TEMPE, Ariz. -- The final horn sounded on the Sun Devils' (10-19-3) first full NCAA season with a 6-3 victory against the U.S. National Development U-18 Team on Feb. 25.
Looking back, the program surpassed several benchmarks, captured historical victories, and cemented memorable experiences to build upon moving forward.
The 2016-2017 season provided a brief peek and sparked anticipation of what's to come for the Sun Devil hockey program in the near future.
SEASON SNAPSHOTS
Just four games into the season, the team toppled their first top-ranked opponent with a 5-2 upset over No. 18 Air Force. That feat also marked the first time the program beat an NCAA Division I competitor in front of a home crowd at Gila River Arena.
Freshman goaltender Joey Daccord got the "W", saving 24 of 26 shots the Falcons sent his way. It was his second collegiate start and first victory wearing a maroon and gold sweater.
But he'd top that performance before the season ended in two more historic games for the program.
UPSET! @TheSunDevils Down 2016 Frozen Four Runner-Up in Historic Victory.
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) January 29, 2017
Recap: https://t.co/zvWpCvjqA4
Box Score: https://t.co/cdk5fqxVOd pic.twitter.com/M13i8oQLSr
On Jan. 28, he made a program-best 53 saves for the 4-2 win over No. 17 Quinnipiac, the runner up to the previous season's Frozen Four tournament. In the final NCAA game of the season, he posted 54 saves in a 2-2 tie and double overtime win over then-No. 9 Western Michigan.
Relive it all from last night! #ASUvsWMU https://t.co/wwlI373SQH
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) February 5, 2017
The victory over Quinnipiac was heavily influenced by sophomore forward Anthony Croston, who netted two with the final being the game-winner. He capped the year as the Devils' leading scorer with 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points.
Another first includes tallying the squad's first hat trick of the season against Southern New Hampshire, and all within the first 14 minutes of the opening frame. The three goals the assistant captain scored in that short span eclipsed his entire goal total from his freshman season.
Solid performances from Croston, senior Robbie Baillargeon, freshman Tyler Busch and redshirt junior Wade Murphy helped down the stretch. From December on, the team went 7-7-3 with a stretch that included five ranked opponents and three in the top-10.
The quartet each hit at least 20 points by the end of the season, with Baillargeon tying for the team lead in points at 21 (9G, 12A).
SENIOR SIGN OFF
Four seniors say goodbye this offseason: forwards Baillargeon and Ryan Belonger, d-man Drew Newmeyer, and goalie Robert Levin.
Baillargeon tied with captain Dylan Hollman with 12 assists and had two multi-goal games against Northeastern (Oct. 21) and Harvard (Oct. 29). While his stint as a Sun Devil was the shortest lived of all the seniors, the graduate senior made sure to leave his mark in just one season. The Ottawa Senators' draft pick brought experience to a young team, and played a major role in the Devils' successful first full season.
Newmeyer, Levin and Belonger played back when the program was a member of the ACHA, with the former two being a part of the 2013 championship season.
After starting his NCAA career at Northeastern University, head coach Greg Powers convinced Belonger there was something brewing in the desert following their ACHA championship. In 2014-15, Belonger transferred to ASU and immediately contributed as a top-line guy with 32 points in 32 games. Since then, he has consistently been a locker room guy and was one of the Devils' top scorers in their inaugural NCAA season a year ago. Belonger netted the game-winner with 34 seconds left against Alaska Fairbanks last season to give the program its first NCAA win. This year, he'd give the Devils' their final game-winner of the season in the 6-3 win over the USA U-18 team.
Levin forever laid his mark on the Arizona State men's hockey program, as he shouldered the team to an ACHA Championship in 2014 with two shutouts in their four games for the tournament's Most Valuable Player Award. That season, he also earned the ACHA Rookie of the Year Award. This season, the senior netminder stood between the pipes in one of the program's biggest games of their young history. On Jan. 14, Levin made 24 saves, including three shutdown stops in the shootout, in the 2-2 tie against then-No. 10 Ohio State. That game would feel just like a victory, as Levin made the final save for the 1-0 shootout win. As he rides off into the sunset, Levin seals his ASU storybook ending as the team leader in wins (5), save percentage (.898) and goals against average 3.32).
An integral part to the penalty kill, Newmeyer saw the most game action out of the seniors, playing in 105 games as a Sun Devil. As one of the last few four-year Devils who have seen the program rise to the NCAA level, Newmeyer helped lead the program to its first ACHA National Championship in 2014, while garnering First-Team All-Tournament honors and WCHL All-Rookie honors as well.Dog pile!@SunDevilHockey tops No. 10 Ohio State after Robert Levin comes up with the big save! #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/m9IAJfrn0c
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) January 14, 2017
#SunDevils4Life ?? pic.twitter.com/mbqBW3aPOU
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) February 13, 2017
PASSING OF THE FORK
The program will have new faces on the ice for the 2017-2018 season with a recruiting class that's ranked No. 17 in the country.
The class is led by Patrick Kudla, Tyler Maltby, Johnny Walker, Jacob Wilson and Gvido Jansons.
Selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Kudla ranks third among USHL defenseman in scoring with 31 points and second in goals scored with six. He will wrap up his final season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints.
As the top scorer currently in the AJHL, Maltby paces the league with 38 goals in 49 games. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound winger also racked up another 30 assists so far this season with Sherwood Park. Of those 49 games, he had 10 multi-goal performances as well.
Walker, who is a Phoenix-native, will return home after spending this season with the Chicago Steel in the USHL and the previous three years in the NAHL with Minot and Topeka. The 6-foot centerman has not played over the last month due to injury, but ranked among the top scorers in the USHL prior to his absence. To date, he's netted 15 goals and assisted on 12 in 34 games.
The Latvian Locomotive will pull into Tempe next year at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. Jansons leads all defenseman in the NAHL with 18 goals and second in overall scoring with 40 points. The defenseman played for Team Latvia at this year's IIHF World Junior Championships in January.
Wilson, who is playing his final year with the Sioux City Musketeers, currently sits 22nd in the league in scoring with 17 points. However, he is tied with Kudla in second for the most goals by a defenseman at six.