After splitting its final weekend series with Omaha, No. 12 Arizona State clinched home ice for the quarterfinal round of the NCHC tournament. For the first time in program history, there will be playoff hockey at Mullet Arena, and head coach Greg Powers expects a packed house.
While ASU is second in the conference with 47 points, PairWise has the Sun Devils at No. 16, just outside the bubble for the NCAA tournament. This likely means ASU will need to win the NCHC tournament to get the auto-bid or, at the very least, make it to Minneapolis and play in the championship game.
“That was our main goal at the start of the year,” Powers said. “We still feel like we have the best league in the country, and the coaches feel the same way. Five teams in the top 20, but the computer just doesn’t like the league this year. But it’s been a great first year in the league, and we accomplished what our goal was.”
With the Sun Devils on a bye week in the final weekend of the regular season, they get to kick back their feet and relax a little while waiting to see who they’ll face in the quarterfinals. As it stands, they have three possible opponents in Minnesota Duluth, St. Cloud State, and No. 20 Colorado College.
ASU has locked up the No. 2 seed in the tournament, and Duluth is currently the No. 7 seed with 26 points. St. Cloud State is five points behind with 21 but plays the Bulldogs this weekend, and Colorado College is the least likely to play Arizona State with 32 points.
“The nice thing about playing in a league is you know how everybody plays,” Powers mentioned. “You just have to look at what went well against them the last time you played them and what you can do better. At this point, a lot of focus is internal on us and what we need to do to have success.”
Junior Gibson Homer started both games against Omaha this past weekend in the crease and allowed a combined four goals throughout the weekend. Homer has only played against Duluth once, though, losing in overtime, but he beat St. Cloud State twice this year. Senior Luke Pavicich has been the go-to guy for Powers in crucial games, so it really comes down to who the Sun Devils play.
“Both guys have done really good things for us, and the human side of me wants to give them both a chance,” Powers stated. “Right now, I’m leaning towards Pav because he’s got the experience. We’ll see how it goes, but sometimes it comes down to the matchup. Both guys have put the work in and helped us get to where we are.”
The past two weeks saw freshman forward Cullen Potter come into his own on the scoresheet. Though the chances were always there, he finally began finding the back of the net and setting up his teammates for success, putting up five points in four games.
With junior forward Cruz Lucius jumping up to the first line and junior forward Bennett Schimek sliding into the right wing spot, the second line for the Sun Devils has become a scoring threat every time they step on the ice.
“The shots just started going in for him,” Powers recognized. “He was fighting for bounces for a good month and a half, but he’s found his stride and his confidence. He’s playing his best hockey when we need him to, and that makes us dangerous.”
Arizona State is looking to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2020 when home ice for ASU was still Oceanside Arena. Seniors Ethan Szmagaj and Ty Murchison, along with graduate forward Benji Eckerle, are the only players who have come with Powers to Mullet Arena to host a home playoff game, a special moment for the trio.
“It’s really cool for those guys to get to experience playoff hockey in this building,” Powers added. “They deserve it, and they came here to help us build a program when there was no blueprint for Mullet Arena. Guys like that, along with Benji Eckerle, are truly the last of the old guard that came here for all the right reasons, and they’ve done it.”
There’s a mix of veterans and youth in the locker room this year, and Powers has already announced that next year, sophomore forward Kyle Smolen will likely be one of the captains. For Smolen, he understands the gravity of the moment for the seniors to see playoff hockey at Mullet.
“There’s a lot of college hockey players that go their whole careers without getting a sniff at that opportunity,” Smolen acknowledged. “Being in my second year and being able to support the guys that have been here is anything I could ever want. There’s a sense of urgency to get them the opportunity to play in Minneapolis, and hopefully, we can win the whole thing so they get their shot in the tournament.”
Arizona State was picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the NCHC before the season started and is 10 days away from hosting a postseason game in its own arena. The term “Mullet Magic” has taken the Valley by storm ever since the Sun Devils stepped on the ice back in 2022, with countless moments adding to the name every season.
ASU consistently sells out the 5,000-seat arena, and it will undoubtedly be rocking next Friday night. Fans have seen the Sun Devils take down top-10 opponents in No. 7 Denver and No. 4 Western in the last two home series, and they’ll be in store for a historic and exciting moment for the program.
“A lot of people didn’t give us a chance,” Powers voiced. “They didn’t know what we were all about or what we were getting into. We knew we’d finish higher than eighth, and we’ve had a great first year in the league. The atmosphere for the Denver and Western Michigan series was fantastic, and I think the atmosphere here next weekend is going to be even better.”
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