Sun Devils open highly-anticipated season at Air Force

(Sammi Maxwell/WCSN)

The 2024-25 season for the Arizona State men’s ice hockey team begins with a roadtrip to Colorado Springs to face off against Air Force for a two-game series this Friday and Saturday.

The Sun Devils enter with quite possibly the highest expectations in program history including being tied for the No. 20 ranking in the USCHO’s Preseason Poll. However, the team still hopes to address several burning questions in its season opener.

The new group of talent ASU acquired through recruiting and the transfer portal over the summer will have its first chance to make a strong impression. In particular, the defense is going to have to count on freshman Joel Kjellberg, Sam Court and Brasen Boser to make an immediate impact.

“They’re going to be pillars of our program as we launch into this league,” head coach Greg Powers said. “They’re going to be rocks that we can lean on and they’re going to get a lot of experience early so we can use that experience and build our roster around those rocks in the back end.”

Forward depth will also be tested right away in part due to graduate Artem Schlaine, junior Cruz Lucius, and junior Charlie Schoen being ruled out with week-to-week injuries.

Forcing the penalty kill unit to play 581 total minutes eventually became a critical weakness to the team the previous season. The Sun Devils this year look to prove they can transform discipline from their achilles heel into a key strength.

“The best way to keep the puck out of the net is to not take penalties,” Powers said. “So we want to be a disciplined team that uses our speed and our skill and makes teams take them against us because I think we’re going to have a really good power play.”

Powers also confirmed junior goaltender Gibson Homer will be the starter in net for Friday’s contest, but he also didn’t rule out graduate Luke Pavicich, sophomore Chase Hamm, or freshman Zakari Brice making an appearance on Saturday. After a short sample size in the second half of last season yielded the best save percentage across the country, Homer awaits his first test as ASU’s primary starter.

Air Force, coming off a 18-19-1 season, possesses an overwhelmingly young core after losing a third of its roster during the offseason. Despite this, the Falcons managed to return three of their top goal-scorers to keep offensive production as their main strength after averaging three goals per game. In addition, playing at Cadet Field House presents the challenge of battling against the elevation of 7,080 feet.

“I’ve never played a game in altitude,” graduate defenseman Noah Beck said. “So it’ll be a bit of a change but we’re doing everything we can to prepare for that, and obviously with pairwise every single game matters the same so we’re going to face it like any other opponent.”

The Falcons are a familiar face to ASU with history between the two programs dating back to 2016 and their most recent matchup taking place in 2023. The Sun Devils lead the all-time series 4-3 and are winners of the last three contests.

Arizona State’s series against Air Force is the first of four straight against out-of-conference opponents to open the season. A strong showing on the road could go a long way in forecasting how equipped the Sun Devils are to take on the likes of Michigan, Providence, and the awaiting gauntlet of NCHC conference play.

“It’s going to be a tough test right away,” Powers said. “There’s no nights off in this schedule and it’s certainly starting with a tough opponent in Air Force.”