ASU Hockey: Sun Devils look to rebound in upcoming Yale series

ASU hockey looks to use their momentum from an exciting series finale against Boston University to earn a series win on the road against Yale.

Arizona State (7-16-5) will hope to kick off their season-ending three-game road trip with a win or two against the Bulldogs (9-11-1)

Each team will enter the series coming off disappointing weekends.

While the Sun Devils dropped games to the aforementioned Terriers by a combined score of 12-3, the Bulldogs lost to Clarkson and St. Lawrence in consecutive nights.

The difference between the two teams’ weekends was in how each responded to the loss.

After a soul-crushing 8-0 defeat, the Sun Devils fought back hard Saturday night in a shockingly close 4-3 loss.

The Sun Devils may have fought a bit too hard, as that game saw the two teams combine for an astonishing total of 117 penalty minutes.

More from Devils in Detail

When talking about the game, sophomore defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk said, “All it took was hard work, and we competed with one of the best teams in the country.”

On the other hand, St. Lawrence goalie Arthur Brey stunned Yale with a 53-save shutout after the Bulldogs’ 4-1 loss to Clarkson, one of the nation’s best teams.

However, Yale should not be underestimated. The Bulldogs are 4-4-1 at home and are led by standout winger Joe Snively.

Snively enters the weekend as the most lethal shooter on either team, with 11 goals on the season.

Outside of Snively, Yale has trouble producing consistent offense, as they rank among the bottom 15 teams in the nation in terms of shots on goal.

That should provide an interesting matchup, as sophomore goalie Joey Daccord currently leads the nation in both shots faced and saves.

Arizona State also boasts an emerging offensive star in Johnny Walker. The freshman winger scored a goal Saturday against Boston, bringing his goal total to five since the start of the new year.

Although the three weeks of road series sound like a daunting task, assistant coach Alex Hicks brushed it off.

“We travel well,” Hicks said. “We’re usually on direct flights … we stay in good hotels, we feed them great.”

Hicks has a lot of reason to be confident. The Sun Devils currently own a 3-7-4 record on the road, with one of the ties being a shootout win against Nebraska Omaha.

Next: ASU Hockey: Sun Devils defeated by Boston in Senior Night thriller

The Sun Devils begin their road trip at 4 p.m. MST Friday, and continue Saturday when the puck drops at the same time as the previous night.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.