ASU hockey will play its first exhibition scrimmage on Friday ahead of a difficult new schedule, but the group taking the ice will be led by an optimistic head coach.
Greg Powers, now at the helm for the Sun Devils’ second NCAA Division I season, will try to navigate the team’s first all-Division I schedule after finishing 5-22-2 last year.
At the season’s inaugural press conference Monday, he said that his team is more prepared for this year than last.
“There's really no comparison,” Powers said. “Last year, our kids, they gave everything they had, but we really ran out of gas that second half with all the travel, and half our team is club guys that just weren't used to the grind of NCAA competition.”
Powers told reporters that having redshirts from last year now on the ice, as well as his new recruiting class, will help the group navigate their slate of games. That schedule, which starts on the road on Oct. 7, is littered with schools that are historically more hockey-centric schools than ASU.
“Having those five redshirts that were here last year helped us kind of mold and sculpt a culture that we're proud of right now and still building on,” Powers said. “And then certainly our first really good full freshman recruiting class we think will contribute right away.”
One of those redshirts was now junior forward Dylan Hollman, a former member of UMass-Lowell who missed his freshman year due to injury. In June, Hollman was named the team captain for this year, along with alternate captains sophomore Louie Rowe and senior Ryan Belonger.
“(Hollman) was here last year, and his approach as a redshirt not playing in games, how much stronger he got, how he led practice, from start to finish, he was probably the best player in practice every day,” Powers said. “He came here for a fresh start and he's made the most of it in every way.”
With a new captain, new recruits and returning redshirts, Powers described his group succinctly:
“A completely different team, and we expect to be competitive.”
Notes and Quotes:
Brotherly Love
This offseason, Powers recruited brothers Brinson and Steenn Pasichnuk, a defenseman and a forward respectively who played with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Bonnyville Pontiacs.
Though they play different positions and therefore wouldn’t play on the same lines or pairings, Powers addressed the possibility of the siblings playing together on a special team's unit.
“I think they both have the natural instinct and the mindset to be really good on the penalty kill,” Powers said. “Steenn's probably not quite at the power play level with us yet as a freshman. Brinson is a special talent. He's got a really good opportunity here to get a lot of playing time as a freshman and potentially be the first drafted player straight out of ASU.”
No big announcements on a new venue
Rumors have circulated that the Sun Devils could eventually partner with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes in moving to a new arena, built for the two teams. Currently, ASU hockey plays at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe with occasional matchups at the Coyotes’ current home, Gila River Arena (including their home opener against Air Force on Oct. 14).
“Obviously building this program from top to bottom in every way is a process, and part of the process for us right now is getting through the first couple years playing at Oceanside, playing in Glendale,” Powers said.
“I think our interim solution while we're waiting on finalizing what we're going to do moving forward on campus from an arena standpoint, our interim solution is better than some other programs' permanent solution.”
Powers pleased with triple-threat goaltending
The Sun Devils’ goaltending has a new face this year in freshman recruit Joey Daccord, but sophomore Ryland Pashovitz returns as the incumbent starting netminder. Last season, “Pash” started 18 games with a 3.77 GAA. Also returning is senior Robert Levin, who started nine games a season ago.
“All three of those guys look really good right now, so we have our hands full,” Powers said. “It will sort itself out.”
“Joey (Daccord) is as advertised, he was drafted for a reason by (the) Ottawa (Senators, of the NHL), and he's a tremendous talent. He's a great athlete. He was captain of his soccer team in high school and his tennis team. He can skate so well, he's like a hockey player that plays goalie, that's what I call him because he plays the puck so well and moves so well, he's just a great athlete.”
Reach the reporter at matthew.layman@asu.edu or follow @Mattjlayman on Twitter.
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