The vibes at Arizona State University appear to be at an all-time high. Kenny Dillingham and the football program exceeding expectations after knocking off No. 16 ranked Kansas State, and Bobby Hurley and company are proving doubters wrong to start the basketball season. With expectations heightened for all the sports across Tempe, most eyes are on Greg Powers and the hockey program, especially with the Arizona Coyotes’ departure.
“It feels good,” Powers said after the team made history, winning its first NCHC game. “It feels good to get three points, and climb up the standings. I’m really happy for our players.”
Related: Arizona State Set to Ignite at Home in Clash with Nebraska-Omaha
Of course, it wasn’t all butterflies and rainbows the entire series for Powers and the Sun Devils after another late collapse in game one on Friday night led them to fall in a similar fashion. Though it’s fair to say the Sun Devils outplayed the Mavericks in both games, they only got one win in game two.
While game two showed many more positives, game one showed ASU’s faults, which have proven to be the Sun Devils’ Achilles heal this season, which has been blowing leads late.
Another Collapse in Game 1, a Trending Pattern for Sun Devils
It’s happened twice already this season. First, when they blew the second game of the season up in Colorado against the Air Force Falcons and, more recently, against the Colorado College Tigers in game one, blowing the lead late. So, it’s safe to say when it happened against the Devils’ in game one, it was no surprise as it’s becoming a common trend.
“You guys know all the guys we have out; I think it’s pretty impressive with how we’re playing with so many go-to guys out,” Powers said. “It’s hard in life to be results-focused; I struggle with it as much as anyone.”
“At the end of the day it’s the really egregious mistakes that we’re making that are ending up in the back of our net,” Powers said. “Until we stop making them while we’re not scoring, this is going to keep happening.”
Despite the loss, ASU was bigger, more physical, and generated many more shots on net (43-23). In game two, some of those bounces started to go their way and paid dividends.
Sun Devils Capitalized on Chances, Earning First NCHC Win in Game 2
When Arizona State first joined the NCHC, it was in the 11th hour; it was a late addition to arguably the best college hockey conference in the nation. With teams such as North Dakota, Denver University, and so much more, it wouldn’t be easy sledding. Especially with the increased amount of NIL deals and transfers, the landscape of college hockey was changing, and the Sun Devils made the move to the NCHC.
So far, it’s been hard as they’ve gone 1-3 in conference games after dropping two against Colorado College and now splitting against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.
“We played really good hockey all weekend,” Powers said after winning their first NCHC game in program history. “That’s four games in a row we’ve played really, really good solid hockey, and tonight we got rewarded.”
Much of the Sun Devils’ historic win also goes to senior netminder Luke Pavicich, who once again stood on his head when it mattered, and it was palpable throughout the entire arena, especially the electrifying student section.
“Really good, he played the puck well,” defenseman Ty Murchison said after the win over the Mavericks. “Kind of that rock we’ve been needing, and we’re looking forward to seeing him play the rest of the season.”
After what looked like a lot of bad luck, with posts or missed opportunities, splitting this series against the Mavericks is huge for Powers and ASU.
Onto Number-One Ranked Denver University Next Weekend
This weekend proved to be a big test for the Sun Devils against a team they should’ve swept, but they have a more significant task at hand next weekend when they take on Denver University. Denver is ranked first overall in the country.
“We know they (Denver University) are national champions,” Murchison said. “Defending national champs, I know it’s not gonna be easy, but if we played like we did tonight, we like our chances and put some points on the road and make up some ground.”
Denver has the likes of sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium, the Minnesota Wild’s 2024 first-round pick, alongside Hagen Burrows, who’s with the Tampa Bay Lightning, so clearly, it won’t be a walk in the park. They’re ranked number one in the country for a reason.
If you remember, the Devils took on Denver last season and split the series in a constant back-and-forth series. We’ll see if this season can change that result, but playing in Denver won’t be easy by any means.
Sparky’s Notebook
- When looking at some of the most electrifying players on the ASU roster, one of the first that comes to mind is none other than freshman forward Cullen Potter. The speedster only has five points in 12 games played this season, but he’s doing much more than that. The little details in his game, like his speed, work ethic along the boards, and ability to get the puck in the offensive zone, are impressive, to say the least. While the points may not show it, Potter has been very solid to kick off his freshman season.
- Since the departure of senior defenseman Tim Lovell to the Michigan Wolverines this past summer, the need for a defenseman couldn’t have been higher. After a long search, Powers landed senior defenseman Noah Beck, who leads the team in points with two goals and 12 points in 12 games. Beck’s presence on the power play has been vital, and the big 6-foot-4 frame has given ASU plenty of physicality on the ice.
- We’ve talked a lot about the goaltender situation, and with Pavicich getting the nod in both games this series against the Mavericks, it’s going to be interesting to see what happens next weekend at Denver University. Powers seemed very pleased with Pavicich after both games, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him go back to him against Denver, but don’t rule out Homer starting one of the two games, depending on what happens in game one.
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