Forward Ryan Belonger vies for the puck with a Liberty defender. ASU had a close match with Liberty University at Oceanside Arena on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. ASU won 6-4. (Photo by Mario Mendez)Despite having its roster depleted due to injuries, ASU comes into its three-game road trip playing possibly its best games of the 2014-15 season.
The Sun Devils hit the road this weekend en route to the east coast, kicking off their games on Friday night at Rutgers University before wrapping up the trip with two games against No. 5 Stony Brook.
After a disappointing performance in its 2-1 overtime win over un-ranked Colorado last Thursday, ASU coach Greg Powers was proud at how his team rebounded to outscore No. 25 Colorado State 15-2 over the final two games.
"We played with real grit and passion," he said. "At certain times, we have played emotionless, and that is not acceptable. Friday and Saturday (against Colorado State), our guys were passionate about playing, and it was a lot of fun."
Whether it be in a blowout win or in an overtime nail biter, the Sun Devils have found a way to win each of their last six games to keep them deep in the hunt for the top spot in the ACHA national ranking.
"The fact that we are winning games is a positive," Powers said. "That will pay off come national tournament time."
ASU's biggest obstacle at this point in the season has been its health. The team's strength has been tested this season, with sophomore forwards Ryan Ostertag, Patrick Yudez and Michael Cummings all missing time in the last few weeks.
"We are more banged up right now than we have been at any point this season," Powers said. "The guys are going to have to step up and they will."
Rutgers (3-6) comes into Friday's matchup with a team that has not been too competitive in ACHA Division I games this year. A majority of the Scarlet Knights's offense has come off the sticks of left winger Andrew Koslov (11 points) and Ted Udelsman (seven points), leading to a team goals per game average of 2.88.
The Rutgers goalies, on the other hand, have struggled as starting goaltender Connor Lam is giving up 4.12 goals per game with a save percentage of .867.
ASU's aggressive attack should appear even more potent against the net minders for Rutgers, as the Sun Devils look to continue doing what they've done all year.
"Its really all we do anyway," Powers said. "We like to get pucks on net and test every goaltender we face. Certainly we will try to get to Rutgers' goalie early and get a lead on them quickly."
No. 5 Stony Brook (9-1) comes into the series as one of the ACHA's most impressive teams thus far. After being ranked as high as No. 2 in the national rankings earlier this year, the Seawolves are guided by an explosive offensive attack that is averaging eight goals per game.
Stony Brook's leading scorer, forward Ryan Cotcamp, is tied for ninth in the ACHA with 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists).
"Ryan (Cotcamp) is a very good player but (Stony Brook has) a handful of them," said Powers. "We'll certainly be aware when he is on the ice and be sure to pay special attention to him."
Both teams come into this weekend's games in an odd situation, each having not played a game since Oct. 26. Long layoffs can have differing impacts on teams, Powers said.
"Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad," he said."They could have gotten more healthy during the break but also could be rusty. I guess we'll find out."
During the three-game stretch it is likely that we will see a couple of different guys in net for ASU. Powers said that freshman goaltender Jordan Gluck, who made his first career appearance in Thursday's 2-1 overtime win over Colorado, will make an appearance in net this weekend to spell sophomore Robert Levin.
Injury Report
- ASU sophomore forwards Ryan Ostertag and Patrick Yudez are out for this weekend's games against Rutgers and Stony Brook. Neither have played for ASU in over a month.
- ASU will also be without sophomore defenseman Alex Temby, freshman defenseman Gianni Mangone and freshman forward Jared Morris for this weekend's games.
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @fardaya15
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