(Photo: Kylee Meter/WCSN)
**Editor’s note: ASU Men’s Hockey coaching staff was not available for comment for this story**
Arizona State’s trip to take on Air Force in a two-game weekend set will not be the end-all be-all series of the season regardless of the result. Can the series help the Sun Devils’ standing after opening the season with just one win its first four games? Likely yes. But, as much as wins are helpful and necessary, more losses can serve as a determinant in the difficulty of reaching the postseason this season.
ASU enters Friday’s matchup straddling a 1-3 record after being swept by current PairWise No. 2 Minnesota State — a 4-1 loss in game one and a crushing 5-0 loss in the second were the weekend’s stories.
Air Force, like the Sun Devils, have started the season off on the wrong foot. The Falcons dropped both of their season opener games to No. 7 Notre Dame 4-3 and 6-1.
The two game set between the schools off to slow starts will be grounds for one to get back on track.
For that to happen, all eyes will be on the goaltenders.
For ASU, the team is yet to find a netminder capable of starting night in and night out. Now four games into the season all three of ASU’s goaltenders — sophomore Evan DeBrouwer, graduate transfer Max Prawdzik and freshman Justin Robbin — have gotten playing time (Robbins entered the second game against Minnesota State in relief of DeBrouwer).
Despite splitting the work between three players, the goalies have combined save percentage of just .868 and have allowed an average of 4.00 goals-per-contest.
Through just two games, the Falcons have struggled with their goal-keeping although they have used just one player.
Air Force junior goaltender Zack LaRocque got the starting in nod in both losses to Notre Dame where he posted a .849 save percentage.
In order to help turn the ship around the Sun Devil offense will have to look past its explosive line for production.
In the team’s four games this season, the top line of junior Johnny Walker, junior James Sanchez and sophomore Demetrios Koumontzis; as well as the team’s top defensive pair of senior captain Brinson Pasichnuk and sophomore Joshua Maniscalco have generated 23 of the team’s 25 total points of offensive production.
So far, lack of scoring depth has played a major role in the team’s 1-3 start. In the series against Minnesota State, the team only scored one goal the whole weekend, and it came in the first period from Walker.
If ASU wants to steer the season back on course, the team is going to need to see offensive production by its star pickup in freshman Logan Jenuwine. So far, Jenuwine has not scored once and holds a -1 plus minus in his four games.
The Sun Devils have not yet lost control of their destiny this season, it’s too early to draw such a harsh conclusion. However, with each loss the climb towards another postseason birth may become more and more difficult making the two-game tilt against Air Force all the more important.
