TEMPE, Ariz. – After their first official NCAA Division I offseason, Sun Devil Hockey is officially 48 hours from the beginning of their first full NCAA slate, which can be argued as one of the toughest schedules in the country.
While the 2015-16 inaugural season featured a home-opener against ACHA rival Arizona, this season features a hostile environment in South Bend, Ind. at No. 9 Notre Dame – one of the seven 2016 NCAA tournament teams the Devils will face this season.
"They're just deep at every position – lots of speed, a great goaltender and really gifted defensemen that like to activate and can do it at both ends," said head coach Greg Powers. "Obviously they also have a couple of world-class forwards that are eventually going to be NHL players. There's a reason they're a top-10 team and they're probably better than a top-10 team to be honest. They might be the toughest team we play all year, so we start out with a bang and our guys are in a good state of mind. We're going out there to compete."
The Fighting Irish, who boast one of the toughest arenas to play, held an 11-6-3 record at the Compton Family Ice Arena in 2015-16. In the Hockey East Conference, Notre Dame placed 3rd during the regular season, but was knocked out in the Hockey East Tournament in the quarterfinals by Northeastern. In the NCAA Tournament, the Irish fell to Michigan in an overtime thriller, 3-2.
The two-game series with Notre Dame begins on Friday night at 7:35 p.m. (ET). A victory by the Sun Devils on either night would be the program's first-ever win against a ranked NCAA opponent.
The key to pulling the upset lies in special teams according to Powers, as coach expects a night-and-day difference for a power play unit that ranked 51st in the NCAA a season ago (12.84%).
"That's going to be an area that gives us a chance to beat a really good team like Notre Dame -- we have to win special teams battles," said Powers. "That's where a team who isn't quite up to speed yet with a top-10 team can make up some ground, so we need to be sharp."
Key contributors to that success include the five returning redshirts that sat out in 2015-16, including captain Dylan Hollman, assistant captain Louie Rowe, Wade Murphy, Jake Montgomery and David Norris. Graduate transfer Robbie Baillargeon from Boston University will also bring an added spark with the most experience of all 26 players on the roster.
Eight freshmen – Brinson Pasichnuk, Steenn Pasichnuk, Tyler Busch, Riley Simpson, Georgy Gorodetsky, Jakob Stridsberg, Brett Gruber and Joey Daccord – will also make an immediate impact according to Powers.
Both games will be accessible on NBCSports.com and the NBCSports App.
Friday night's puck drop is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. (AZT) with Saturday's set for 4:05 p.m.
While the 2015-16 inaugural season featured a home-opener against ACHA rival Arizona, this season features a hostile environment in South Bend, Ind. at No. 9 Notre Dame – one of the seven 2016 NCAA tournament teams the Devils will face this season.
"They're just deep at every position – lots of speed, a great goaltender and really gifted defensemen that like to activate and can do it at both ends," said head coach Greg Powers. "Obviously they also have a couple of world-class forwards that are eventually going to be NHL players. There's a reason they're a top-10 team and they're probably better than a top-10 team to be honest. They might be the toughest team we play all year, so we start out with a bang and our guys are in a good state of mind. We're going out there to compete."
The Fighting Irish, who boast one of the toughest arenas to play, held an 11-6-3 record at the Compton Family Ice Arena in 2015-16. In the Hockey East Conference, Notre Dame placed 3rd during the regular season, but was knocked out in the Hockey East Tournament in the quarterfinals by Northeastern. In the NCAA Tournament, the Irish fell to Michigan in an overtime thriller, 3-2.
The two-game series with Notre Dame begins on Friday night at 7:35 p.m. (ET). A victory by the Sun Devils on either night would be the program's first-ever win against a ranked NCAA opponent.
The key to pulling the upset lies in special teams according to Powers, as coach expects a night-and-day difference for a power play unit that ranked 51st in the NCAA a season ago (12.84%).
"That's going to be an area that gives us a chance to beat a really good team like Notre Dame -- we have to win special teams battles," said Powers. "That's where a team who isn't quite up to speed yet with a top-10 team can make up some ground, so we need to be sharp."
Key contributors to that success include the five returning redshirts that sat out in 2015-16, including captain Dylan Hollman, assistant captain Louie Rowe, Wade Murphy, Jake Montgomery and David Norris. Graduate transfer Robbie Baillargeon from Boston University will also bring an added spark with the most experience of all 26 players on the roster.
Eight freshmen – Brinson Pasichnuk, Steenn Pasichnuk, Tyler Busch, Riley Simpson, Georgy Gorodetsky, Jakob Stridsberg, Brett Gruber and Joey Daccord – will also make an immediate impact according to Powers.
Both games will be accessible on NBCSports.com and the NBCSports App.
Friday night's puck drop is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. (AZT) with Saturday's set for 4:05 p.m.