Following their 8-1 victory against Arizona to open the 2015 campaign, the Sun Devils head north for a pair of games against Alaskan opponents as part of the annual Kendall Hockey Classic.
First up for ASU are the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, coming off an exhibition loss versus Mt. Royal, 1-0.
The Seawolves will be the first NCAA Division I opponent for the Sun Devils since starting their hybrid schedule, and the contest will be the first time an ASU sports program has competed in the state of Alaska since men's basketball made the trip in 2010.
Players to Watch:
Alaska Anchorage
No. 33 - Olivier Mantha - Goalie
No. 8 - Mason Mitchell - Forward
In the Seawolves' previous defeat at the hands of Mt. Royal, sophomore goalie and MVP of the 2014-15 season for UAA, Olivier Mantha blanked the opposing team for the one and a half periods he was between the pipes.
Midway through the second period, Mantha had stopped all 10 shots he faced but was pulled to give sophomore goalie Jared D'Amico time on the ice.
Mantha started 29 games for the Seawolves last season, maintaining a 2.90 goals allowed average and a save percentage of .914. Assuming he starts in net on Friday, he will look to have all three periods to stifle the red-hot Sun Devils offense.
UAA Hockey head coach Matt Thomas complimented freshman forward Mason Mitchell on being the anchor of the only line that stayed together for the entire game, paired with junior forwards Brad Duwe and Tanner Dusyk.
Look for 6-foot-2, 209-pound forward Mitchell to find himself in front of the Sun Devil net more than once during the game.
Arizona State
No. 38 - Robert Levin - Goalie
No. 44 - Joey Raats - Defenseman
No. 17 - Jordan Masters - Forward
Goalie Robert Levin wasn't tested much in the season opening defeat of ACHA rival Arizona but he will likely face a more formidable test against Division I opponents this weekend.
Head coach Greg Powers said Levin was limited in practice a week ago and was pleased to see how quickly the net minder had recovered.
Levin allowed one goal on only three shots allowed through just over 29 minutes versus Arizona, the Wildcats mustered only 9 shots all game.
Freshman defenseman Joey Raats made his mark defensively, finishing the night +3 with three assists on the final three goals for ASU. Freshman forward Jordan Masters was named the most valuable player by the team following the game after he scored consecutive goals for the Sun Devils, finishing +2 and leading ASU in shots (6).
Keys to Victory
Alaska Anchorage
Following a low-shot performance in the exhibition game versus Mt. Royal, the Seawolves will have to look to get the puck to the net as much as possible versus a high powered offensive team in the Sun Devils.
While ASU faced only nine shots in its first contest, Levin let in a goal early, something that UAA will use for motivation facing the experienced goalie come Friday.
Thomas has pointed to scoring as a weakness of his teams so the Seawolves will need to tighten up their defense to slow down an ASU team that put up eight goals in its first game.
Arizona State
While many things went right for the Sun Devils last Saturday, plenty unknowns remain for the new NCAA squad heading into their first road challenges.
Assuming a close contest, Levin will look to fend off momentum bursts from the Seawolves, hoping for similar production from the freshman up front to give him insurance in net.
Powers strategically paired his defenseman not only according to handedness but age as well, tending to play one upperclassmen alongside a freshman.
Look for more presence from graduate defenseman Brock Krygier and senior defenseman Jordan Young as veteran leaders as the going gets tough.
Prediction
Justin Toscano (State Press): 4-2, UAA
Chris Safran (State Press): 3-1, ASU
Reach the reporter at csafran@asu.edu and follow @ChrisSafran on Twitter.
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