(Photo Courtesy – Hailey Rogalski)
The past month for Arizona State Men’s Hockey (11-12-0) has been grueling, to say the least. With countless injuries and stiff competition in almost every series, the Sun Devils’ 3-5 mark in their last eight games should be no surprise.
Even as ASU trudges through its toughest test of the season, things aren’t going to get easier, at least not in the foreseeable future. This weekend, the Sun Devils will welcome another college hockey powerhouse – No. 17 Minnesota State (12-9-1) – to Mullett Arena on Friday and Saturday.
ASU is just days removed from an up-and-down Desert Hockey Classic in Tempe. The already-shorthanded Sun Devils rebounded from a 4-2 loss to then-No. 16 Michigan Tech the following day with a 2-0 win over Air Force. Senior Forward Robert Mastrosimone led ASU offensively with three points, while sophomore goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter made 55 saves during the tournament.
As a result of the Sun Devils’ injuries, multiple freshmen will likely be in the lineup against the Mavericks. Freshmen Tucker Ness, Ryan Robinson and Cade Stibbe made up the fourth line against Air Force with only a combined 13 games of experience at the NCAA level.
Regardless of the challenges that ASU has faced, head coach Greg Powers is impressed with his group’s play down the stretch and believes the upcoming series presents a great opportunity to get back on track.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Powers said to the media earlier this week. “We’re finding ways to get splits and keeping ourselves in the mix. Hopefully, we get a couple [games] back this weekend and can get on a run, because that’s what we need to do.”
Even a single win in this weekend’s series would be monumental for ASU, who has never defeated the Mavericks. Last season, then-No. 1 MSU pulled off a two-game sweep of the Sun Devils in the State of Hockey, winning both contests by two.
While still elite, the Mavericks haven’t quite looked like the juggernaut that reached the most recent National Championship; they already have more losses through 22 games this season (nine) than they had at the end of last year (six). MSU is also just 5-4-1 away from Mankato, which adds to the possibility of an ASU upset.
However, the Mavericks are far from a pushover and rightfully ranked No. 17. This season, MSU has shown they are among the nation’s best, picking up signature victories over then-No. 2 Minnesota, then-No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth and then-No. 20 Michigan Tech. Furthermore, the Mavericks are coming into Tempe with momentum after defeating a solid Northern Michigan squad in back-to-back games last weekend.
MSU is a defensively sound team that allows just 2.4 goals (sixth-fewest) and 21.3 shots (second-fewest) a game. Overall, ASU had trouble generating scoring chances against a similarly strong Michigan Tech group six days ago, meaning the Sun Devils will need to work extra hard to get pucks on net and consistently pin the Mavericks in their own zone.
When MSU’s defense does relinquish shots, they have two solid goaltenders to back them up. Sophomore Keenan Rancier has a 6-6-1 record with a 2.30 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. In his freshman year, Alex Tracy has already started in 10 games, going 6-3-1 while posting a 2.24 goals against average and a .879 save percentage.
Up front, the Mavericks’ main scorer is junior forward David Silye, who has accumulated 15 goals and nine assists in 22 contests. Junior defenseman Jake Livingstone is enjoying a strong offensive season on the blue line, contributing 16 helpers and 21 points so far.
In terms of special teams, ASU will want to avoid taking penalties at all costs this weekend. MSU’s man advantage is scoring at a 25.8% clip, the sixth-highest percentage in the nation. The Mavericks’ power play has also been red-hot of late, notching five PPGs in the last four games.
On the flip side, MSU kills 80% of its penalties, which is just the 32nd-highest PK percentage in the country, meaning the Sun Devils can cause serious damage if the Mavericks are undisciplined.
Friday’s game can be viewed on ASU’s free live stream, while Saturday’s will be on Pac-12 Arizona.
