ASU D1 Hockey: Sun Devils look to reignite spark against Flames

(Photo:Allyson Cummings/WCSN)

After a tough road test against Central Oklahoma and the University of Oklahoma, the Sun Devils (10-1-0) are back in Tempe for their series against the Liberty Flames.

The Flames (7-1-4) have struggled recently, losing four of their last five games against top-25 ACHA teams. While the team has struggled, Liberty has some of the ACHA’s top scorers on their roster.

Freshman forward Luke Hannon, senior forward Lindsay LeBlanc and freshman Luke Simon are among the ACHA’s top-30 scoring leaders with 21, 17, and 16 points respectively. The Flames are hoping their star forwards can generate some goals against ASU’s sophomore goalie Robert Levin.

After being named the ACHA’s rookie of the year, Levin has a 9-1 record with a .929 save percentage and two shutouts. He has not allowed more than three goals in any of his outings, and it looks as if it will be another tough test for Levin against the Flames.

Levin will have help from his defense, as junior Jordan Young looks to be returning to form after missing the first six games. While the Sun Devils have a deep defense coupled with a strong offensive front, ASU looks to improve on their special teams units this weekend.

On the power play, the Sun Devils have 17 power-play goals and have allowed three shorthanded goals. On the penalty kill, they have allowed five power-play goals while scoring four shorthanded goals.

Liberty has only one shorthanded goal but has scored 17 power-play goals, so it looks like the Sun Devils will have their hands full on special teams.

“Beat them, beat them bad,” said forward Connor Mailey when asked about his approach to the game.

The puck drops on Thursday at 8 PM at Oceanside Ice Arena and you can catch the live broadcast here: http://cronkitesports.com/live-broadcasts.

 Follow Zuriel on Twitter @zurieloving for live tweets of every ASU home game.

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