Forward Liam Norris fights Minot State defender for possession. ASU defeated Minot State 5-3 on Nov. 13, 2014 at Oceanside Arena. (Photo by Mario Mendez)
The difference in the ASU hockey team from when they hired coach Greg Powers five years ago and now is night and day.
Senior forward Liam Norris has been there just about every step of the way.
Norris came to ASU from the Calgary Mustangs of the AJHL in 2011. The Sun Devils, led by second-year coach Powers, were a program that was teeming with potential coming off of an ACHA national quarterfinal appearance the previous year.
Despite the emerging status of the program, Norris frankly didn’t even know ASU had a hockey team.
“A friend of mine was joking with me that we should go play hockey at ASU,” Norris said. “I didn’t believe him that they had a hockey team. Once I did some research and realized that they had a competitive program, I contacted Powers, and everything just sort of fell into place from there.”
That year, ASU went 29-7, making its way back to nationals before losing in the first round. The next year, the Sun Devils took the next step on their way to the top, riding the duo of Colin Hekle and Kale Dolinski all the way to the national semifinals.
The uphill climb to the top appeared to finally be reached last year, as Norris, Powers, Hekle and Dolinski helped lead ASU to new heights: winning an ACHA national championship. Norris helped lead a dominant second line, putting up 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists) over 36 games.
Just as the rise of the ASU hockey program (and Norris’s career) appeared to hit its peak, even more great news hit: ASU was making the move from the ACHA to the NCAA, something unimaginable when Norris first found out about the program four years ago.
“When I first arrived, we were using a small makeshift dressing room that didn’t even have heaters,” Norris said. “Now we have a room with a player’s lounge and gym. All aspects of the program have been changing in a positive direction, culminating in the program recently announcing that it will be competing at the NCAA Division 1 level next year.”
Winning the national title in 2013-14 saw the end of the great careers of Hekle and Dolinski, who had a substantial impact on the program and its players, including Norris.
“I think watching and playing with players of their caliber definitely has changed the way I look at and approach the game,” he said.
Norris, one of just two seniors on ASU’s roster, is now the leader. Last year’s national championship game hero, sophomore forward Ryan Ostertag, hasn’t played since the opening weekend. Many others have gone down since then.
In their absence, Norris has emerged as the hero, leading the team with 30 points (eight goals, 22 assists) and putting him on track to surpass his career-highs.
“I think it comes from the fact that we lost our top five point leaders last year and we are still trying to find who is going to replace those guys,” he said. “I have just been giving it my best to step up and help pick up some of that load.“
The increased role of Norris has inspired words of confidence from Powers, who on multiple occasions this season called Norris the “best center in the ACHA”.
“It’s always nice to know your coach has that kind of confidence in you,” Norris said. “I’ve never really put any thought into it. There are plenty of talented players in the league, I just try and perform my best every night. “
Norris has been, in effect, a model of the Sun Devil program as a whole. This season he crossed two major milestones: 100 career goals and 100 career games. True to form, he didn’t even realize what he’d accomplished.
“I wasn’t aware I had reached those milestones,” Norris said. “It is cool to know that I have accomplished that.”
For now, however, the focus remains on this season.
“We just have to continue working toward the final goal of repeating as national champions,” he said. “We have learned something from each loss and we are taking them as lessons. Having lost the caliber of players that we did from last year, along with the leadership, we are working to get back to the point that we know we have to be. “
If Norris represents the past for the ASU hockey program, then he’s excited for the future.
“I think the announcement (to move to the NCAA) proves how exciting the future of the program is,” he said. “The talent in the freshman and sophomores on the team will help them make that transition to the next level and I am excited to watch all the guys excel at the next level.”
Norris and the No. 1 Sun Devils (20-2) travel next to face rivals UA Dec. 5. ASU will be looking to pick up its 150th win under Powers, including its 41st against UA in that period.
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @fardaya15
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