Devils in Detail
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ASU Hockey: Sun Devils Take on the #9 Western Michigan Broncos

By Ethan Schmidt

Dec 23, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky during the first half against the Detroit Titans at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky during the first half against the Detroit Titans at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Arizona State Men’s Ice Hockey (10-18-2) travels to Kalamazoo, Michigan for a two-game series against the Western Michigan University Broncos (14-7-3). It is the Sun Devils’ last NCAA opponent of the season.

The Sun Devils have struggled in their first full NCAA Division-I season with just a 2-16-1 record against ranked opponents.

However, Arizona State has picked up the pace as of late, stealing a tie against then-No. 10 Ohio State, then scoring 11 goals in one game against SNHU and pulling off an upset against former No. 17 Quinnipiac just last weekend.

The Sun Devils have a tough task ahead this weekend against a red-hot Broncos hockey team. No. 9 Western Michigan has won their last seven out of nine games.

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The Western Michigan offense is one of the best in the nation. The Broncos are averaging 3.21 goals per game, and have four goals or more in 11 of their 24 games.

Special teams will play a major factor in the series. Western Michigan’s Power Play ranks 8th in NCAA, capitalizing on 21.9 percent of their chances. Arizona State has the fifth-worst Penalty Kill in the nation with just a 75.8 success percentage.

Western Michigan’s leading scorer is sophomore forward Matheson Iacopelli. He has a team-high 15 goals and seven assists for a total of 22 points.

The Broncos get a lot of offensive production from their underclassman, just like Arizona State. WMU’s top-four leading scorers include three sophomores and one freshman, combining for 71 total points.

Between the pipes for the Broncos is freshman Ben Blacker. He is one of the nation’s top goaltenders this season.

Blacker has a 9-2-0 record with a .930 save percentage. The freshman is only allowing an average of 1.81 goals per game.

For the Sun Devils, sophomore forward Anthony Croston is on fire. He has scored six goals in his last four games. He is now tied with Robbie Baillargeon and Jakob Stridsberg for the team-high in goals this season.

Arizona State has found its offense late in the season. The team is nearing three goals-per-game and shots-on-goal totals have improved.

Freshman goaltender Joey Daccord has the hot hand in net for ASU. He had a spectacular game in the upset over then-No. 17 Quinnipiac as the Ottawa Senators draft pick saved 53 of 55 shots-on-goal, some of them game-saving highlight reel saves.

Next: Devils in Detail Live: Episode 2

Both games will have a 5 p.m. MST puck drop. The games can be streamed live at nchc.tv or listened to here.