No. 11 Arizona State spent the last nine seasons as an independent in the NCAA, making it very difficult to not only make the NCAA tournament but also to recruit players away from powerhouse schools.
Now, as a member of the NCHC, Powers and his staff have the pitch of playing for a conference championship just like the rest of the top teams in the country. This has led to this year’s roster, one that Powers says is the deepest and most talented roster he’s had in his 15 years as ASU’s head coach.
“We knew it would enhance our student-athlete experience in every way,” Powers stated. “Being in a league has changed the trajectory of our program in a really positive way, and the kids want to compete for a championship. A lot of the kids we have on the team wouldn’t be here if we were still an independent, so being in the NCHC has helped this program on many levels.”
The veteran presence on the team this year has been undeniable, with the top five point producers all being upperclassmen. With little postseason experience on last season’s roster, Powers made it a goal to bring in players who can help ASU in the exact position it’s in right now.
“It’s why we built the roster the way we did,” Powers expressed. “We wanted to go heavy into the portal and bring in elite players that had been through conference playoffs. While we aren’t a program that has been through a conference postseason, a lot of the guys in the room have. Now we've got two tight-knit games under our belt, and our guys feel confident and excited.”
Arizona State swept Minnesota Duluth last weekend to advance to the Frozen Faceoff in its inaugural season in the NCHC. The Sun Devils will take on No. 6 Denver in the semi-final round on Friday, a team they went 3-1 against in the regular season, with the one loss coming in overtime.
The first-ever playoff series hosted in Mullett Arena was electric, to say the least, and ASU delivered to its fans two unforgettable games. The Sun Devils never led for the entirety of Game 2 until senior forward Ryan Kirwan snuck a shot between the legs of the goalie for the overtime winner.
“It was a great moment for our program to win a playoff series at home,” head coach Greg Powers said. “To do it in front of our fans is the biggest piece of that moment, but the biggest thing for us was we didn’t want to play Sunday. It didn’t look good after going down 3-0 in the first, but the guys got it done.”
Although the talent was adamant, ASU battled injuries throughout the first two months of play, leading to a 3-7-1 start. Key players like graduate forward Artem Shaline and junior forward Cruz Lucius missed the first two months of the season, but once they got back, graduate forward Benji Eckerle suffered an Achilles injury that would cost him his final season.
Powers only had a fully healthy squad for one game all season, but different players stepping up when their name was called led to the Sun Devils catching fire at just the right time. Sophomore forward Kyle Smolen missed the Duluth series and has a 50/50 shot to play this weekend per Powers, but different players have stepped up throughout the season to help ASU catch fire at the right times.
“It’s incredibly rewarding because of how banged we were the first third of the year,” Powers acknowledged. “Benji is a huge loss because he’s one of our biggest leaders and one of our best checkers, and obviously not having Smolen hurt last weekend. We’re a deep team that has a lot of weapons and guys that can fill in when guys are out, and we found a way to become successful with that mindset, so I’m really proud of the group.”
Although Arizona State has gotten the better of Denver this year, the Pioneers are a danger on any given night, especially in the postseason. They’ve won two of the last three NCAA championships and are looking to go back-to-back this year.
Denver's game has very few weak points, but its obvious strong suit is the power play unit. The Pioneers are second in the country with a .295 success rate on the man advantage, but the Sun Devils are right behind at third (.292). The Pioneers went 4-for-11 on the power play in the four games against them this year, and keeping players out of the box will be key for ASU on Friday.
“You have to be disciplined against these guys,” Powers voiced. “If you’re not, they’re going to make you pay, and I’m sure they’re saying the same thing. They don’t want to see themselves a man down to our power either, but we’ve been really good in five-on-five play. Obviously, penalties are going to happen, but we have to focus on discipline more than anything.”
The penalty kill unit has shuffled around the past few weekends with Eckerle out and Smolen joining him, but the Sun Devils held Duluth to no power-play goals in three chances last weekend. Powers has certainly missed his top penalty killers on the ice immensely, but the guys behind them have filled the gap enough to keep ASU afloat.
“We have guys that can do it,” Powers assured. “Obviously our top PK pair has always been Smolen and Benji, so it’s the next man up for us. That’s how we’ve operated this season, and it’s the only way this team knows how to go. Guys will get the job done because we have no other choice.”
ASU had Denver’s number in the regular season, but everything changes in the playoffs. There’s little to no room for error, and they’ll have to play nearly perfectly to defeat the defending NCAA champions. With the Sun Devils currently sitting at No. 15 in the PairWise, an NCHC tournament championship is likely the only way to punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament, with two auto-bid conference champions sitting behind Arizona State.
“We have to play with urgency and desperation,” Powers added. “The message from me since Saturday has consistently been letting these kids know every game could be the last time you put the Sun Devil jersey on. We believe if our guys play with that urgency and desperation of not making it their last, we love our chances against anybody.”
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