(Photo: Kylee Meter/WCSN)
The endgame has begun for Arizona State. With 10 games remaining in its fourth season, and third full campaign, at the NCAA Division I level, the Sun Devils are looking to cement themselves a berth into the NCAA tournament, a feat an independent school hasn’t accomplished since Alaska-Anchorage’s 1992 team nearly 27 years ago.
“I think it’s tremendous that we’re in that conversation after such a long period off,” ASU head coach Greg Powers said. “It’s a credit to our players.”
The young team, which has been bolstered by five freshmen with double-digit points (the only NCAA program with that accolade), is currently ranked No. 13 in the nation and No. 10 in the all-important PairWise rankings.
The team has no cakewalk into the tournament though, as the Sun Devils will play eight of their final 10 games on the road, including a span of six straight away from home beginning this weekend. The good news: the team has three bye weeks built into the extensive road stand, which will allow for the players to rest up for the final push.
“I think people are overblowing the fact we have eight out of 10 on the road,” Powers said. “We’re good on the road, we like going on the road…There are no excuses. All of the excuses are off the table. We’re going to manage our guys to make sure that they’re fresh.”
The 16-7-1 Sun Devils kick off the road trip with a cross-country matchup against No. 17 Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
The Big Red (7-5-1) enter the series against ASU coming off of a 3-2 victory against Princeton and a 2-2 tie against then No. 5 Quinnipiac University last weekend.
Co-leading scorer Morgan Barron (6 goals, 5 assists, 11 points), a 2017 New York Rangers’ sixth draft pick, played an instrumental role for the Big Red last weekend, nabbing an assist against Princeton and a goal and an assist against Quinnipiac.
“[Cornell is] one of the hardest working teams in the country,” Powers said. “[It’s] a very difficult place to play…If our guys show up and, at the very least, match their work ethic, we’re gonna like our chances.”
For the Sun Devils, the team enters the series as winners of six of their last eight games, losing 3-0 against then No. 19 Clarkson and tying No. 3 Minnesota State 2-2 in the Desert Hockey Classic.
During the eight-game span, it has been junior goaltender Joey Daccord who has stood out as the star player for the team. In that stretch, Daccord has posted three shutout victories and a .957 save percentage. Daccord leads the NCAA in shutouts with six and saves with 697 (over 100 more saves than No. 2, Stefanos Lekkas of Vermont with 573).
For Daccord, the hot streak is the least of his worries.
“I don’t think there’s too much of a carryover effect (of momentum) just because I try to game as an individual game and not try to put them all together,” Daccord said. “I just try to come with the same mentality that you want to stop the first the first shot and get your legs under you and get into the game.”
As ASU finishes the regular season, a berth into its first-ever NCAA tournament is on the line. It’s a goal that every single player on the team full-heartedly believes that the program — which hasn’t finished with a winning record before, let along push for the postseason — can accomplish.
“We’ve eliminated every excuse here at Arizona State,” Powers said. “We do not have the best facility yet. We are an independent. We’re in our third full year. None of that matters. We’re just showing up to play every day.”
