Hockey Thankful to Return to Ice After Long Layoff, Hosts Vermont

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Returning back to the ice after 20 days without a game, Sun Devil Hockey, who received the second-most votes outside the top-20 in this week's USCHO national poll, welcomes Vermont (1-8-1) at Oceanside Ice Arena Friday and Saturday night. Both puck drops are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and can be watched for free here. 

This will be the first time in program history that the two universities faceoff on the ice, and the 45th team ASU (6-4-0) has faced since joining the Division I ranks five years ago. Prior to the layoff, the Sun Devils had won five of their last six games behind sophomore goaltender Evan DeBrouwer's impressive run between the pipes.

"There's a lot of energy this week knowing we are through the bye weeks and we play Friday," said head coach Greg Powers. "We've been doing everything that we can during our practices, we keep our practices really short as long as the pace is good and the pace has been great so the guys are excited and we feel like we are going to play really well Friday."

Sun Devil Rewind
Before heading into their two week break, the Sun Devils split their series with Alaska in Fairbanks. Junior forward James Sanchez and sophomore Joshua Maniscalco led the team as they pocketed four points apiece. 

Not only were the two successful against Fairbanks, but they dominate Sun Devils statistics. Sanchez leads the team with 15 points (2g, 13a) and Maniscalco holds 11 points (5g, 6a). In between them is junior forward Johnny Walker, who leads the team with six goals for 13 points. 

Sophomore netminder Evan DeBrouwer sports a .916 save percentage and 2.41 goal against average in nine starts for the maroon and gold. 

A Cat Filled Weekend in Tempe
While Sun Devil football hosts their feline rivals to the south, the Sun Devils welcome the Catamounts for their first trip to the desert. Coming off their weekend series with Boston University, which featured a loss and a tie, the Catamounts hold a 1-8-1 record this season. With five power play opportunities, Vermont capitalized on two, helping them tie BU 3-3 on Saturday night. 

Defenseman Christian Evers and forwards Alex Esposito and Joey Cipollone each tally three goals for the Catamounts. Freshman defenseman Andrew Lucas leads the squad with five points this season.

Senior forward Thomas Beretta played three seasons with Michigan Tech before going to Vermont. Beretta has an advantage over his teammates because during his time with the Wolves, he played the Sun Devils three times including the Las Vegas Invitational Tournament in 2018, which Arizona State won. 

Vermont's counterpart between the pipes, senior Stefanos Lekkas, is one of the best goaltenders in the country, boasting a .911 save percentage and 2.71 goals against in 10 games for the Catamounts. In 2018-19, Lekkas was one of 10 semifinalists for the coveted Mike Richter Award for the nation's top goaltender. He'll be a key piece in this weekend's matchup.