(Photo: Reed Harmon/WCSN)
It has been a lonely past six months without the sport of hockey to keep the masses entertained. But, as September creeps its way into the year, so too, does the arrival of hockey. For the women that don the Sparky on their sweaters and represent the Maroon and Gold, September’s arrival also marks the return of practice.
“I think we’ve been waiting all summer for [the return to the ice],” senior goaltender Jordan Nash-Boulden said.
Arizona State returns to the ice coming off its best finish in the team’s three years of ACHA competition. Finishing with a WWCHL tournament berth, the Sun Devils’ 10-12-1 record last year showcased the program’s ever-steady improvement from the 2-15-0 record of its inaugural season.
ASU adds nine freshmen into its already incredibly youthful core this season. With only four upperclassmen on the 22-player roster, head coach Lindsey Ellis has made the roles of the four veterans clear that need to lead the youth and “#LeaveALegacy” — a hashtag created by the team’s first four-year graduating class in Nash-Boulden, defenseman Molly Potter and forward Erin Rawls.
“Our team is predominantly underclassmen, which is not normal for a team in college,” Ellis said. “We’re looking for all of them to step up in certain situations and lead this team and all the new players where this program needs to go.”
The first step in leaving a legacy began Tuesday for the Sun Devil squad — as organized practices began. The electricity and excitement of being back on the ice were apparent on the faces of the players.
“I’m so excited,” sophomore forward Danielle DuPont stated after the team’s second practice. “Just seeing the energy out there has me really pumped for the season.”
It’s not just the players who caught on to the abundance of energy swirling around the team, however.
“As a coaching staff, we are almost speechless,” Ellis said. “The level of play, physicality— just quality hockey, everything is so much better, already in just two days of practice.”
To end practice on Wednesday, the team completed the “Canadian Mile” hockey drill — a drill that is comparable to the suicide drills from football.
The Devils completed the drill in 12 minutes.
“We really planned to have half of that,” Ellis said. “They were quick. They want to be here. They want to do the work.”
Arizona State has about three weeks to continue sharpening its chemistry and overall execution before its opening series against WWCHL opponents Colorado State and Denver in Colorado from Sept. 27-29.
The Sun Devils will get its first taste of competition on Sept. 15 as the squad faces off against the DYHA U-16 Junior Sun Devils.
As gameday inches closer, the intensity and fire fueling this team will undoubtedly ratchet up.
To put it in the words of coach Ellis: “It’s an entirely different atmosphere.”
