ASU's Ryan Belonger (22), Faiz Khan and David Norris celebrate the Sun Devils' first goal of the evening on Jan. 22, 2015, at Oceanside Arena in Tempe. (J. Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)Who would have thought that the pinnacle of club hockey in the nation would be in Tempe?
In just five years as coach, Greg Powers has taken a mediocre program to its first ACHA national championship and now to the NCAA level as an official ASU sport.
And yet, until the NCAA announcement was made Nov. 18, there were many ASU students who didn't even know the team existed.
With the team currently sitting atop the ACHA national rankings and looking for back-to-back titles, it's time for students to take notice.
It is hard for students to really hear about the program despite its best efforts simply because of the position from which hockey starts.
Hockey is not considered one of the big-money sports at the University like football and men's basketball, and technically, it isn't even an official ASU sport until next school year.
ASU doesn't play on campus, instead playing a few miles away from Wells Fargo Arena at local rink Oceanside Ice Arena. The older building is small, and most attendees are alumni and parents. The Sun Devils have already announced that they will continue to play their home games at Oceanside through their NCAA transition during the 2015-16 season after renovations are made, but Powers has been adamant about wanting to play on campus.
Because the hockey team isn't an official part of ASU athletics, student ticket costs are not covered in tuition like in football or basketball. While tickets are discounted for ASU students who have a valid ID, the cost of travel to the game paired with ticket costs could drive students away from games. Ticket costs should be covered by tuition once the team becomes a part of ASU athletics in the 2015-16 school year.
Once students do get to games, they don't have a designated area to sit in. The creation and expansion of groups such as "The Inferno" and the 942 Crew's "Curtain of Distraction" have led to increased student interest and attendance in football and men's and women's basketball. While these programs take planning and effort to come together, it would make sense for ASU students to take over the "Sparky's Inferno" section at Oceanside to create a de-facto student section.
ASU hockey does things differently. They have their own unofficial mascot, ASU Madness, who has made several appearances at games to fire up the crowd. With just two current seniors on the roster, the Sun Devils field a young, competitive team with plenty of personalities alongside their fiery head coach. They're a marketable team who has already managed to bring in several high-profile recruits to try out hockey in the desert.
So why don't the students give it a try?
Reach the assistant sports editor at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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