It would be a drastic understatement to say it was a good weekend to be a Sun Devil. Not only did head coach Greg Powers shock the nation by sweeping the number-one ranked team in the country in Denver University, but other ASU athletics also saw multitudes of success. Football head coach Kenny Dillingham and company beat Brigham Young University (BYU) in one of the biggest home football games in over a decade.
Men’s basketball head coach Bobby Hurley and his team have also come out of the gates hot, and volleyball holds a 26-2 record and is ranked ninth in the country. Needless to say, ASU is seeing an abundance of success this season across all sports, and Powers’ win over Denver fueled that fire.
Related: How Good Are the Denver University Pioneers This Season?
Entering the weekend as underdogs, ASU came out and dominated Denver in nearly every facet of the game. They now rank 19th in the latest USCHO rankings, which were released early on Monday, Nov. 25. As we enter Thanksgiving break, we look back on the past weekend and take a sneak peek at what’s to come after the short hiatus.
Artem Shlaine On Heater Since Returning From Injury
Since the opening press conference for Powers this season, he’s preached that his team isn’t at full capacity, and to his point, they still aren’t. However, they did get a big piece back from injury in senior forward Artem Shlaine, who enters his fifth NCAA season with over 30 goals and 80 points in his collegiate career.
This past weekend against Denver, he had an instant impact for the Sun Devils, notching four goals in the pivotal mid-season tilt against the nation’s best team. His presence has given ASU another threat on offense that has desperately needed anything they can get inside the offensive zone.
It’s a fair argument to say they’ve gotten extremely unlucky with the goalies they’ve faced, but they solved Matt Davis this past weekend, who hadn’t lost this season before the series against ASU. Shlaine will look to continue his hot streak after the Thanksgiving break against Minnesota Duluth.
300 Wins for Greg Powers As Thanksgiving Break Nears
Powers has been part of the Arizona State family since the dawn of time, but he’s entering his 16th season as head coach. The program only moved up to Division I in 2015-16, as before, it was part of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA).
In its history, the program has had some defining wins and memorable moments. Perhaps one of the biggest ones that gets overlooked is the construction of Mullett Arena and what it’s become. There’s no doubt it’s one of the best rinks in college hockey, with an electric atmosphere and an unreal student section.
This sweep over Denver is simply another milestone for this program and another stepping stone for future success, and Powers has cemented his name in history with win 300. The rest of the season won’t be easy continuing into conference play in the NCHC, but with Powers at the helm, there’s confidence across the entire team.
Sparky’s Notebook
- As briefly mentioned in the introduction, ASU is back in the top 20 after sweeping Denver, coming in at 19. Given their schedule in the NCHC, it’s going to be interesting to see how they handle it, especially given the injuries they continue to deal with. Powers has said numerous times Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Cruz Lucius will return in 2025, which should add a much-needed top-six threat to the team.
- When ASU lost senior defenseman Tim Lovell last season, the need for a point-producing defenseman couldn’t be higher, and that’s where they landed senior Noah Beck. Lovell’s production was unmatched last season, and he really grew under Powers, but after his departure, Beck filled that role. With a goal in game two and 13 points in 14 games, Beck has given the Devils an offensive threat on the backend and has been relied on heavily this season.
- It feels like I mention him at least once in every article, but it’s hard not to talk about freshman forward Cullen Potter, also one of the youngest players in college hockey right now at 17. Potter had a crucial goal to put the Devils ahead in game two and an assist in game one. He now has three goals and seven points in 14 games, and this series hopefully puts him on the right track as he looks to be the highest-drafted Sun Devil in the NHL Draft since Josh Doan.
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