(Photo: Reagan Smith/WCSN)
The Sun Devils brought the heat Friday night at AZ Ice Arcadia in a steady 4-1 victory over
cross-county rival, the Grand Canyon Lopes.
Though the Devils won by a secure margin Friday night, the first period displayed a sense of concern for a team coming off an offensive-heavy weekend in Colorado.
“In the first period, we were really scrambling,” freshman forward Andi Main said. “We were holding our sticks way too tight, weren’t catching passes, [and] kind of were just giving it up.”
Despite having only played five games, Main has proven to be a key asset to ASU’s roster.
“She is always in the right spot [and has] perfect passing,” head coach Lindsey Ellis said. “Her
positioning and hockey sense far exceed a lot of players.”
Accumulating a combined six points, she opened up the season on the starting line with two sophomores coming off of historic seasons.
“I love working with Danielle [Dupont] and Kat [Jones],” Main said. “We all work really well together so that was really a big bonus for me. I always get going with them and last week in
Colorado I had a really good weekend with them too.”
Main is not the only freshman who has made an impact on the team. Freshman Abi McGee scored with seconds to go in the second period to break the tie, ultimately setting the tone for remainder of the contest.
“You’ve got to give credit to the coaches, they definitely are the ones that are giving us that extra step, that extra drive, that extra work [and] the wisdom right before we get on the ice,” McGee said.
Although GCU demonstrated fire and determination from the first puck drop, ASU smoothly
stifled their ambitions.
“That 20 minutes that we played in the third was phenomenal,” Main said.
Ellis credits much of the team’s perseverance to its strong leadership presence.
“A lot of the girls were captains before they came here, about 90% of the team, so we really
focus on culture,” Ellis said. “I think it’s really starting to fall into place.”
Even with their outstanding comeback performance, the women still have room for improvement.
“We need every single person on this team to play their part,” Ellis said. “That was super
important in the third period and it obviously showed.”
The stark differences between the beginning and end of the game remind the Sun Devils to
remain persistent in their energy and drive.
“We’re going to have to come back tomorrow and go at least 20% harder,” McGee said.
The Sun Devils will finish out their two-game series tomorrow at 7:00 pm at AZ Ice Arcadia.
After an impressive performance for the Devils, Saturday night might be even more special. The Lopes outshot ASU, but the Devils continue to solidify every aspect on the ice.
“It’s only going to go up from here,” Ellis said.
