No.16 Sun Devils welcome hockey juggernaut No.2 Denver to Tempe

(Photo: Sammi Maxwell/WCSN)

When looking at No. 16 Arizona State Hockey’s remaining schedule after its first eight games, multiple series stand out. Four straight games against rival Alaska Fairbanks in February will showcase two of the best independent programs, and two-game sets with No. 5 Providence in November and No. 7 Cornell provide the Sun Devils opportunities to pick up more resumé-building victories.

However, no series currently holds greater significance than the one this upcoming weekend, with No. 2 Denver (6-1-1, 2-0-0 NCHC) visiting Mullett Arena for what will be ASU’s (6-1-1) biggest test of the young season.

“I think it’s a lot of excitement in the room,” Junior defenseman Cade Alami said. “I think to this point, we’ve proven we can play with almost anyone, and now we’ve got the number two team in the country coming. So we want to make a statement that ASU’s here, and we’re a force to be reckoned with. So that’s kind of our mindset going in.

Denver will be a frequent opponent in the future, as it competes in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), which the Sun Devils are set to join next season. Couple that with the fact that ASU has a 1-8-1 all-time record against the Pioneers, and it makes sense why the series is surrounded by so much excitement.

In fact, the anticipation of facing the nine-time National Champions was evident before ASU’s previous series even finished.

Last weekend, the Sun Devils played a closer-than-expected pair of contests against Stonehill, who entered the series with an 0-7 record, winning both by just one goal. Despite struggling to take two winnable games — which came after going 0-1-1 at Miami the week prior — adding to a somewhat concerning four-game stretch, head coach Greg Powers believes there’s a reason for his team’s performance against the Skyhawks.

“I think our guys, last weekend, unfortunately were looking ahead to this weekend,” Powers said. “It was the standard ‘trap weekend’, where as much as you tell them to focus on what’s in front of them and control what you can control, it’s tough to do knowing you have arguably the best team in the country coming in and such a big series.”

Not looking ahead becomes even more difficult when a perennial powerhouse such as Denver awaits on the horizon.

With a 30-10 record in 2022-23, the Pioneers put up consecutive 30-win campaigns for the first time in program history. Fresh off a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, Denver was picked first in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Preseason Media Poll and slotted into the No. 4 spot in the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Preseason Poll.

As is the case in most seasons, it’s championship or bust for Denver in 2023-24. And the prospect of bringing home its tenth national title has proven increasingly real as the season has progressed. So far, the Pioneers’ only loss has come to then-No. 10 Providence, and they’ve put the nation on notice after picking up a massive win at then-No. 3 Boston College and most recently handily sweeping in-state rival Colorado College in two games.

A big reason for this success is that head coach David Carle’s team boasts perhaps the most fearsome offense in all of college hockey that has lived up to the lofty expectations surrounding it so far. While they are middle-of-the-pack in terms of getting pucks on net, the Pioneers are averaging just under five goals per game, the second-most in the nation.

“You don’t really change too much,” Powers said of preparing to face a potent offense. “We worry about us, we have a lot to focus on ourselves. We know how Denver plays, we’ve played them a lot, we’ve played them almost more than anybody. We know how good they are offensively and how active they are in the [offensive] zone, so there’s some things we’re working on to prepare for that, but really we’re just focusing on us.”

Headlining a talented forward group are juniors Massimo Rizzo and Jack Devine, two members of Denver’s top line. Rizzo, a preseason All-NCHC selection who paced his squad with 46 points last year, has taken on more of a playmaker role so far this season, logging five goals and 12 assists in eight games. While his passing ability has been on display often, the Philadelphia Flyers prospect also has a nose for the net, utilizing his elite vision and puck skills to create time for himself and find shooting lanes.

On the other hand, Devine has been more of a balanced player and has eight goals and 16 points through eight contests. A Florida Panthers seventh-round draft choice in 2022, he possesses a high hockey IQ and always seems to be in the right spot to finish a scoring chance or put home a rebound.

What makes Denver’s offensive prowess even stronger is the fact that its defenseman are also key contributors. Colorado Avalanche prospect junior Sean Behrens has logged ten assists so far this season, while freshmen Zeev Buium and Boston Buckberger have burst onto the scene, recording nine and six points respectively.

“You have to be able to kill plays when you can kill plays,” Powers said. “It’s no different. [In the defensive] zone it doesn’t change. We just have to kill plays and spend as little time in our defensive zone as possible. That’s been the focus this season, we’ve done a pretty good job of that. Even last weekend, it wasn’t like we gave up a lot of [offensive zone] time for that other team, everything they got was in transition.”

Coming off three straight games of rest to prepare for this series, ASU netminder TJ Semptimphelter will undoubtedly have his work cut out for him this weekend, but the junior is no stranger to Denver’s ferocious attack. In two games against the Pioneers last season, Semptimphelter made 79 stops, including a 53-save effort in a narrow 3-2 game one defeat.

“This is a game that’s been circled on my calendar ever since last year,” Semptimphelter said. “Obviously losing the way we did with a couple minutes left… But they’re a great team, they’re obviously very talented, they’re well-coached. They have a lot of really good players. So these are the games that you get up for as a player.”

For all of the offense its blue line generates, Denver is also quite sound in its own end, allowing the seventh-fewest shots per game and the 12th-fewest goals per game in the country. Even when they do relinquish scoring chances, the Pioneers have a budding star between the pipes in freshman Freddie Halyk.

When No. 1 goaltender Matt Davis sustained an injury in an Oct. 27 tie against Augustana, Denver looked to Halyk to assume starting duties. This move paid off immediately, as the Alberta native made 24 saves in the Pioneers’ 4-0 shutout of Air Force. He also played an integral role in last weekend’s sweep of Colorado College, allowing just two goals and stopping 39 total shots.

There’s no question that Denver represents some of the stiffest competition ASU will face throughout the regular season, and even splitting this weekend’s series will be a challenge. Near-perfect play in the defensive zone will be required for the Sun Devils to end their six-game losing streak to the Pioneers and keep their undefeated home record alive.

“We’ve been focusing a lot on our [defensive zone] this week so far in practice,” Alami said. “It’s only Tuesday, but we’re only going to continue working on it. I think we know that we have everything in our room. We have everything it takes, we just need to focus on ourselves and approach the game like any other, and just try to work hard.”