Arizona State Men’s Hockey is no stranger to overcoming adversity. As a fledgling independent program, the Sun Devils logged back-to-back 20-win seasons and established themselves as a legitimate contender in the NCAA ranks.
This year, though, will come with a set of challenges the program has yet to face. As part of their scheduling agreement with the Big 10 conference for the upcoming season, ASU will play all 28 of its contests on the road.
The Sun Devils are set to open their season against Michigan on Nov. 14 and 15 before travelling to East Lansing where they’re expected to face Michigan State on Nov. 20 and 21, as announced by the program in a schedule release on Thursday.
From there, the Sun Devils will face Wisconsin on Nov. 28 and 29; Notre Dame on Dec. 3 and 4; Penn State on Dec. 11 and 13; and Ohio State on Dec. 17 and 18.
The second half of ASU’s schedule is expected to be released at a later date.
The Sun Devils went 10-8 on the road last season and won one of their four games against Big 10 opponents.
“We believe that this was the best option presented to us to give our players a meaningful season,” head coach Greg Powers said. “It’s set up in an arrangement where we can really kind of do travel segments. It’s not going to be 14 road trips, it’s going to be more like seven road trips.”
While the travel setup may not be ideal, it gives the players an opportunity to strengthen their bond and discover some of the hidden gems that Big 10 college towns have to offer.
“I enjoy finding local coffee shops,” senior defenseman Jacob Wilson said. “A few of us guys will go and do homework and just hang out for a bit.”
The Sun Devils unique, road-only schedule presents the challenge of playing in some unfamiliar arenas, some of which have bigger ice surfaces than the one at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe.
“I know a few of the rinks were Olympic-sized, or a little bigger than we’re used to playing on,” Wilson said. “When it comes to the dimensions, you have to adjust your plan just a little bit more.”
Though the new rink dimensions may present some issues for the Sun Devils, the home-ice advantage that Big 10 arenas normally offer will be greatly diminished due to the lack of fans in attendance.
“A big part [of home-ice advantage] is the fans,” senior forward Johnny Walker said. “I remember playing my freshman year at Michigan at Yost Arena and it was so loud. That was probably one of the coolest experiences I had as a college hockey player.”
Aside from frequent travelling and different playing conditions, ASU will have to deal with the reality of not holding senior night festivities this season. While senior night is one of the highlights of the season for fans of the team, the players insisted that it has little bearing on their on-ice success.
“Personally, I hadn’t really thought about that,” Walker said. “I think sometimes senior night can be a little bit of a distraction. There’s a lot going on.”
The 2020-21 season is expected to be very different than years past for ASU. However, the Sun Devils are approaching it with a glass half-full attitude.
