During ASU’s 4-1 win against Quinnipiac Nov. 2, freshman Logan Jenuwine sent a perfect pass toward his linemate, redshirt sophomore Austin Lemieux, who delivered the puck to the net for the Sun Devils’ first goal.
The line is slowly becoming ASU’s secret weapon, and its recent addition of sophomore Demetrios Koumontzis has made it even more deadly.
“It’s got a lot of upside,” head coach Greg Powers said of the line. “They’ve got the potential to play with each other for a couple of years if it works.”
It’s certainly a new experiment. Usually, sophomore Jordan Sandhu would play center on Jenuwine and Lemieux’s line.
But Powers’ decision to insert Koumontzis, a player lauded for his reliability and production, paid immediate dividends on Saturday.
“Now, with Koumo there, it’s even better,” Jenuwine said. “We play well together, he’s got a high hockey IQ. It’s easy when you put a player like that in, right away, to translate that into production.”
It helps that Lemieux has familiarity with Koumontzis, as the two played on the same line for a lot of last season. That continuity is an added boost to the line’s synergy.
“We’re going to get better every night, and we’re going to find more chemistry with Koumo down the middle now,” Lemieux said. “... Koumo and I played a lot last year, so it’s easier to find him on the ice.”
Jenuwine’s contribution shouldn’t be ignored. A scoring machine in juniors, the freshman provides an exciting offensive spark for ASU.
But it took a while for that spark to show up this season, as Jenuwine didn’t get a point in the first five games. He’s since turned it around, racking up three goals and an assist across the last three games.
“I think we’re gonna see a lot of goals from Jen(uwine),” Koumontzis said. “He’s a goal scorer. He did it in juniors, and I think with me and Lem(ieux) around him, we gotta get him the puck and get him grade A chances. We’re gonna click really well.”
With Koumontzis laying the groundwork and Jenuwine bringing the firepower, Lemieux completes the puzzle of the line. The sophomore is an adept distributor, shown by his two assists on Friday.
“Lemieux’s a great player,” Jenuwine said. “...He’s a great hockey player and his hockey IQ is there. He’s been a big brother to me, I’ve played with him all year and he’s certainly made me a better hockey player. I’m seeing the ice differently because he’s always letting me know when I’m doing something wrong.”
This line already shares a tight bond with each other, and they’ve only just begun.
Reach the reporter at cvanligt@asu.edu and follow @Connor_VL on Twitter.
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