Don’t Forget the ACHA

The Arizona State NCAA hockey team may be grabbing all of the attention for this upcoming weekend, but there are other games to be played, specifically with the Arizona State ACHA Division 2 Elite team (2-0-0) taking on Utah Stat University (4-0-1) at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe. With two games scheduled against the Aggies, the Sun Devils will look to continue their hot start after they swept their season-opening series last weekend against Weber State by a combined score of 9-1.

Utah State should provide a good challenge for head coach Dennis Leclair’s ASU squad, as the Aggies were one game away from making the Division 2 ACHA tournament last season, falling to Boise State in a memorable seven-overtime loss on the very same ice they will play on this weekend.

height=269 The final play of the 7 Overtime loss in the D2 qualifiers. Call by Cole Feinbloom

15 players from last season are back for head coach Jon Eccles’s Aggies, including their top eight scorers, among them Cooper Limb (21-22-43) and Rylee Orr (4-29-33). The major difference between the two sides is goaltending, which could be the biggest factor in the two games this weekend.

Despite Utah State returning both goalies from last season, Austin Willenborg and Keegan Mchenry, and ASU playing with two new goaltenders this season, the advantage seems to be squarely in favor of the Sun Devils. Former ASU ACHA Division 1 goalie Lucas Felbel has played spectacularly to start the year, stopping 49 of 50 shots in the two games against Weber State last weekend. Leclair sees Felbel as the team’s top player from the weekend opener.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Leclair give either Al Taylor or Jordan Gluck a look at some point this weekend, especially with such a quick turnaround between games, with a 6:30 pm puck drop tonight and a 9:50 A.M.  start on Sunday. Whomever Leclair decides to give the start between the pipes should expect to have plenty of support, as the Sun Devil offense is performing in last season form, racking up nine goals in the first two games.

The Devils have plenty of new faces this season, but the returning players are still carrying the scoring load. Wes Starr has four points with two goals and two assists including a power play tally, co-captain Ryan Francis has three points with two goals and one assists. Several other veterans such as Daniel Gowans and Ryan McNeely have lit the lamp as well.

Fatigue could also play a big role over these two games, as the Devils have not played since Sept. 26, while the Aggies will have played four games in four days by the time Sunday’s contest is over. They come to Tempe after a two game sweep in Flagstaff against Northern Arizona University.

Prediction ASU continues to dominate their opposition early on this season and take advantage of Utah State’s expected fatigue to win both games.

 

You can reach Bobby Kraus on Twitter @bobbykraus22 or via email at bobbykraus@yahoo.com

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