Sophomore goalie Robert Levin makes a dramatic stop as the ice flies on Jan. 22, 2015, at Oceanside Arena in Tempe. (J. Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)ASU hockey is going into its final month as an ACHA team missing arguably its most important player.
Sophomore goaltender Robert Levin, who led the ACHA in shutouts in 2014-15 with nine, is out for the national tournament because of a torn ACL.
Levin, who was named ACHA Rookie of the Year and ACHA National Tournament MVP as a freshman, has compiled 17 shutouts (including the postseason) in just two years and established himself as one of the best goaltenders in the country.
Can ASU recover? Absolutely. Will it be a much more difficult road? Absolutely.
Let's see who is behind Levin in the depth chart and who will be starring when the Sun Devils take the ice in Cleveland:
Option No. 1: Jordan Gluck
Year: Freshman
2014-15 statistics: 3-0 record, 180:40 minutes played, 2.32 GAA, .916 save percentage
Option No. 2: Lucas Felbel
Year: Sophomore
2014-15 statistics: 2-0 record, 129:46 minutes played, 2.31 GAA, one shutout, .904 save percentage
Gluck and Felbel are more than capable replacements for Levin, as each is an above-average goaltender in their own right. What is most concerning for each is that the two have played in six games combined this season.
No. 1 ASU (33-3-1) will face the winner of the No. 16/No. 17 matchup between Colorado and Buffalo. Gluck faced Colorado in his ASU debut in October, leading them to a hard-fought 2-1 overtime victory.
The burden falls on the defensemen to help pick up the slack in Levin's absence.
ASU's defense has been one of the best in the country this season after struggling during the opening series. The issue, however, remains the same: experience.
The only defensemen in the rotation who received significant playing time during last season's postseason are captain Brett Blomgren, sophomore Drew Newmeyer and junior Jordan Young.
Young, along with sophomore defenseman Connor Schmidt and freshman defenseman Ed McGovern, received some added experience playing for team USA during the World University Games in Spain.
ASU has more depth on the offensive end than probably any team they've had, despite losing sophomore forward Ryan Ostertag for all but three games and losing Kale Dolinski last year to graduation. Dolinski, who was arguably the greatest Sun Devil hockey player of all-time, won the ACHA MVP award last season.
Senior center Liam Norris has emerged as a key facilitator for the offense, leading the team with 50 points (14 goals, 36 assists). Norris has been boosted by the addition of his brother, transfer sophomore forward David Norris, who has been on a scoring tear in recent weeks (nine goals, nine assists in nine games).
Sophomores Eric Rivard, Sean Murphy, Tommy Cooney, Ryan Belonger and Michael Cummings have all made ASU a deadly offensive team, proving that they can combine for goals from multiple lines in a way that few other teams can.
The bottom line: ASU is still the defending national champs. The Sun Devils enter this postseason as the No. 1 seed, and have knocked down every challenge that has stepped in their path as defending champs.
It won't be an easy road, but ASU is starting way ahead of the rest of the pack.
Reach the assistant sports editor at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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