(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
The Arizona State women’s club hockey team broke their team record last season by winning six more games than they did in the inaugural season of the program and doubling the amount of goals with 45.
ASU lost their leading goal scorer Amber Galles, but defenseman KC McGinley returns after a season of six points and 13 assists.
McGinley’s teammate Catherine Jones is back in the maroon and gold after leading last year’s freshmen with seven goals and seven assists.
This season, with 12 new players to their roster, it allows them for the first time in program history to have a full roster with more than two lines defensively and offensively.
“I think a big difference is in practice we get our full rest so that we can give it a 100% instead of we have a hour and a half, eight girls, let’s conserve our energy but still try to go hard at the same time,” said McGinley.
Freshman Abby Steinman’s work ethic in practice will continue to push the program forward. Before attending ASU Steinman played for the U19 Arizona Lady Coyotes where she played in every single game last season scoring two goals and three assists.
“They make sure everyone is included, at the first practice we did our cheer,” said Steinman. “They always make sure everything’s okay and if you mess up they make sure to not yell at you rather tell you how to do better and get the play better.”
After being out due to an ACL injury, Pittsburgh native Katharine Jones will make her debut this season for the Sun Devils as a forward that brings more depth to the team.
With half of the team being new, the game out on the ice is still the same for the Sun Devils.
ASU will compete in at least 19 games this season including five against in-state rival Grand Canyon University.
Last season the program jumped into the Division I American Collegiate Hockey Association rankings by being ranked fifteenth in the nation two weeks in a row. As the Sun Devils continue to try to break through the rankings, their opponents are trying to do the equal.
“I am looking forward to having a lot more depth than previous years and just being able to be more successful on the ice with the type of skill we have now,” said head coach Lindsey Ellis. “I am looking forward to getting some more wins against ranked teams.”
The Sun Devils will play Minnesota, Colorado, Midland and McKendree whom all finished last season in the top 15 of the ACHA rankings.
October will be a travel heavy month for the Sun Devils as they travel to two different tournaments.
“It’ll be a little different just because we will be playing ranked teams throughout there, seeing different styles of play and having to travel and recover,” said Ellis. “Preparation, mental and psychical, for that is a bit different and with so many new players it’ll be a little bit of an adjustment, but on the ice preparation will be no different.”
The program is participating in the Western Women’s Collegiate Hockey League Showcase in Denver, Colorado. While in Colorado, ASU will play Midland twice, University of Denver and a new opponent to the Sun Devil schedule, Air Force.
Following their weekend in Colorado, the team will travel to Springfield, Missouri to host and play in the Missouri Showcase at Missouri State.
During the tournament the Sun Devils will play Aquinas College, McKendree University and Concordia-Ann Arbor. These three teams, like Air Force, ASU has never competed against before.
In November, ASU’s schedule is dedicated to playing the Rocky Mountain teams. The Sun Devils play Colorado State in Tempe, but travel back to Colorado to play Colorado and Denver.
To wrap up the season, ASU finishes off just like they started by playing GCU at home in Oceanside Ice Arena.
ASU begins their season this weekend at Arcadia Ice in Phoenix, Arizona against GCU on Friday, September 28 at 6:30 p.m.
