The ASU club hockey team fell from third to fifth in the latest American Collegiate Hockey Association rankings and with unranked Indiana in town, the Sun Devils were out to prove a point.
ASU swept the Hoosiers handily in both games over the weekend, winning by a score of 5-1 Friday and 12-3 Saturday.
After another slow start Friday, ASU coach Greg Powers made a few lineup adjustments and may have found a new horse to ride.
ASU freshman forward David Jantzie had four points coming into the weekends. He was benched for the first time last week.
Powers placed Jantzie with senior forward Joe Schweiger, who, although leading the team in points, was in a bit of a slump himself.
The duo combined for a seven-goal outburst on Saturday as ASU dominated the Hoosiers.
“I think I just got a couple of new linemates, things have been clicking and these guys are easy guys to play with,” Jantzie said. “They seem to find me all over the ice and, you know, just kind of getting a few bounces, it’s something I wasn’t getting earlier in the year and you know after sitting out that one game I came back kind of with a vengeance.”
Freshman goaltender Kyle Dietrich got the start for ASU in the Saturday game and continues to prove that he is a reliable alternative to workhorse senior goaltender Mark Schacker.
The Sun Devils have now won four straight to push their record to 13-3-2. Home ice was good to ASU this semester, as the Sun Devils went undefeated in regulation in Tempe, 10-0-2.
Consistency is going to be the key for ASU as they head to Tucson this weekend to close out the semester and then start right up again in early January.
“It was great to see us put 60 minutes together this weekend, but we still have a ton of room for improvement,” Powers said. “We are hoping to play our best hockey yet down in Tucson versus a good University of Arizona team.”
The Ice Cats are always a test because of the rivalry between the two schools, but the atmosphere in Tucson might be the best in the ACHA. A packed house every night in a 6,000-seat arena can certainly give some players the jitters. One mistake and the wild Tucson crowd will make sure it’s heard about all weekend.
The series with UA will be a big test for the Sun Devils’ seniors who have largely taken a back seat so far this season. Senior forwards Pat Lind and Paul Scola will be vital if the young Sun Devils struggle with the rowdy fans. The heart and soul of this team for the past two seasons, Lind and Scola have flown under the radar with all of the new additions.
The No. 23 Ice Cats (8-5) will be hungry for revenge having lost 10 straight to the Sun Devils. ASU will look to keep the streak alive and push their win total to 15 on the season.
The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday in Tucson.
Nick Licalzi is a freelance reporter contributing to The State Press. Reach the reporter at nlicalzi@asu.edu
