TEMPE -- After a historic 2018-19 campaign to their first NCAA Tournament appearance, the No. 20/21 Arizona State men's hockey team will open their 2019-20 season this Saturday and Sunday at Oceanside Ice Arena against Mercyhurst. Limited tickets are still available for Saturday's 7:05 p.m. showdown and Sunday's matinee 3 p.m. puck drop.
In the program's fifth season of NCAA play, this is the first time the Sun Devils and the Lakers are meeting on the ice.
"It feels like our games in China happened last season," said head coach Greg Powers. "We've been ready, the guys are just chomping at the bit to get into action and kick off the season."
Scouting the Sun Devils
Last season was a historical one for the Sun Devils as they won 21 games on their way to earning their first bid to the NCAA Tournament. Not only did the program have six home series sweeps, but they finished the year with only two losses on home ice.
In the off-season, the team trekked to China where they played five games leading up to their championship win in the Fu Xing Cup.
The Sun Devils roster features eight new faces in all three zones. Freshmen forwards Logan Jenuwine and Jax Murray, and junior transfers Willie Knierim and James Sanchez -- who played the 2018-19 season in Dubuque (USHL) -- combined for 234 points with their respective junior teams last year, including Jenuwine's NAHL record 60-goal season. Knierim (Univ. of Miami-Ohio) and Sanchez (Univ. of Michigan) played two seasons in the NCAA prior to last year in Dubuque, bringing veteran presence to the team.
Six defensemen return on the back end, including Brinson Paschinuk, Josh Maniscalco, Jacob Wilson and Jarrod Gourley. Joining the veteran defensive pairings this season are freshmen Jack Judson and Jacob Semik, who saw quality minutes in China as the third pairing. On Saturday, Wilson will serve the final game of his two game suspension stemming from the final game of the regular season in Minnesota.
With the departure of junior goaltender Joey Daccord, Powers has three goaltenders at his disposal. Graduate transfer from Boston University Max Prawdzik and freshman Justin Robbins join returning sophomore Evan DeBrouwer between the pipes.
Mercyhurst under the Microscope
Behind the bench for the last 32 seasons, head coach Rick Gotkin returns six juniors along with 11 freshmen joining the fold. In net, Gotkin has three goaltenders to choose from including junior Stefano Cantali and Anaheim Ducks' prospect Garrett Metcalf. Sophomore forward Dalton Hunter (24 points) is one of the only returning double-digit goal producers for the Lakers, while they will try to replace all four of their leading point producers from last year.
The game will be streamed on ASU Live Stream on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon on ASU Live Stream-2.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. (MST) on Saturday and 3 p.m. (MST) on Sunday in Tempe.
In the program's fifth season of NCAA play, this is the first time the Sun Devils and the Lakers are meeting on the ice.
"It feels like our games in China happened last season," said head coach Greg Powers. "We've been ready, the guys are just chomping at the bit to get into action and kick off the season."
Scouting the Sun Devils
Last season was a historical one for the Sun Devils as they won 21 games on their way to earning their first bid to the NCAA Tournament. Not only did the program have six home series sweeps, but they finished the year with only two losses on home ice.
In the off-season, the team trekked to China where they played five games leading up to their championship win in the Fu Xing Cup.
The Sun Devils roster features eight new faces in all three zones. Freshmen forwards Logan Jenuwine and Jax Murray, and junior transfers Willie Knierim and James Sanchez -- who played the 2018-19 season in Dubuque (USHL) -- combined for 234 points with their respective junior teams last year, including Jenuwine's NAHL record 60-goal season. Knierim (Univ. of Miami-Ohio) and Sanchez (Univ. of Michigan) played two seasons in the NCAA prior to last year in Dubuque, bringing veteran presence to the team.
Six defensemen return on the back end, including Brinson Paschinuk, Josh Maniscalco, Jacob Wilson and Jarrod Gourley. Joining the veteran defensive pairings this season are freshmen Jack Judson and Jacob Semik, who saw quality minutes in China as the third pairing. On Saturday, Wilson will serve the final game of his two game suspension stemming from the final game of the regular season in Minnesota.
With the departure of junior goaltender Joey Daccord, Powers has three goaltenders at his disposal. Graduate transfer from Boston University Max Prawdzik and freshman Justin Robbins join returning sophomore Evan DeBrouwer between the pipes.
Mercyhurst under the Microscope
Behind the bench for the last 32 seasons, head coach Rick Gotkin returns six juniors along with 11 freshmen joining the fold. In net, Gotkin has three goaltenders to choose from including junior Stefano Cantali and Anaheim Ducks' prospect Garrett Metcalf. Sophomore forward Dalton Hunter (24 points) is one of the only returning double-digit goal producers for the Lakers, while they will try to replace all four of their leading point producers from last year.
The game will be streamed on ASU Live Stream on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon on ASU Live Stream-2.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. (MST) on Saturday and 3 p.m. (MST) on Sunday in Tempe.