(Photo: Gabrielle Mercer/WCSN)
Following a disappointing performance in the Desert Hockey Classic, in which the Arizona State Sun Devils allowed seven goals while failing to score at all, the team will be back on the road, this time to face Bemidji State in Minnesota.
The Sun Devils have now lost a record 11 straight games and have had trouble generating any scoring chances. After their loss to Connecticut to close out the Desert Hockey Classic, head coach Greg Powers chalked up the struggles to the lack of talent compared to other teams. He was frank in his statement to wait for next year when recruits and redshirts join the team and the young players continue to develop.
With the “wait ’til next year” approach, the Sun Devils don’t plan on doing anything different for this weekends games.
“We are focused on what we can become and we are realistic about what we are dealing with here,” Powers said. “We are going in to try to win on Friday night, that is all we are focused on. We still think we can beat any team on any given night.”
Outside of freshman standouts Jordan Masters and Ryland Pashovitz, the Sun Devils simply have not received much production.
Saddled with an incredibly difficult schedule against the likes of top teams Nebraska-Omaha, Yale and Quinnipiac, the Sun Devils have not had much of a breather this season. However, these two games against Bemidji State may have come at the perfect time.
The Beavers are not quite like some of the powerhouses that are featured on Arizona State’s schedule this season, but are a threat nonetheless. With an 8-9-4 record, they have had a better season than the Sun Devils, but find themselves in the middle of the WCHA conference.
BSU is led by Gerry Fitzgerald (10-7-17) and Brendan Harms (4-11-15) on the offensive side, and have given the nod to Michael Bitzer in net for 16 of its 21 games. However, Bitzer’s record is just 4-9-3, while emerging backup Reid Mimmack has a .908 save percentage and a 4-0-1 record.
Nothing from the Beavers is going to jump off the page, but the same could be said about the Sun Devils. As a team that is going through both a transition and rebuilding year, ASU knows that it won’t be competing for a championship, but it is just looking for a win to give the team more confidence.
A win in at least one of the two games would be imperative, because the Sun Devils’ next NCAA games will be on the road against No. 11 UMass-Lowell, one of six teams on ASU’s schedule that is currently ranked in the USCHO top 20. Powers believes it can happen, calling both contests “winnable games.”
“Spirits here are still high,” Powers said. “We are trying to build a championship team here, but before you win championships, you have to act like champions. We are not focused on the wins and losses, we are more focused on building the culture, and the wins will come.”
Puck drop for game one will be at 6:37 p.m. Arizona time, while game two will begin at 6:07 p.m.
You can contact Jacob Janower via e-mail or on Twitter @JanowerJacob
