ASU Men’s Hockey: Sun Devils still “taking it one game at a time” despite riding NCAA tournament bubble

(Photo: Riley Trujillo/WCSN)

It’s been a common theme that Arizona State men’s hockey team has followed closely all season long.

No matter the opponent, at home or on the road, the No. 16 Sun Devils’ success has been consistently backed by one key phrase: take it one game at a time.

Since the very first practice of ASU’s fourth Division I season, coach Greg Powers has stuck by his motto and the Sun Devils are turning heads with their relentless competitiveness that has transformed them into a smashing success.

“It’s still the same mindset: one game at a time,” Powers said. ” They can’t accept anything less. It’s on them. They know what they need to do to be successful. At this point in the season with what we have to play for and what’s in front of us, we’re there to support them … but at the end of the day, they have to go out and execute as a group and hold each other accountable to do so.”

Throughout the first month of 2019, the Sun Devils have faced tremendous pressure on the road. But the adversity away from Oceanside Ice Arena has yet to come to a halt.

To begin the first two days of February, ASU heads back east to close out its six-game road trip against Rochester Institute of Technology at Gene Polisseni Center.

Although RIT stands at No. 31 in the Pairwise rankings, the system used by the NCAA to select and seed teams for the NCAA Tournament, the Sun Devils should not take the Tigers lightly.

“RIT does a lot well, but at the end of the day, they just work hard,” Powers said. “They’ve played some really top programs this year very tight. They are a smaller school that prides themselves on being one that can continuously beat higher ranked programs. They’ve got a great history… this is going to be a big-time series for us.”

The Tigers hold a 12-9-3 overall record, but their 10 wins in Atlantic Hockey conference play ranks in the top-3 behind American International and Air Force. With 10 games left in their regular season schedule, RIT still has a good chance to take a hold of their conference with the Atlantic Hockey tournament championship up for grabs.

Behind the bench, 20-year tenured coach Wayne Wilson has led RIT as one of the most successful and respectful programs in college hockey with a 349-237-63 lifetime record. In a dozen years as a member of the Atlantic Hockey conference, RIT has won four regular season titles and three postseason championships while making three NCAA Tournament appearances with their most recent in 2016.

Despite their struggles on the road, RIT has taken advantage of home ice with an 8-4 record, including a current four-game win streak that dates back to December 15, 2018. The Tigers do not unload much fire power up and down their roster, however there are a few players the Sun Devils will need to shut down over the weekend.

Senior forward Erik Brown paces the Tigers with 12 goals, including a team-high six power play markers. Sparking the top line of three Ontario-native veteran Tigers, Brown rides a two-game goal streak after finding the back of net in each 4-2 victory over Army last weekend.

Senior forwards Abbott Girduckis and Gabe Valenzuela round out RIT’s top line trio. While Valenzuela holds 20 points to his name in four consecutive seasons wearing white and orange, Girduckis carries a primary playmaking role, leading the Tigers with 19 assists and 27 points.

In between the pipes, sophomore goaltender Logan Drackett boasts a 2.54 GAA and .913 save percentage in 21 games. He’s been the go-to guy for the Tigers with nine wins, 1,275 minutes and 566 saves logged.

Although a top-line threat and top-notch goaltender sits in plain sight, the Sun Devils’ mindset heading into the RIT series is simple and straightforward. ASU’s co-captains continue to treat each game the same and focus on what lies directly in front of them.

“We’re going to go in focusing on Friday night first. We know if we work hard, we are going to have success,” junior defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk said. “That’s our mindset going in and just taking it one day at a time and not looking to far ahead.”

“We’re treating it the same way as we have all year: taking it one game at a time,” junior forward Tyler Busch said. “We’re treating it like a must-win situation and I think we’ve been doing that all year. We are trying to prove people wrong and I don’t think anything has changed from the start of the year until now.”

Brinson Pasichnuk has been the pivot man at the point, leading ASU’s blue line with nine goals and 21 points. While Busch leads on and off the ice motivating his fellow Sun Devils, the center’s consistency in the face-off circle remains a key factor throughout the team’s success along with the 16 points during his junior campaign.

At the top of the list of 11 Sun Devils with double-digit points, sophomore forward Johnny Walker continues to light the lamp almost every time he steps onto the ice. The Hobey Baker nominee leads the country with 21 goals, padding his ASU single-season record with a pair of goals in the 3-0 win over Boston University.

Alongside Walker with a Hobey Baker nomination, junior goaltender Joey Daccord held down the fort once again last weekend with a huge bounce-back shutout to split the series against BU in a tough arena. Daccord’s seventh shutout of the season tops all NCAA netminders along with his 17 wins, 1,672 minutes played and 823 saves.

The Ottawa Senators draft pick has been consistent all year long and attributes his easy mental preparation to the incredible numbers he’s putting up in his third year defending the Sun Devil goal.

“I try not to put much stress on myself,” Daccord said. “I try to keep everything light. Every night, I try to bring the same mental focus and effort to every game. I take it as it comes… Good things have happened this year. Let’s hope it stays that way.”

As they have done all season, the Sun Devils continue to hold on soundly to the right mindset as they prepare for a very important pair of games against RIT.

With only six games left in the regular season and slotting at No. 12 in the Pairwise rankings, ASU has to play every shift to its fullest with hopes of making NCAA tournament for the first time still on the line.

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