(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
If there could only be one takeaway from the first series of the year for the Arizona State women’s club hockey team against Grand Canyon University, it would certainly be the Sun Devils’ aggressive play in the attacking zone.
This aggressive approach, mainly coming from the defensive line, has been a success thus far. The proof lies in captain and defenseman KC McGinley.
In just two games this season, McGinley has racked up a team-leading two goals while also dishing out two assists for a total of four points on the year. That matches her entire point total of the 17 games she played last year for the Devils.
When asked about the early aggression from her fellow defenders, McGinley said, “I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we are cycling forwards through to play with us.” She further went on to call the style of play “new and refreshing”, ushering in a new, and more aggressive approach for the defenders.
For the team’s upcoming game this weekend against the University of Colorado-Boulder, the need for the Sun Devils to maintain a more aggressive and faster-paced play style was made abundantly clear from head coach Lindsey Ellis.
“C-U is always a very, very aggressive team,” she admitted. “We have to make quicker decisions and be ready for every option on the ice.”
For some, this new direction towards taking the offensive has been challenging to keep up with.
Freshman forward Jessica Ferrigno noted that the transition to D1-ACHA hockey has been “tough”, acknowledging that the teams around her are much faster and more skilled than her previous club team.
“You just got to work every single day. And every day you get a little faster; that’s all that’s important,” Ferrigno explained.
The Sun Devils women face off against Colorado-Boulder this Friday and Saturday at 10:10 p.m. both days. It will be the first true test of the year to see how prepared this new and more aggressive team is to take on the premier teams in ACHA play.
