When the Arizona State Sun Devils kicked off their 2024-25 campaign with an 8-1 win over the Air Force Falcons, promise filled the hearts of Sun Devils fans and hockey fans in the Valley. Fast forward just over a month, and head coach Greg Powers and company sit with a 3-6-1 record through ten games and, just last weekend, dropped a series against the number-eight ranked Colorado College Tigers.
Speaking more about the Sun Devils’ first ten games, eight of which have been on the road, this weekend’s series will be the first at Mullett Arena since the home opener against the Michigan Wolverines.
Related: What’s Next for Arizona State’s Hockey Team After Bye Week?
“The eight of ten on the road, that’s a gauntlet,” Power said. “Now, if you count the NTDP (United States National Team Development Program) games, we have ten of our next 12 here. We have a team that can do it, and we fully intend to.”
Powers hasn’t wavered confidence in the team despite their unpretentious record, but they have a chance this weekend against Nebraska-Omaha, who are in a similar situation as the Devils.
ASU Looking to Bounce Back After Frustrating Series Against Colorado College
It’s no easy feat to win on the road in college hockey. It’s even more difficult against a top-ten opponent, which ASU did this past weekend against Colorado College, which is ranked number eight in the country. They dropped both games, game one with a final score of 4-3 in overtime and then a 3-1 loss on Saturday.
“We felt we were the better team for the majority of the weekend,” Powers said. “Friday stings obviously, when you have the lead late and you don’t close it out, just like we did against Air Force and losing in overtime, it’s a real big stinger.”
The Sun Devils had the 3-2 lead late in the third period in Colorado Springs, but a late goal by the Tigers tied things up in regulation. They would then go on to win it in overtime. Despite blowing the lead, Powers was pleased with their performance on Saturday despite the loss.
“Structurally, we’re again playing really, really good hockey,” Powers said. “We got to the net more Saturday than we had all season, I think that silver lining is you go on the road and you play a top ten team two nights in a row, and you don’t get the result, you just have to stick with it. It’s cliche, but that’s really all we can do right now.”
Goaltender Dilemma May Have a Solution in Coming Games
To start the season, there wasn’t much debate on who the starter in net would be—at least, most thought so. After Tuesday’s practice, it seems Powers and the coaching staff are leaning toward starting senior goaltender Luke Pavicich.
“Right now, Pavs (Pavicich) is playing better hockey,” Powers said. “I think that’s pretty clear, but we still believe in Gibby (Gibson Homer), Gibby is a great goalie, a great kid, but right now, Pavs, the sample size, has played better. He’s been a little bit more calm and steady.”
This season Pavicich has played in just four games but has a 1-3-0 record alongside a 2.27 goals-against average (GAA) and a .917 save percentage (SV%). Having just 36 games each season, it can be a goaltender’s worst nightmare when the other one gets hot, but Pavicich is staying ready for whatever comes at him, especially during uncertain times.
“Just take it game by game, you know, every opportunity I get could be my last,” Pavicich said. “You’ve got to go on fighting, and that’s what you learn here in college hockey. It’s really tough, I’m a senior and my four years flew by, it’s crazy, so you really have to take every opportunity you get.”
Expect Pavicich to get the starting nod on Friday night at the Mullett, but don’t rule out Homer starting on Saturday.
More CHL Players on Their Way to the Desert?
As most heard earlier this month, Regina Pats forward Braxton Whitehead announced he’d make the jump to the NCAA with the Sun Devils after playing in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) for the past four seasons. This wasn’t possible until a vote a couple of days ago passed, changing the landscape of college hockey as we know it.
“It’s good, it’s going to be nice,” Powers said on Whitehead’s eligibility next season. “You know, I can’t mention names until they’re signed, but I can tell you that the one kid you just asked about won’t be the only CHL player on a roster next year.”
Of course, this vote will drastically change junior hockey in North America, and it’ll make college hockey that much more competitive. It’ll be interesting to see how many CHL players make the leap to the NCAA, but Whitehead is likely the first domino of many.
Sparky’s Notebook
- It doesn’t take a genius to see that ASU has struggled to score goals this season; the injuries up front have just decimated their top six, and their goals per game have taken a massive hit. In ten games, they’re averaging 2.60 goals per game, but without their eight-goal performance against Air Force in the season opener, they sit at a staggering 1.80 goals per game, which can’t happen. Especially adding the fact that conference play has kicked off, and they’ll be playing some of the best teams in the country.
- Freshman forward Cullen Potter is one of the youngest players in college hockey at 17, and it seems like he’s been thrown into the fire of what the NCAA has to offer. With constantly jumbled lines, various amounts of power play time, and many other factors, Potter has fared well thus far. In the ten games he has played, he has two goals and five points and has looked better in the last few games, which is a good sign for the youngster’s development.
- Since coming back from injury against Northern Michigan, senior forward Artem Shlaine has recorded the most ice time among the team. It’s no secret why since he had plenty of collegiate experience with the UConn Huskies. Shlaine only has an assist in four games, but once he gets the ball rolling, he’ll look to ignite the Sun Devils’ offense, which has been relatively quiet through ten games this season.
