(Photo: Riley Trujillo/WCSN)
The stats are whopping: 3,261 minutes, 1,564 saves, 59 starts, 38 wins, 11 shutouts, and two promising Mike Richter finalists.
All that remains is a once-in-a-lifetime match-up between Quinnipiac’s Andrew Shortridge and Arizona State’s Joey Daccord.
In their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, the Sun Devils go head-to-head with a familiar face – Shortridge and the Bobcats in the 2019 Midwest Regional in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
While the stakes are higher than ever before in ASU’s young program history, this intriguing first-round match-up sparks some friendly competition between the No. 1 netminders.
Before fitting into a maroon and gold uniform, Daccord trained with Shortridge during the off-season with Daccord’s father, who is currently a goaltending consultant for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“[Shortridge] and I trained together. My dad is a goalie coach back at home and Shorty used to come train. I know him pretty well and we have hung out before,” Daccord said. “He’s a really good guy and he’s having an incredible year. I am excited for the match-up.”
It’s not the first time Daccord and Shortridge have locked horns in their collegiate careers. In fact, the pair of first-time Mike Richter finalists – which is awarded to the top netminder in the country – have crossed paths five times during the regular season for the last four years.
With this year’s playoff meeting, ASU will have played Quinnipiac every year of the team’s existence at the Division I level.
Overwhelmed by three power-play markers, the Sun Devils fell 5-3 to Shortridge at Gila River Arena a season ago. Daccord made 30 saves on the Bobcats’ 35 shots on goal while Shortridge stopped 20 of ASU’s 23 shot attempts.
In the program’s history, ASU is 1-3-1 against Quinnipiac, securing the only victory in 2017 at the People’s United Center in Hamden, Connecticut.
Then-freshman Joey Daccord collected a season-high 53 saves. Then-sophomore Anthony Croston tallied two even-strength goals to push past Quinnipiac 4-2.
“I am not that type of guy that is going to pick my corners every time,” Croston said on facing Shortridge. “I think it’s about battling in the corners and getting pucks to the net and bodies to the net. I think if we do that, we’ll score a bunch of goals.”
Eleven current ASU players were on the ice forthose pair of 2017 contests, including defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk and Jakob Stridsberg, who each collected a goal and an assist in the series. It’s also worth noting that in ASU’s lone win over Quinnipiac, then-freshman Shortridge surrendered three goals on nine shots.
Fast forward two years, Shortridge has put up “video game-like numbers”, according to coach Greg Powers.
“His numbers are outrageously good,” Powers said. “He’s a great goalie. We know him well, but a lot of that has to do with their structure and how sound they are defensively… We’re going to have to be creative and come up with some innovative ways to get the puck in. It’s going to be a goaltending battle for sure.”
Named the ECAC Goaltender of the Year, Shortridge owns an NCAA-best .941 save percentage and the lowest goals allowed average in the country, giving up less than two goals per game.
The native of Anchorage, Alaska, has posted a 17-6-2 record with four shutouts, including one against No.1 seed Massachusetts.
Even though the numbers favor the opponent in the opposite goal, Daccord is focused for the tall task at hand.
Riding a breakout third-year campaign, Daccord boasts a 21-12-1 record with a career-low 2.36 GAA and .926 save percentage, ranking among the nation’s best all season long.
However, Daccord’s most impressive number comes when he puts a zero up on the scoreboard.
In his first two Sun Devil seasons, Daccord only recorded his first collegiate shutout, a 28-save performance in the 4-0 win over UMass-Lowell at Oceanside Ice Arena.
After a summer of hard work and dedicated practice, Daccord leads the country with seven shutouts in 34 games, and they were not handed on a silver platter (two vs. Alaska, one vs. Michigan State, one vs. Princeton, one vs. Colorado College, one vs. Boston College, and one vs. Boston University).
Starting every game in goal for the Sun Devils, the 2015 Ottawa Senators draft pick has turned in five 40+ save performances (4-1-0 record) and 19 games giving up less than two goals.
The goaltending match-up is a no-doubt dynamic duel, but it won’t be a walk in the park for either well-rested squad.
While the Bobcats have not played since back-to-back losses to Brown in the ECAC Quarterfinals, the Sun Devils have not have seen any game action in 28 days (March 2nd vs. Minnesota).
Despite the potential rust from the long layover, Daccord is confident that his teammates can start off on the right foot right out of the gates, which will be ASU’s biggest factor for the opening ten minutes.
“We approach every game the same way,” Daccord said. “The rest has been good for us. We’ve been staying sharp… We’re going to be ready to go.”
It will be a grind-it-out battle in Allentown – a pivotal American Civil War landmark that now greets two of the country’s best goaltenders anchoring their armies to fire away on the ice of PPL Center.
Daccord and the Sun Devils are prepared to face Shortridge and the Bobcats in ASU’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance Saturday, March 30th at 4:30 PM AZ time.
“There’s no layups in the tournament,” Powers said. “Everybody that gets in is really good. There’s been years where the last seed has won…Our work is going to be cut out for us in more ways than one.”
