goal would play second fiddle to Jordan Masters, who tallied the goal to complete his hat trick.

"It's a great feeling," Masters said. "I can't even remember the last time that I had one, so it was good to get one back finally."

Just 38 seconds into the final frame, Liam Norris barely was able to get a puck towards the net, but Ohio Goal Aaron Alkema was expected a faster shot. He moved from post to post and Norris' dribbling shot found its way into the net.

"The key was to get out to a fast start tonight." Powers said. "Get the first goal, play downhill and make it so they felt like they couldn't climb back into the game. We did that, it's a good habit to get in to with a young team. We're going to use this weekend to hopefully build some confidence for a really tough weekend ahead of us."

ASU hits the road once again next weekend, traveling to the east coast to take on UMass Lowell for a two game set starting on Friday. Puck drop is 5:15 MT.