Forward Sean Murphy fights for control of the puck against Oklahoma, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe. The Sooners defeated the Sun Devils 5-3. (Ben Moffat/The State Press)With only 11 games left in the season, No. 1 ASU (24-3) goes into its away weekend series against No. 8 Lindenwood (11-9-2) looking to hold the No.1 spot in the ACHA national rankings.
These two teams have not played each other yet this season but feature common opponents in No. 3 Central Oklahoma (21-4-1) and No. 6 Oklahoma, two of the three teams to have beat ASU.
Lindenwood went 1-3 in its four games against No. 3 Central Oklahoma (21-4-1). The Lions also lost three of their four games to the Sooners earlier this season.
After going through a rough injury stretch heading into the winter break, ASU has received a surge of depth in the season's second half. Sophomore forward Patrick Yudez and freshman defenseman Gianni Mangone are back off the training table along with the additions of senior forward Faiz Kahn and sophomore forward David Norris.
The Sun Devil offense will still be without sophomore forward Ryan Ostertag, who is still dealing with complications from injury. Ostertag has not played in months, but returned to practice in a no-contact jersey this week. He is expected to return for the Stony Brook matchup in Tempe next Thursday night.
Sophomore goalie Robert Levin had strong performances this past weekend, including 22 saves in the first game against Central Oklahoma. He will most likely play against Lindenwood.
As the season winds down, keep an eye on many players, including sophomore forwards Sean Murphy and Michael Cummings, who put up strong showings last weekend. Murphy was stellar against Oklahoma and Central Oklahoma with eight points (five goals, three assists), powering an ASU offense that scored 18 goals over the three games.
Cummings is also a player to look out for in the upcoming games following his hat trick in the series finale against Central Oklahoma on Saturday night.
ASU travels to St. Charles on Friday, Jan. 16, to face the Lindenwood Lions in a two-game series. Puck drop is expected for 6:30 p.m. Arizona time. Cummings has 18 points (11 goals, seven assists) in 24 games this season.
The Sun Devils will return to Oceanside on Jan. 22 to take on No. 5 Stony Brook (18-4) at 8:15 p.m.
Reach the reporter atkewens@asu.eduor follow@katlynewenson Twitter.
LikeState Press Sportson Facebook or follow@statepresssporton Twitter.
