ASU Hockey: Sun Devils fall to No. 12 Yale 4-0

History — the only word that can describe the Arizona State Sun Devils ice hockey team.

The Sun Devils' first year as a Division 1 hockey team has been full of history — their first D1 game, their first D1 home game, a first D1 victory.

Now it's hosting a D1 hockey tournament, as they are hosting the Desert Hockey Classic.

The Sun Devils had another huge test Friday night, taking on No. 12 ranked Yale in their first matchup of the tournament. Arizona State came out of the gates strong, but ultimately fell to the Yale Bulldogs by a final of 4-0.

Freshman Ryland Pashovitz got the call between the pipes for the Sun Devils, stopping 36 of 40 shots.

The first period was a period of both teams feeling each other out. One mistake from the Sun Devils cost them, as a turnover during a line change led to a Yale breakaway and Andrew Gaus netted home the puck. The Sun Devils hung with the Bulldogs in the first period, matching their intensity and getting some quality opportunities.

It was a different Sun Devil team in the second period, playing a ton of the early minutes in their own end, defending against the Bulldogs. A power-play goal and another defensive turnover led to two more Yale goals, and they held a 3-0 lead when the second period buzzer sounded. Entering the third, the Sun Devils were facing a 30-10 deficit on the shot totals.

In the final frame, it didn't take long for the Bulldogs to get on the board again. 27 seconds into the period, Connor Schmidt took a penalty for ASU, and just 13 seconds into the power play, Yale scored to push the lead out to 4-0.

A big key for the Sun Devils this season has been special teams. Coach Powers has mentioned time and time again how good a lot of these D1 teams are at 5-on-5, and giving them these opportunities will only harm the Sun Devils. Tonight was much of the same in that regard, giving up a lot of penalties and not scoring when ASU had the man-advantage.  Yale went 2-for-5 on the power play while the Sun Devils went 0-for-6.

The Sun Devils will face a familar foe in UConn on Sunday, looking to avenge the 5-2 loss that the Huskies handed the ASU on Tuesday at Oceanside.