No. 15 Arizona State split last weekend’s series against Minnesota Duluth after losing in overtime and then winning in a shootout. Overall, it was a disappointing weekend for a team with NCAA tournament aspirations. With No. 3 Western Michigan coming to town this weekend and finishing the regular season on the road against a talented Omaha team, this weekend was expected to be the easiest of the three, but it quickly turned into a hard-fought battle.
“We’ve built the expectation where we expect to win every game,” Powers said. “We have complete control of our destiny from a conference and pairwise standpoint with an unbelievable hockey team coming in here this weekend. That’s an opportunity we have earned and created for ourselves, and it’s something I’m really proud of our team for.”
Even with the series split, ASU holds the sole lead of second place in the NCHC with 40 points after Omaha lost both of its games, now sitting just five points behind the Broncos, who have 45 points. With each regulation win counting for three points, the Sun Devils could sweep and take the top spot in the conference, though it’s unlikely.
Coming into the season, ASU was projected to finish eighth out of nine teams in the NCHC. However, with three weeks to play, the Sun Devils are now battling for the regular-season title. The Sun Devils have completely flipped the script on their conference foes and have a chance to shock the nation this weekend.
“We’re the clear second-place team with the opportunity to reclaim first,” Powers pronounced. “We have a target on our backs, and I think the guys have done a tremendous job. We came into the season on the hunt, and they turned the season around to become the hunted. That’s an exciting thing, and we want to be that front-running team fighting to get to the Frozen Four.”
The Broncos are the team to beat in the NCHC right now, with a record of 22-5-1 overall and 15-2-1 in conference play. They have yet to lose a conference game in regulation this year and use their physicality to their advantage. ASU’s style of play is quite different from Western Michigan’s, focusing on speed and efficiency.
“It’s a really good opportunity for us to elevate ourselves in the PairWise,” graduate forward Artem Shlaine mentioned. “They’re a heavy team, so we have to use our speed, but we also have to be relentless in puck battles and have quick decision-making. That’s what’s going to make us successful this weekend.”
The Broncos allow just 1.79 goals per game, leading the NCHC and good for third in the country. Their offense is just as potent, scoring 3.75 goals per game for a 1.96 margin, the best in the country. Their physicality, along with top-end goaltending, makes it nearly impossible to score on them, but Powers and his team are up to the task.
“They’re good offensively and defensively, that’s why they’ve only lost five games,” Powers noted. “They haven’t lost a game in regulation in conference play, so we know the challenge ahead is steep. That staff has built their program into a winner every year, and that’s what we’re trying to do here.”
There will be countless battles throughout each game, as the Broncos will look to shut the door on anybody else taking the top spot. ASU is likely the only team in their way with the Sun Devils and Omaha playing each other next week, and neither side will give up an inch of room. The players will be tested all weekend long, and Powers is confident in his group.
“This is the week where our identity is fast and relentless,” Powers stated. “If we don’t do both of those things, we won’t have success. We have to play to our identity and believe that what we have on our side is enough to have success against anybody because it is, and we’ve proven that.”
This weekend will likely be the defining moment of whether or not the Sun Devils will make the postseason, barring a run in the NCHC tournament. With only the top 14 teams making the tournament and each conference champion receiving an automatic bid, the race is getting tighter and tighter. For a team that many predicted to have a rough inaugural year in their conference, Powers is fired up and ready to face the task head-on.
“I think that pressure is a privilege,” Powers voiced. “We need to have fun with this, and we’ve earned it. This is what this program has built towards for the last decade. We’re in front of a league in late February against one of if not the best team in the country, and we have it in our control to take the season by the throat this weekend.”
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