(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
The No. 9 Arizona State men’s hockey team is on the brink of locking up its NCAA Tournament bid.
While PairWise probability charts and national projections point to a near guarantee that ASU will earn an at-large bid for the second year in a row, the Sun Devils (22-9-3) will still have to wait for their ultimate fate when Selection Sunday surfaces on March 22nd.
As winners of a season-high seven straight games, the Sun Devils ride a wave of momentum into their final series of the regular season against Wisconsin at Kohl Center in Madison.
With a smile on his face, sophomore goaltender Evan DeBrouwer expressed a fondness to his team’s chances at returning to the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re pretty fired up,” DeBrouwer said. “We’re so close, you can almost taste it… Just coming into this weekend, I don’t think there’s any doubt in our minds that we’re going to get the job done. If we do get the job done, our destiny is in our own hands.”
DeBrouwer has had the hot hand of late in the crease, boasting a 0.99 goals against average and a .966 save percentage in the last four games. In his first season as a starter, DeBrouwer has posted a 2.31 goals against average and .925 save percentage, which both rank among the top 25 of the NCAA’s goaltending leaders.
However, DeBrouwer and the ASU defense have a tall order against a highly talented Badgers squad that bestows 12 NHL draft picks, which is tied for second among all 60 NCAA Division I programs with Boston University and Boston College.
Senior forward Brett Gruber, a native of Appleton, Wisconsin who expects 50 of his family and friends in attendance over the weekend, is prepared for the challenge in his final regular-season series.
“They’re a really skilled team and that’s why they have 12 draft picks,” Gruber said. “I think we have to play our game, and I think we’re a really tough team to play against. If we can continue the way we’re playing, I think we’ll be just fine.”
In the fifth year under coach Tony Granato’s supervision, Wisconsin (11-18-1, 6-15-1 Big Ten) currently sits on the fringes of the NCAA Tournament picture, ranked 37th in PairWise rankings and seventh in conference play.
The Badgers have struggled recently, losing six of their last seven game with a lone victory over Big Ten-leading Penn State last week. The 21st-ranked power play has provided the biggest spark for Wisconsin’s offense, converting 20.4 percent of the time.
As the greatest scoring threat among ten Badgers in double-digit point totals, freshman forward and 2019 first-round draft pick Cole Caufield owns a team-high 18 goals and 32 points in 30 games. Fellow first-rounder Alex Turcotte joins Caufield on the top line with six goals and 18 points in 23 games. The two elite NHL prospects have combined for 11 of Wisconsin’s 21 power-play goals.
The Sun Devils look to counter that dynamic duo’s lethal scoring touch with their red-hot penalty kill. Going back to January 5th, the Sun Devils have successfully killed 41 consecutive penalties, boosting their penalty-kill efficiency to 86.6%, which ranks ninth in the country.
“The buy-in has been incredible, especially since the new year,” DeBrouwer said. “I think [Brinson Pasichnuk] has blocked more shots than I have over that stretch. The buy-in is just incredible. Penalty killing is all about competing, and that is what our team is best at.”
ASU’s power play has also found its stride after tumbling out of the gates. In the last six games, the Sun Devils have converted nearly 35% (8 of 23 opportunities) on the man-advantage, increasing their season average to 19%.
“I think we’re all just very comfortable with each other, and it’s just repetitive,” said junior forward James Sanchez, who leads the Sun Devils with 36 points. “Everyone knows their role on the power play. We just got to keep doing the same things. Stick to the basics. It’s been working for us.”
While these two games mark the end of the Sun Devils’ regular season, the team knows they can’t take their foot off the gas. At No. 11 in the PairWise rankings, the Sun Devils will need a stronger finish to punch their ticket to a second NCAA tournament appearance in as many years.
“There are no guarantees in anything,” Gruber said. “We’re going to give it our all for these last two games.”
