TEMPE, Ariz. -- After breaking the top-10 in two college hockey national polls for the first time in program history, Sun Devil Hockey (20-9-3) skates into their final home series of the season this weekend against Alaska Anchorage while celebrating their senior class. Four of the five seniors -- captains Tyler Busch and Brinson Pasichnuk, Steenn Pasichnuk and Brett Gruber -- are the first class to be leaving the program after playing four, full seasons of NCAA Division I hockey.
"This is a senior night that will never happen again, obviously these guys are the foundation of what we are building here," said head coach Greg Powers. "We appreciate everything that they put into this program to get us where we are today."
The program is currently on a hot streak, winning five straight and 10 of their last 12 games, including a big road win against then-No. 8 Clarkson. They are one of four teams boasting 20 wins this season and is the second year in a row they have reached this feat.
Sun Devil Rewind
Last weekend, the Sun Devils traveled back east with a two-game sweep of Holy Cross and Bentley. After a third-period rally to force overtime and defeat the Crusaders, sophomore netminder Evan DeBrouwer picked up his third shutout of the season Saturday night at Bentley.
Junior forward Willie Knierim continued his scoring run against Holy Cross, with eight goals in his last eight games and five in his last four. Senior Brett Gruber is currently riding a five-game point streak with two goals and four assists, including a two-point game against Bentley most recently. Senior defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk is one point shy of reaching 100 points as a Sun Devil after having seven points in his last five games.
Between the pipes, DeBrouwer is sporting a 1.97 goals against average and .939 save percentage in his last six starts.
The Sun Devil penalty kill has negated the last 32 opposing power play opportunities dating back to Jan. 5 vs. Michigan Tech.
The Sun Devils and Seawolves have quite the history, playing each other in ASU's first-ever NCAA Division I game. Anchorage ended up winning their first and only match-up, 3-2, in overtime.
Scouting the Seawolves
At the helm, head coach Matt Curley and the Seawolves are currently in the final playoff spot for the WCHA playoffs and all four of their wins come against WCHA opponents. Last weekend, Anchorage faced Bowling Green, dropping both games including one in overtime.
Their freshman class has stood out with 33 goals and 37 assists this season. Freshman forward Rylee St. Onge leads the team in goals (8) and points (15). Three Seawolves are tied with 14 points a piece including senior defenseman Tomi Hiekkavirta with 13 assists.
In net, the Seawolves have split time between junior Kris Carlson and sophomore Kristian Stead, each holding two wins for Anchorage. In 18 games, Carlson has a .917 save percentage and 2.76 goals against average.
Friday and Saturday night the puck will drop at 7:05 p.m. MST and will be streamed on the ASU Live Stream 3. Tickets are still available for Friday night's Canada Night and can be found here.
"This is a senior night that will never happen again, obviously these guys are the foundation of what we are building here," said head coach Greg Powers. "We appreciate everything that they put into this program to get us where we are today."
The program is currently on a hot streak, winning five straight and 10 of their last 12 games, including a big road win against then-No. 8 Clarkson. They are one of four teams boasting 20 wins this season and is the second year in a row they have reached this feat.
Sun Devil Rewind
Last weekend, the Sun Devils traveled back east with a two-game sweep of Holy Cross and Bentley. After a third-period rally to force overtime and defeat the Crusaders, sophomore netminder Evan DeBrouwer picked up his third shutout of the season Saturday night at Bentley.
Junior forward Willie Knierim continued his scoring run against Holy Cross, with eight goals in his last eight games and five in his last four. Senior Brett Gruber is currently riding a five-game point streak with two goals and four assists, including a two-point game against Bentley most recently. Senior defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk is one point shy of reaching 100 points as a Sun Devil after having seven points in his last five games.
Between the pipes, DeBrouwer is sporting a 1.97 goals against average and .939 save percentage in his last six starts.
The Sun Devil penalty kill has negated the last 32 opposing power play opportunities dating back to Jan. 5 vs. Michigan Tech.
The Sun Devils and Seawolves have quite the history, playing each other in ASU's first-ever NCAA Division I game. Anchorage ended up winning their first and only match-up, 3-2, in overtime.
Scouting the Seawolves
At the helm, head coach Matt Curley and the Seawolves are currently in the final playoff spot for the WCHA playoffs and all four of their wins come against WCHA opponents. Last weekend, Anchorage faced Bowling Green, dropping both games including one in overtime.
Their freshman class has stood out with 33 goals and 37 assists this season. Freshman forward Rylee St. Onge leads the team in goals (8) and points (15). Three Seawolves are tied with 14 points a piece including senior defenseman Tomi Hiekkavirta with 13 assists.
In net, the Seawolves have split time between junior Kris Carlson and sophomore Kristian Stead, each holding two wins for Anchorage. In 18 games, Carlson has a .917 save percentage and 2.76 goals against average.
Friday and Saturday night the puck will drop at 7:05 p.m. MST and will be streamed on the ASU Live Stream 3. Tickets are still available for Friday night's Canada Night and can be found here.