CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – It's prestige versus innovation, as the No. 1 university in innovation travels to one of the oldest collegiate hockey programs and most prestigious academic universities in the country in Harvard.
It's the Sun Devils' (9-3-0) first trip back east of the season, and they do so in style as the No. 18 team in the country, according to this week's USCHO Coaches' Poll.
"It's been just another week of preparation for us, and we're looking forward to another tough road test in Harvard," said head coach Greg Powers. "Our guys are focused on the task at hand, and we have our work cut out for us in one of the toughest atmospheres in college hockey."
ASU is riding a three-game winning streak into Cambridge, while Harvard is coming off a 5-2 victory over Brown – their first win of the season.
The two programs first met two years ago in 2016-17 with the Crimson outscoring the Sun Devils 13-2 in two games. That was also ASU's first full season of Division I, while Harvard went on to the Frozen Four that year.
This weekend's match-up could be won or lost on special teams. Harvard's power play ranks second in the nation at over 40%, while ASU's penalty kill is the best in the country at 92.7%.
Two of the nation's predominant, offensive threats as of late also square off, as the nation's leading goal scorer and point getter Johnny Walker meets defenseman Adam Fox, who is averaging over two points per game.
While Walker has been a catalyst in the Sun Devils' hot start, a balanced attack with scoring coming from all four lines has helped keep the fire lit. Despite the team scoring seven goals last weekend, Walker did not account for a single point on the weekend.
The last time Walker was held off the stat sheet in back-to-back games was Dec. 29-30, 2017 at the Three Rivers Classic tournament in Pittsburgh.
Between the pipes, junior Joey Daccord holds a spot in the top-10 in both save percentage and goals against average among goalies with at least six starts. This weekend features somewhat of a homecoming for him, as his hometown of North Andover is just 30 minutes from Harvard.
His ninth win of the season on Saturday became a new season-high for Daccord, and he'll look to build on that record.
Same goes for the Sun Devils, who surpassed their win total from 2017-18 with the win on Saturday and are one shy of matching their season high as a program (10).
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. (EST) / 5 p.m. (MST) Friday and Saturday on ESPN+.
It's the Sun Devils' (9-3-0) first trip back east of the season, and they do so in style as the No. 18 team in the country, according to this week's USCHO Coaches' Poll.
"It's been just another week of preparation for us, and we're looking forward to another tough road test in Harvard," said head coach Greg Powers. "Our guys are focused on the task at hand, and we have our work cut out for us in one of the toughest atmospheres in college hockey."
ASU is riding a three-game winning streak into Cambridge, while Harvard is coming off a 5-2 victory over Brown – their first win of the season.
The two programs first met two years ago in 2016-17 with the Crimson outscoring the Sun Devils 13-2 in two games. That was also ASU's first full season of Division I, while Harvard went on to the Frozen Four that year.
This weekend's match-up could be won or lost on special teams. Harvard's power play ranks second in the nation at over 40%, while ASU's penalty kill is the best in the country at 92.7%.
Two of the nation's predominant, offensive threats as of late also square off, as the nation's leading goal scorer and point getter Johnny Walker meets defenseman Adam Fox, who is averaging over two points per game.
While Walker has been a catalyst in the Sun Devils' hot start, a balanced attack with scoring coming from all four lines has helped keep the fire lit. Despite the team scoring seven goals last weekend, Walker did not account for a single point on the weekend.
The last time Walker was held off the stat sheet in back-to-back games was Dec. 29-30, 2017 at the Three Rivers Classic tournament in Pittsburgh.
Between the pipes, junior Joey Daccord holds a spot in the top-10 in both save percentage and goals against average among goalies with at least six starts. This weekend features somewhat of a homecoming for him, as his hometown of North Andover is just 30 minutes from Harvard.
His ninth win of the season on Saturday became a new season-high for Daccord, and he'll look to build on that record.
Same goes for the Sun Devils, who surpassed their win total from 2017-18 with the win on Saturday and are one shy of matching their season high as a program (10).
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. (EST) / 5 p.m. (MST) Friday and Saturday on ESPN+.