OMAHA, Neb. -- There's no rest for the wicked this holiday season as the No. 14/16 Sun Devils take on a familiar foe in the only college hockey matchup in the country on Saturday and Sunday. Arizona State (9-5-2) travels to Omaha (7-7-2) for their fifth matchup in as many years, as the Sun Devils aim to capture their first wins at Baxter Arena in program history.
Last season, the two squads met twice within four weeks resulting in each team capitalizing on home-ice for a series sweep. This time around the Sun Devils are on the rise in both national polls and boast a top-10 Pairwise and RPI ranking, as they come in ranked ninth in the country. Omaha spent five weeks in the USCHO.com Poll after splits with top-ranked teams such as Wisconsin and Ohio State but recently fell out of favor after a four-game losing streak in conference play.
"They're good. They're an NCHC, talented team. Very powerful," said head coach Greg Powers. "They play incredibly tough top-competition, they beat Ohio State on the road and split with St. Cloud, they split with Wisconsin, they're very good. So, we have our work cut out for us."
Sun Devil Breakdown
In East Lansing, the sun devils nearly escaped with their second road sweep of the season, winning the series opener against no. 18 Michigan State late followed by an overtime loss in game two.
The loss on Sunday afternoon ended a six-game unbeaten streak by the devils in which they hadn't trailed in over 433 minutes of hockey. Entering the Omaha series, they have still yet to trail in regulation since the 16-minute mark at Alaska on Nov. 8.
Junior forward Johnny Walker netted his 10th goal of the season -- the game-winner -- late in the third period on Saturday night. His 10th makes it three consecutive double-digit goal seasons for the phoenix native and he now ranks tied for 13th in goals scored (three out of the lead) with at least a game in hand of everyone ahead of him.
Netminder Evan DeBrouwer was again stellar, posting his third- and fourth-consecutive 30-save performance against the Spartans.
Danger Zone
As one of the Sun Devils most common opponents since joining the Division I ranks, the Mavericks have taken care of business at Baxter Arena going 5-0-1 in the six games in Omaha.
Last season, in four match-ups, four different sun devils averaged over a point per game. Johnny Walker netted four power-play goals in game two on Oct. 27, 2018, Demetrios Koumontzis recorded four assists on walker's four goals, along with two additional assists in the other three games. Brinson Pasichnuk combined for two goals and three assists, while PJ Marrocco had a goal and three assists.
This weekend's series could turn into a battle of the former teammates, as Evan DeBrouwer and backup netminder Austin Roden were netminders for the Nanaimo Clippers in 2016-17. DeBrouwer played in 39 games (15-23-0) while Roden saw 26 (8-10-1). Starting goaltender and 2019 USHL goaltender of the year Isaiah Saville will not be with the Mavs as he joins Team USA WJC U-20 team.
The Mavericks have lost four of their last five with a 0-3-1 record at home in the last month. They ended a four-game skid with a 4-3 overtime win at St. Cloud State this past Saturday.
Saturday's puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. CST / 6:07 p.m. MST, while Sunday is scheduled for 4:07 p.m. CST / 3:07 p.m. MST on NCHC.tv.
Last season, the two squads met twice within four weeks resulting in each team capitalizing on home-ice for a series sweep. This time around the Sun Devils are on the rise in both national polls and boast a top-10 Pairwise and RPI ranking, as they come in ranked ninth in the country. Omaha spent five weeks in the USCHO.com Poll after splits with top-ranked teams such as Wisconsin and Ohio State but recently fell out of favor after a four-game losing streak in conference play.
"They're good. They're an NCHC, talented team. Very powerful," said head coach Greg Powers. "They play incredibly tough top-competition, they beat Ohio State on the road and split with St. Cloud, they split with Wisconsin, they're very good. So, we have our work cut out for us."
Sun Devil Breakdown
In East Lansing, the sun devils nearly escaped with their second road sweep of the season, winning the series opener against no. 18 Michigan State late followed by an overtime loss in game two.
The loss on Sunday afternoon ended a six-game unbeaten streak by the devils in which they hadn't trailed in over 433 minutes of hockey. Entering the Omaha series, they have still yet to trail in regulation since the 16-minute mark at Alaska on Nov. 8.
Junior forward Johnny Walker netted his 10th goal of the season -- the game-winner -- late in the third period on Saturday night. His 10th makes it three consecutive double-digit goal seasons for the phoenix native and he now ranks tied for 13th in goals scored (three out of the lead) with at least a game in hand of everyone ahead of him.
Netminder Evan DeBrouwer was again stellar, posting his third- and fourth-consecutive 30-save performance against the Spartans.
Danger Zone
As one of the Sun Devils most common opponents since joining the Division I ranks, the Mavericks have taken care of business at Baxter Arena going 5-0-1 in the six games in Omaha.
Last season, in four match-ups, four different sun devils averaged over a point per game. Johnny Walker netted four power-play goals in game two on Oct. 27, 2018, Demetrios Koumontzis recorded four assists on walker's four goals, along with two additional assists in the other three games. Brinson Pasichnuk combined for two goals and three assists, while PJ Marrocco had a goal and three assists.
This weekend's series could turn into a battle of the former teammates, as Evan DeBrouwer and backup netminder Austin Roden were netminders for the Nanaimo Clippers in 2016-17. DeBrouwer played in 39 games (15-23-0) while Roden saw 26 (8-10-1). Starting goaltender and 2019 USHL goaltender of the year Isaiah Saville will not be with the Mavs as he joins Team USA WJC U-20 team.
The Mavericks have lost four of their last five with a 0-3-1 record at home in the last month. They ended a four-game skid with a 4-3 overtime win at St. Cloud State this past Saturday.
Saturday's puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. CST / 6:07 p.m. MST, while Sunday is scheduled for 4:07 p.m. CST / 3:07 p.m. MST on NCHC.tv.