Article and Photos by Ana Ramirez Video by Erin Patrick O'Connor
The Cup
Nearly a week later, the ASU men’s hockey team began post-season play.
The team left Tempe for Bensenville, Illinois, just outside of Chicago for the 2013 American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I Tournament.
The team went into the tournament ranked second in the nation and placed into the final four.
ASU had the talent to win, but it was just a matter of working together as a team and putting the puck into the net.
The team shuttled down narrow streets to its hotel room near the Edge Ice Rink. Twenty teams would compete for a ring from March 1 to March 6.
As assistant and head coach, Greg Powers recruited the right players to create a force that could win a championship.
Before a game, coach Powers goes over the game and plan for the night. (Photo by Ana Ramirez)Because of his efforts, the team has competed in four national tournaments. But this year was the first the team had the appropriate blend of talent and locker room chemistry.
“The expectation going into Chicago … is absolutely to win a national championship, and the expectation for every kid that I recruit, and I sign to come play at ASU, is when they get here, that expectation is to defend a title,” Powers said. “So we’re built. We’re there.”
The most skilled player is not always needed to defend a title, he said.
“It’s about the right player, and guys have roles, and we have a team full of kids that are willing to do what is asked of them in order to win,” he said.
Junior defense Brian Parson said hockey is a life experience.
But, this is Parson’s last tournament to be on the ice. He reached his four years of eligibility.
“I’m definitely trying to soak in everything,” he said. “These kinds of things will last forever, and I mean you just got to embrace it while it lasts. I’ll cherish these moments for the rest of my life.”
The Sun Devils confidently entered the tournament as the second seed. The team won the first game against 18th-seeded Rutgers University with a score of 8-2.
ASU scored first in the second game against 7th-seeded Illinois.
The third period began tied at 1-1.
Senior defense Ryan Clark from Wadsworth, Ohio, scored the go-ahead goal near the end of the third period and junior forward Kale Dolinski from Regina, Saskatchewan, scored on an open net.
ASU won 3-1.
During the third game ASU played 9th-seeded Lindenwood.
The Sun Devils began strong with the first goal in the first three minutes.
Lindenwood then scored four goals before the the first period concluded. ASU stormed back in the second period, scoring three unanswered goals.
Then with six minutes and 30 seconds left, junior forward and captain Colin Hekle was checked into the sidewall, re-separating his right shoulder.
The momentum was killed.
ASU lost 6-4.
Assistant coach Adam Blossey said the first two and last two minutes of the game are the most important.
After the loss, he said the coaching staff was upset by the Lindenwood game, because the team knew what to expect.
“I was pissed, but you can’t do anything about it,” he said. “I thought we could still come back, but it was disappointing to see.”
Overall, hockey is a simple game, Blossey said.
“It’s really how you go out there and how you approach the game and that’s what (ASU) did in the second period,” he said. “(ASU) were moving the puck, they were shooting the puck and it was just as a relentless attack by them.”
Blossey said there was still a chance during the third period, even though they had given up some goals.
“It’s a game that can change in a matter of seconds. The speed obviously is one of the big components,” he said.
Parson said losing the championship still stings but Powers asked him to be a graduate assistant during 2013-14 season.
“(This) would give me the opportunity to get a ring, although I wouldn’t be playing, which would be unfortunate,” he said.
After the tournament Parson said hockey will always be a part of his life, but he didn’t know if he wanted to pursue the sport any further.
Soon after the championship Powers called Parson and Clark to invite them to play semi-pro hockey with the Fort Worth Brahmas in Prescott, Ariz. The team is part of the Central Hockey League.
The two signed 10-day contracts, and on March 22, the former Sun Devils headed north to play the first professional hockey games of their careers.
Parson said after the game the coach for the Brahmas said to call him anytime he wanted to play.
“If I was to pursue pro hockey, he would be the one I contact and he would give me a tryout anywhere, or for his team itself, so that would be the next step for me over the summer,” he said.
Senior forward Dan Styrna said even though they lost a chance at the championship, returning players have a lot to anticipate.
“(The team) gave the league a lot of credibility with what we did this year, going up to Canada and winning one of the two games up there,” he said. “And beating Penn State is obviously is a huge one for ASU for recruiting purposes and also for the league.”
Styrna said there are always a lot of highs and lows for each season.
Assistant coach Blossey stares at the roster for both UA and ASU teams. (Photo by Ana Ramirez)“You got to be able to realize that you’re not going to win every game (and) not every game or national tournament is going to work out the way you want it to,” Styrna said.
This is the end of his hockey career. Last year Styrna decided he wanted to be a doctor and work with professional athletes.
“I know there are other things in life, and I’m excited for a new chapter in my life,” Styrna said. Powers said after the tournament he told the seniors he was proud of them.
“They put us on a path here at ASU that will never be forgotten and we’re in a place now where literally every year we’re going to contend to win a championship,” Powers said.
Reach the reporters at amrami13@asu.edu and epoconno@asu.edu or follow them @anamaria_0182 and @mr.erino
