DENVER, Colo. – In college hockey, Denver University has been the team to beat out west for over 50 years. Since becoming a Division I program in 1949, the Pioneers have won seven NCAA Championships and have qualified for the tournament nine-straight years.
This weekend, the new kids out west will go toe-to-toe with No. 3 Denver on Friday and Saturday night.
"We're heading into arguably one of the most challenging series – and stretches – of our first full season," said head coach Greg Powers. "Denver has represented the west for years and it's obviously company we would love to be in someday. We're looking forward to these two games."
The Sun Devils (7-14-1) enter the second half of the 2016-17 season with just one loss in their last five appearances on the ice, which included a rare 8-8 tie against Brown in their first game of the Desert Hockey Classic.
Offensively, ASU is climbing the national leaderboards, moving from 44th in goals scored to a tie for 18th within five games.
Redshirt sophomore forward Louie Rowe has caught fire over the last seven games, totaling five goals and four assists during that stretch. He was riding a six-game point streak entering the most recent loss to No. 18 St. Cloud State.
On the top line, redshirt junior Wade Murphy also had himself quite a December, racking up three goals and three assists.
Rowe's linemate, sophomore forward Anthony Croston, is reaping the benefits at center between the 6-foot-5 winger and redshirts sophomore captain Dylan Hollman. Against Brown on Dec. 30, Croston earned a career-high and program-record five assists.
For Denver, the Pioneers will likely be without one of their best scorers in Troy Terry, as the sophomore is playing for the USA at the World Junior Championships. Team USA will play in the World Championship game on Thursday night against Team Canada.
When Terry departed for the tournament, he was tied atop the Pioneer team statistics with 17 points, while pacing the squad with nine goals this season.
However, Denver will likely return their second-top goal scorer in Henrik Borgstrom, who played for Team Finland. Borgstrom currently has eight goals and eight assists in 14 games for the Pioneers.
Between the pipes, the Pioneers have relied on junior Tanner Jaillet, who holds a 11-3-4 record with a .924 save percentage and 2.05 goals against average. Florida Panthers draft pick and senior Evan Cowley has earned three appearances for a 1-1-0 record, .942 save percentage and 1.42 goals against average. There's a chance the Devils could see either or both this weekend.
Game one on Friday starts at 7:30 p.m. MST while game two on Saturday drops at 7:00 p.m. Friday can be watched on Altitude Sports 2 in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah.
This weekend, the new kids out west will go toe-to-toe with No. 3 Denver on Friday and Saturday night.
"We're heading into arguably one of the most challenging series – and stretches – of our first full season," said head coach Greg Powers. "Denver has represented the west for years and it's obviously company we would love to be in someday. We're looking forward to these two games."
The Sun Devils (7-14-1) enter the second half of the 2016-17 season with just one loss in their last five appearances on the ice, which included a rare 8-8 tie against Brown in their first game of the Desert Hockey Classic.
Offensively, ASU is climbing the national leaderboards, moving from 44th in goals scored to a tie for 18th within five games.
Redshirt sophomore forward Louie Rowe has caught fire over the last seven games, totaling five goals and four assists during that stretch. He was riding a six-game point streak entering the most recent loss to No. 18 St. Cloud State.
On the top line, redshirt junior Wade Murphy also had himself quite a December, racking up three goals and three assists.
Rowe's linemate, sophomore forward Anthony Croston, is reaping the benefits at center between the 6-foot-5 winger and redshirts sophomore captain Dylan Hollman. Against Brown on Dec. 30, Croston earned a career-high and program-record five assists.
For Denver, the Pioneers will likely be without one of their best scorers in Troy Terry, as the sophomore is playing for the USA at the World Junior Championships. Team USA will play in the World Championship game on Thursday night against Team Canada.
When Terry departed for the tournament, he was tied atop the Pioneer team statistics with 17 points, while pacing the squad with nine goals this season.
However, Denver will likely return their second-top goal scorer in Henrik Borgstrom, who played for Team Finland. Borgstrom currently has eight goals and eight assists in 14 games for the Pioneers.
Between the pipes, the Pioneers have relied on junior Tanner Jaillet, who holds a 11-3-4 record with a .924 save percentage and 2.05 goals against average. Florida Panthers draft pick and senior Evan Cowley has earned three appearances for a 1-1-0 record, .942 save percentage and 1.42 goals against average. There's a chance the Devils could see either or both this weekend.
Game one on Friday starts at 7:30 p.m. MST while game two on Saturday drops at 7:00 p.m. Friday can be watched on Altitude Sports 2 in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah.