(Photo: Reagan Smith/WCSN)
After being off the ice for over seven months, the Arizona State Women’s Hockey team is thrilled to open league play this weekend.
“I’m really excited, it’s what’s getting me through this week,” Sophomore Katharine Jones said. “It’s what got me through my math exam on Monday.”
The Sun Devils will travel northeast to face Colorado State University and the University of Denver in a pair of two-game series spanning three days.
Although traveling with a full roster is a new feat for this team, starting the season on the road is not.
“We were at GCU last year for our first game,” Jones said. “Everything is different from your home rink, even if it’s still in Arizona, so I think we’ll be fine. I don’t think there’s much of a difference.”
The Devils will kick off its long weekend in Fort Collins where they will go head-to-head with the Colorado State Rams on Friday. Last season, the Rams and the Devils amassed 29 penalties between a split two-game series.
“When we’ve played CSU in the past, they’ve been chippy games,” head coach Lindsey Ellis said. “That’s something that we are just expecting going in.”
On Wednesday, the squad practiced power plays in anticipation of a repeat physical match-up with the Rams.
“Practices have been really competitive, really intense,” freshman Andi Main said. “Everybody [is] kind of feeling the pressure of performing in Colorado and doing well against these teams.”
With only four upperclassmen on the roster, the youthful team must hold its ground against the well-established Rams.
“College hockey is a lot different than other hockey that they’ve played before,” Jones said, “and that’s just something to adjust to.”
Keep an eye out for Rams senior and defensive star, Kristen Perry, who totaled 22 points — with 12 goals last season. Other notable players include junior Kallie Clements and senior forward Stephanie Talone — who bagged three goals against ASU last November.
Following its game Saturday morning, Arizona State will travel to Denver to face the Boones at Joy Burns Arena.
Last October, the Sun Devils fell to DU in the WWCHL Showcase. The unexpected loss was the first in the program’s history to Denver.
While the defeat may have tainted their record books, it pushed the Devils to become more persistent. When they met the Boones again in November, Arizona State outscored Denver 16-4.
“Obviously, we know that no team is going to be the same as the one we saw last year,” senior goaltender Jordan Nash-Boulden said. “But I think that we’re far better prepared at this point in the season today than we were at this point last year going into our first road trip.”
In preparation for this weekend’s games, the Sun Devils have upped their intensity both on and off the ice. Ellis has toughened the team’s conditioning and dry land workouts in an effort to ready the ladies for a high volume of matches at a high altitude.
“It’s going to be a tough weekend,” Ellis said. “Four games in 48 hours is a lot of games, a lot of ice time. They’re going to have to dig deep, no doubt.”
Last time Arizona State faced these two teams, over half of the Sun Devils goals were scored by players who are no longer on the roster. Alyssa Ayers, Catherine Jones, Alisa Manny, and Ashlyn Sunderman netted 13 out of the team’s 23 goals.
Even with the loss of those key skaters, the Devils radiate confidence heading into this weekend’s matches.
“Honestly, I don’t think we’re scared of anybody going into this season,” Nash-Boulden said, “they should sort of be afraid of us.”
