(Photo: Travis Whittaker/WCSN)
Arizona State embarks on its first eastern road trip of the season this weekend, facing a tough task in a two-game series at No. 6 Penn State.
The Sun Devils (6-2-0) and Nittany Lions (5-0-0) are two of the hottest offensive teams as they get set to cross swords at Pegula Ice Arena.
Although Penn State stands undefeated after big wins over nationally-ranked opponents, such as Clarkson and Princeton early into the season, ASU coach Greg Powers believes his team is ready to take on the heat.
“We feel like we’re in a pretty good spot,” Powers said. “Our guys have executed fairly well. We feel like our best hockey is in front of us. We really genuinely do. We still have a lot to clean up and improve on. Our guys want it. They are dialed in and ready to go. It’s going to be a fun trip.”
ASU showed early signs of confidence away from Oceanside Ice Arena after sweeping Alabama-Huntsville in its first road series, the Sun Devils only away games thus far. This road trip to the Keystone State will give two of ASU’s blossoming newcomers, freshmen and Pennsylvania natives Austin Lemuix and Joshua Maniscalco, a chance to compete in a familiar place.
“I’m a little nervous, but I’m also very excited to play in front of my family and friends,” Lemieux said. “I want to go out there and do the best I can. I want to get a few wins for them and try to make them happy every day with my performance. It will be nice to see some friendly faces after the game.”
The native of Sewickley, Penn. and son of Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux, Austin has two goals and two assists through eight games, including a powerplay marker in the first game against Nebraska-Omaha last weekend. He tallied his first goal of the season on the road in an explosive first period against the Chargers in the series finale.
Lemieux uses all of his 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame to overpower his opponents down the right wing. He has become a critical component to the Sun Devils’ top-six and has found sustained chemistry on the all-freshman second line with forwards Demetrios Koumontzis and Jordan Sandhu.
“We’re starting to really find our game last weekend,” Lemieux said. “We had three solid periods in the second game last Saturday. I think we’re going to build off that going against Penn State.”
While Lemieux has been one of the brightest new faces among the rookie forward class, Maniscalco carries an important role on the top blue line pairing with co-captain Brinson Pasichnuk. The native of Perkiomenville, Penn., is preparing for the special opportunity to skate on ice in his own state.
“I’m definitely excited,” Maniscalco said. “I got a lot of family coming to the games. It doesn’t happen too often. Hockey hasn’t given the opportunity to play near home as often. My friends and family are excited. My mom said there will be about 20 coming this weekend and I’m very excited to see them.”
Maniscalco has just two assists on the stat sheet. However, the 19-year-old blueliner has found an advantage with a heavy defensive approach. At 6-foot-2 with a wide wingspan, Maniscalco’s size and strength has granted him the ability to neutralize opponents’ odd-man rushes and transition down the length of the ice with crisp breakout passes.
Playing with a similar mindset to Pasichnuk, the two partners establish an essential bond as the Sun Devils’ primary defenders.
“We think the game alike,” Maniscalco said. “I know his tendencies. I spent some time watching video at the beginning of the season to get a feel of how he plays. Our chemistry has been great so far and hopefully we can string together some more games in positive fashion.”
Maniscalco and Lemieux have been key cog’s in ASU’s record-breaking start to the season and will be relied on to help the Sun Devils overcome an offensive juggernaut in Penn State, which averages the fourth-most goals per game (5.00) in the country.
“They both have produced a big impact in different ways,” Power said. “Austin continues to get better every game. The sky is the limit. I think there is an incredibly high ceiling for him. Josh has been one of our top two defensemen from the word ‘go’ and we knew he was elite talent when we got him to commit here. We’re very happy for both of them.”
Like ASU, Penn State is also a relatively new DI hockey program. It made the jump from club sport to NCAA-sanctioned team in 2012. After early struggles, the Nittany Lions have established themselves as a power in recent years and have qualified for back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. PSU advanced to the Midwest Regional final of the Tournament last spring before bowing out to the Denver Pioneers.
Despite losing Andrew Sturtz, their best offensive weapon with a team-best 40 points a season ago, junior forwards Nate Sucese and Brandon Biro have stepped up for the Nittany Lions, creating a potent attack on the top line.
Sucese and Biro stand at the forefront of the offensive, each with a team-high seven points in this season’s first five games. While Sucese’s playmaking abilities have been on display with six helpers, Biro has light up the lamp a team-leading three times.
The offense is orchestrated by Penn State’s head coach Guy Gadowsky, who has received an extraordinary amount of praise over his 20 seasons at the helm of Div. I programs, especially from coach Powers.
“[Guy] is a tremendous coach,” Powers said. “He is one of the best coaches in college hockey hands down.”
The Sun Devils and Nittany Lions have crossed paths the last two seasons and PSU has taken all four of the meetings in the head-to-head matchup. Last season, the two teams took the action to Gila River Arena to Glendale, where the Nittany Lions prevailed with 7-0 and 4-2 victories.
However, this year, the stakes are raised as the Sun Devils bring a more highly-skilled roster that’s ready to lock arms with one of the best teams in the country.
Sophomore sensation Johnny Walker leads the nation with eight goals and 13 points, while junior goalie Joey Daccord has pushed his way to the top of the NCAA goaltending leaderboards. The Sun Devils could be poised to make some real noise along with some extra maroon and gold support from family, friends, and fans residing up east.
“We get really good support back East,” Power said. “It always good. It fires the guys up to look up into the crowd and see people cheering for them.”
ASU squares off against PSU in the opener Friday at 4 PM PT and closes out the series Saturday at 5 PM PT. The Sun Devils will have to be sharp to have any hope at pulling off an upset.
“A, Joey is going to have to be super sharp in goal and have great rebound control,” Powers said. “B, we’re going to have to take sticks and block shots in front of him. We’re going to have be really good defensively in order to have a chance.”
