When one thinks of the Arizona State Sun Devils hockey team, the first thought usually involves the team’s depth. With one of the best recruiting classes in ASU history, coach Greg Powers certainly has a lot to work with. However, there is one simple fact that tends to get brushed over amongst all of the hype, and that is the amount of penalties.
Though the Sun Devils have an undefeated record to start the season, one cannot ignore the amount of penalties committed by ASU each game. ASU has racked up 165 penalty minutes in just 11 games this season.
In the last game against the Colorado State Rams, the maroon and gold committed four penalties in the first period, four in the second, and another four in the third.
At that rate, ASU is on the fast track to giving up the lead in a tight game due to a lack of discipline. Find a team that can skate with the Sun Devils for 60 minutes, while capitalizing on their power play opportunities, and the Sun Devils may not be unbeatable after all.
During the first period intermission against Colorado State, Rams goaltender Keegan McCarthy and defenseman Danny Jobson were discussing the strategy of beating ASU.
They mentioned that the Sun Devils were a deeper and more talented team on paper, but they got a little too fancy at times. They also commented going into the second period that they planned to capitalize on the power play. Teams are starting to pick up on the amount of penalties the Sun Devils commit and are discovering the key to upsetting their unmarked record.
Though the Rams did not execute their strategy, the fact that penalties are a problem for the maroon and gold is up in the air.
Besides the hope of coming out with a win, the main goal for Colorado State was to gain experience against a D1 team. Forward Brenden McCarthy commented that learning how a D1 team plays is crucial this year due to the fact that CSU is moving up to the D1 level next year.
It has already been proven that the Sun Devils can find themselves in trouble with penalties. Going back to the game against Colorado State, ASU was able to get on the board first with a Brian McGinty goal. One minute later, Stephen Collins was sent to the penalty box for high sticking and less than thirty seconds after that, Troy Scott was called for interference.
Defenseman Jamison Wicks scored a power play goal for Colorado State, leaving the game tied after twenty minutes of hockey.
Although Colorado State failed to capitalize on its other nine power play chances, the Sun Devil’s weakness was exposed.
This coming weekend, ASU travels to Tucson for a series against rival Arizona. The two teams have already faced off twice this year and the Sun Devils came out victorious in both games. The scoreboard looked nice for the maroon and gold, however the penalties did not. In the two games against the Wildcats, the Sun Devils accumulated 38 penalty minutes.
Rivalries will surely heat things up down south. In an arena filled with Wildcat fans, this can only make the mood slightly more hostile on the ASU side.
After game one of the two game Wildcat series in the end of September, coach Powers was asked about what he would tell the team going into the second game. He responded, “No penalties, I mean we have a ton of talent if we stay out of the box. I don’t think anyone can play with us, but if we give teams chances like we did tonight, you never know. I mean they pop a couple power play goals and it could have gone the other way.”
The Wildcats are expecting a high number of penalties from ASU, and this could help UofA end its 26 game losing streak against its cross state rival. Arizona forwards Andrew Murmes and Brian Slugocki have already combined for nine of the team’s ten power play goals this season. Arizona may not have the depth of ASU, but they can skate with them for 60 minutes. Given a few power play opportunities, the outcome of the game could easily go in their favor.
As long as ASU controls their penalties, they are an incredibly dangerous team to face. Giving the Wildcats too many power play chances can prove to be deadly, and result in the first Sun Devil loss this season.
