By Craig Morgan, thesundevils.com Writer
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Valley's first Division I hockey tournament wasn't supposed to happen.
Arizona State coach Greg Powers was talking with Yale and a couple other schools about the possibility of playing a tournament in Las Vegas this winter when the whole idea fell apart because the event company couldn't secure the venue.
The Bulldogs had their hearts set on coming out west for the winter so Powers and Yale Deputy Director of Internal Operations, Wayne Dean, initially settled on a two-game series in Arizona. Shortly afterward, Powers ran into Connecticut coach Mike Cavanaugh at the American Hockey Coaches Association convention in Naples, Florida in April.
One of UConn's opponents had recently cancelled a two-game series with the Huskies on the same weekend as the Yale-ASU series so Cavanaugh asked if Powers would be interested in hosting a tournament if the Huskies also came out west.
"I think it's important that you try to grow the sport," Cavanaugh said. "In the early years, for us to upgrade our program, we needed some teams to say 'hey, we'll play you,' and it can’t always be them going on the road. I think it's important for us to do our part to go on the road and play ASU."
The fledgling Sun Devils program got a publicity boost from the greater hockey community on Friday when UConn faced Michigan Tech and ASU faced Yale in the first round of the Desert Hockey Classic at Gila River Arena, home of the Arizona Coyotes.
The games marked the second time ASU has played at Gila River Arena, after opening the season here against the University of Arizona. ASU will also face the U.S. National team in Glendale to close the season on Feb. 28.
The Coyotes were thrilled with the idea of ASU hosting a tournament at Gila River Arena.
"Our view is that anything that grows the sport of hockey is important to the growth of the Coyotes," team president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said. "And that's true at any level, whether it's youth hockey, collegiate hockey or pro hockey."
Vice President for University Athletic Ray Anderson views the tournament as a showcase for the program's greater goals. The Sun Devils would like to host a Frozen Four within the next three to five years, but the lure of Arizona winters may prove just as enticing to a college hockey community that currently boasts no other programs in warm-weather climates.
"In hockey we have a natural advantage because everyone else is freezing their butt off while we're out here in the sunshine," Anderson said, laughing. "When we have a new arena then anybody who is big-time who plays hockey will be falling all over themselves to get a home and home with us and come out here and play this time of year."
The top team in this year's tournament field is No. 12 Yale, which won the NCAA title in 2013 and improved to 8-4-2 with a win over the Sun Devils on Friday night in front of 5,028 fans. Michigan Tech improved to 12-7-2 with a win over Connecticut in the earlier game, setting up the final pairings on Sunday at noon and 3 p.m.
"A lot of people put in a lot of work to bring about a day like this for our program so we're thrilled that it's here," Powers said. "Three great programs that we're thrilled are here to share this weekend with us and we thank them all for coming. We're looking at it as a great opportunity."