Arizona State could not have asked for a better start to the season.
With a roster loaded with highly-skilled talent, helped by the influx of an exciting freshman class, than perhaps any Sun Devil team before it, ASU took care of Alaska Fairbanks with a broom over the past weekend. Establishing some early chemistry in the top forward lines amidst earning their first-ever 2-0 start certainly gave this young ASU squad a boost of confidence at the jump of their 2018-2019 campaign.
Now, the stakes are raised and the heat on the ice intensifies in just the second week of the season. The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes make the near 2,000-mile journey across the country for their season-opening showdown against the Sun Devils in Tempe.
After ASU’s 5-0 win over Alaska Fairbanks Sunday, coach Greg Powers emphasized that his team faces “no pressure” and that “all the pressure is on Ohio State” entering the matchup.
Ohio State has been respected as a historically tough hockey program and jumped from No. 3 to the top of the USCHO rankings as teams in front of it lost last week. It will be just the second time in program history ASU faces the top-ranked team in the country.
“We knew Ohio State, regardless of ranking, was going to be a very elite program,” Powers said. “We play some really good teams this year, and they could very well be the best team we play. We know they are going to be incredibly talented.”
This is not ASU’s first rodeo with the Buckeyes as the two teams crossed paths in Columbus during the 2016-2017 season.
The Buckeyes took the opener 6-1, but the Sun Devils responded with a strong, competitive performance in the series finale, tying 2-2 in overtime in a game that was on national TV. While it goes down in the record books as a draw, the Sun Devils captured a monumental shootout victory on the road in an unfavorable situation against a top-10 team.
In that series, then-freshman forward Tyler Busch, who originally committed to Ohio State before reopening his recruitment, recorded three points, including a pivotal game-tying goal in the final 30 seconds of the second game to send ASU to overtime.
Two years later, Busch is putting his emotions aside and looks at this difficult task ahead as just another game and that’s the message he brings forth his teammates as a leader in the locker room.
“I’m just trying to treat it like any other series. I’m focused on building off of last weekend and bringing it into this weekend,” the co-captain said. “Like coach said to us, we really got nothing to lose. We expect to win every night and that doesn’t change, whether they are a top-ranked team or not.”
The Buckeyes are ranked first for the first time in school history in large part due to the high expectations for their returning core. Ohio State brings back 21 players from their 2017-2018 squad that finished 26-10-5 overall, placed second with a 14-8-2-1 record in the Big Ten conference, and qualified for the Frozen Four.
While the Buckeyes rely on their resilient veteran presence, the Sun Devils choose to stack up not with their leadership group. Rather, it’s the highly-talented young guys that lead the charge on the ice.
Many maroon and gold rookies shook off nerves in their season-opening sweep over Alaska Fairbanks and four freshmen found their names on the scoresheet in a successful first impression. This weekend presents an exciting challenge to the freshmen playing against historically strong programs they have grown up watching, especially for freshman forward P.J. Marrocco, who has enjoyed the opportunity to play NCAA hockey thus far.
“There’s definitely excitement. You always dream as a kid to play in your first NCAA game and score your first goal, and I got both of those out of the way last weekend,” Marrocco said. “Growing up, you watch Ohio State on TV and these big teams play and it’s really exciting to get the chance to play against them.”
By the Numbers
From offensive prowess to special teams, the Buckeyes expressed their dominance all over the ice as one of the elite Big Ten programs. Ohio State was in the Top 10 in NCAA in power play (6th/.239), penalty killing (1st/.894), scoring offense (10th/3.2 goals per game) and scoring defense (3rd/2.07 goals per game) last year.
Junior forward Tanner Laczynski and senior forward Mason Jobst stand at the forefront of the Buckeyes offense. Laczynski paced the team with 30 assists, 47 points and 162 shots during this sophomore season. Jobst, a swift skating winger, posted a team-best 22 goals and 20 power play points.
Redshirt senior goaltender Sean Romeo also returns as the leader in the crease. In 37 games started last season, Romeo recorded a 2.06 GAA and .927 save percentage, both of which ranked among the Top 12 in the NCAA. This year, the two-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete shapes up to be a favorite to take home the 2019 Mike Richter award, given to the most outstanding goaltender of the season.
It’s going to be goaltending duel down in Tempe as Romeo and Joey Daccord stand tall at the opposite ends of the ice. Daccord will enter with back-to-back shutouts under his belt after he stopped all 36 shots he faced against the Nanooks.
Sophomore forward Johnny Walker rides a seven-game goal streak dating back to his freshmen campaign. Walker is tied for second on team with defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk with two goals.
The Sun Devils are 1-for-8 on the power play while their penalty kill stands clean on eight opportunities.
While the Sun Devils, still in their program’s infancy, are continuing to develop their young core through the most challenging schedule in program history, the experienced Buckeyes are targeting another deep postseason run.
Their journey back to the Frozen Four starts with a stop at Oceanside Ice Arena at 7:05 pm MST Friday and Saturday.
