Arizona State is going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. And now the postseason is quickly approaching it brings much excitement and also potential nerves about what’s ahead in Allentown, Pa.

The feat is truly historic and it’s not something to be taken lightly for the team. ASU is the quickest start-up division I program to earn a postseason bid by doing it in just its third full NCAA season.

“We are in the right to be in that tournament,” sophomore forward Johnny Walker said. “It’s just another feather in our cap. It’s such a great program and such an exciting group to be with.”

Emotions ran high for head coach Greg Powers, the staff and his players on Selection Sunday even though they knew it was going to happen. The grind from the entire regular season had culminated into something very special when the Sun Devils heard their named called.

The last 48 hours turned into a rollercoaster as the announcement brought great attention to the program.

“Everything that goes into the planning of this is crazy because of the nature of where you find out you go and how late you find out,” Powers said “Now, it’s gotta be all about hockey. All about preparing the guys for what they’re going to see.”

But after Sunday’s events, the Sun Devils made it a point to quickly refocus. Junior goaltender Joey Daccord said his teammates unanimously acknowledged that there’s still work to be done in the team’s group chat.

Powers and his group know it would be all the more worth it to cease the moment by producing a successful showing on the biggest stage there is in college hockey.

“Our guys are going to enjoy the experience and leave it all out there,” he said. “We’re not going to be content with just going, we’re going to win.”

Walker attested, “We’re really anxious to get there and make some noise.”

While all of the other teams around the country were duking it out in conference tournaments for the majority of March, ASU sat back and soaked in the time off. The team saw it as a huge advantage to be the only independent school after posting a 21-12-1 record to secure a spot in this year’s Big Dance.

“Our guys are ready to go,” Powers said. “They’re literally chomping at the bit. They’re tired of hitting each other. They’re tired of practicing against each other. And they’re really excited to get on that plane.”

However, the obstacle ahead is No. 8 Quinnipiac that has become an elite program under head coach Rand Pecknold. The Bobcats are no slouch and it’s going to take everything the Sun Devils have in them to get past the first round on Saturday night.

“I think we’re definitely ready,” freshman forward Demetrios Koumontzis said. “We’ve played everyone, so I think that definitely helps us. But, at the same time, it’s just another game and anyone can win, so that’s the way we’re looking at it.”

The Sun Devils played six teams in the regular season that earned a bid into the 2019 NCAA Tournament, the most out of the 16 schools in the field. It’s evident they are battle-tested but the postseason is a different animal that no ASU player has experienced.

How does a team dial in after shattering expectations already and making it further than ever before with so much still on the line?

Well, despite all of the accolades and milestones the young program has achieved to this point, the mindset in the ASU locker room hasn’t changed – it’s to win. Just to have the opportunity supplies more than enough motivation.

“At the end of the day, we know that no matter who we play, there’s no pressure on us,” Powers explained. “Nobody expected us to get here. Nobody expected us to get this far, so we’re going to have fun with it.”

It all started with a vision. When Powers and ASU’s athletic director, Ray Anderson, gathered with other officials and made the decision for the school to move from ACHA club hockey to the D-I level, a tournament appearance was on the agenda early.

Powers said it was a goal not made public to reach this position before the team vacated Oceanside Ice Arena, the rickety, old rink that’s yet quirky and unique in its own way. And it’s actually happening.

“I think it’s a valuable lesson to everybody that you don’t need material things in life to be successful if you have the right group of people that share a passion, a genuine passion, to make a common vision a reality, which is exactly what we have as a staff and a program, you can accomplish great things,” he said. “That’s what we’ve done here.”

And now “be the tradition” is quickly turning into “the tradition”.

“You want to go there and really take in what you’ve accomplished and understand that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime for a lot of people,” Walker said about the tournament. “For most people, you never get to do that. You don’t want to let that fall by the wayside. You want to go in there and really make some noise.”

Little did anyone know that ASU was a rocket waiting to take off into the stratosphere. All it needed was some time to construct the launch pad.

“We’ve been through everything together since day one,” senior forward Anthony Croston said. “It’s been so many ups and downs. The fact that we’ve been here and seen everything and helped build it up to where it is now, it’s special for us.”

Saturday is a call for celebration for the Sun Devils. But hoisting the national championship is the real moment they want to embrace.