PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. -- On Friday, the puck will be dropped for the second annual Desert Hockey Classic hosted by Arizona State hockey at the Prescott Valley Events Center. Tickets still remain on Ticketmaster.com or by calling the Prescott Valley Event Center box office at 1-800-745-3000.
A match-up between No. 18 St. Cloud State (8-7-1) and UCONN (6-6-6) will start the tournament on Friday at 4 p.m. MST, followed by the Sun Devils (7-13-0) and Brown University (3-9-0) at 7 p.m. MST. The winners of each game and losers will each play each other on Saturday at the same times. ASU will play at 7 p.m. MST whether it is the championship game or the consolation game.
The 2016 Desert Hockey Classic brings elite level collegiate hockey to the valley, with 18 NHL draft picks participating in the tournament between the four teams.
Read a preview for each participating program below:
ARIZONA STATE
For the 2nd Annual Desert Hockey Classic in Prescott, Ariz. the Sun Devils start with a first ever meeting against Brown while riding a program-best three-game winning streak. Halfway through the season, the Sun Devils have six players with double-digit points including Robbie Baillargeon (15), Tyler Busch (12), Wade Murphy (12), David Norris (12), Louie Rowe (11), and Dylan Hollman (10).
Redshirt junior Wade Murphy is averaging a point per game over the last seven games (3G, 4A) while also on a five-game point streak. Big man Louie Rowe is also on a five-game point streak with three goals and three assists throughout that stretch. Between the pipes, senior Robert Levin is on a two-game winning streak with a combined 1.00 GAA and .964 save percentage.
In the Sun Devils latest matchup in Massachusetts, redshirt junior David Norris had himself a week with two goals and two assists on the three-game road trip. The Devils swept the week in Massachusetts with back-to-back 4-1 victories over UMass, for the program's first sweep of the season and first ever three-game winning streak.
Four of the Sun Devils final seven opponents this season are currently ranked in the USCHO top-20, including #2 Denver, #9 Ohio State, #14 Quinnipiac and #16 Western Michigan. A potential matchup with #18 St. Cloud State makes it five of seven.
ST. CLOUD STATE
St. Cloud State arrives in town after just tacking on their fourth win of the season against a nationally ranked team. In spite of a five-game losing streak at home, SCSU produced a 4-2 win at home over #20 Omaha. This season, the Huskies have averaged 32 shots on goal per game and 3.38 goals per game. The scoring leaders of the Husky pack include junior Judd Peterson with nine goals while sophomore Mikey Eyssimont is right behind him with 8 goals this season. Freshman netminder Zach Driscoll has appeared the most between the pipes with 12 appearances for a 6-5-1 record, 3.13 goals against average and .889 save percentage.
The Huskies will be without head coach Bob Motzko and defenseman Jack Ahcan, who paces the team in scoring from the blue line with three goals and a team-leading 10 assists. Motzko is the bench boss for Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championships with Ahcan on his roster.
UCONN
The University of Connecticut returns to the Desert Hockey Classic after finishing third in 2015. The other Huskies enter the weekend off a fresh 3-1 win against Massachusetts for a 6-6-6 overall record. Like St. Cloud, UCONN will miss two key pawns in the tournament, as leading scorer Tage Thompson (USA) and starting goaltender Adam Huska (Slovakia) are also at the IIHF World Junior Championships. At the halfway point in the season, the Huskies average 2.83 goals per game and 27.9 shots on goal per game. Senior Rob Nichols, who has made eight appearances with a 2-3-3 record this season, will be the Huskies only line of defense between the pipes.
BROWN UNIVERSITY
The Brown University Bears can rest in peace and hibernation until the #DHC2016 after solidifying their third win of the season against Rensselaer, 6-3, on Dec. 10. Six different Brown players contributed to their latest win, pushing the Bears to a 3-9-0 record. One of those goals came from junior forward Sam Lafferty, who leads the team in points (14) this season. The Bears average just over 2.17 goals on 28 shots per game.
CANNIBALISM: UCONN vs. ST. CLOUD STATE
The opening matchup of the tournament is a battle for leader of the pack as the University of Connecticut Huskies take on the #18 St. Cloud State Huskies. SCSU holds a overall season record 8-7-1 while UCONN is 6-6-6. The Husky clash in the desert is the first time the team's will meet on the ice in program history.
SEASON OF FIRSTS: ASU vs. BROWN
Midway through a season of firsts for ASU, another first-impression will be made on Friday night, as the Sun Devils will meet the Bears for the first time ever on the ice. The two programs have two common opponents this season - Colgate and RPI - with ASU holding a 2-2 record and Brown boasting a 2-1 record with both wins against the Engineers. The Devils currently rank 43rd in goals per game – 33rd in overall goals – while Brown ranks 56th in goals per game and is tied for last in goals scored (26).
STREAMING LIVE
All four games will be streamed for a fee on HockeyTV.com. Live stats can be found here.
A match-up between No. 18 St. Cloud State (8-7-1) and UCONN (6-6-6) will start the tournament on Friday at 4 p.m. MST, followed by the Sun Devils (7-13-0) and Brown University (3-9-0) at 7 p.m. MST. The winners of each game and losers will each play each other on Saturday at the same times. ASU will play at 7 p.m. MST whether it is the championship game or the consolation game.
The 2016 Desert Hockey Classic brings elite level collegiate hockey to the valley, with 18 NHL draft picks participating in the tournament between the four teams.
Read a preview for each participating program below:
ARIZONA STATE
For the 2nd Annual Desert Hockey Classic in Prescott, Ariz. the Sun Devils start with a first ever meeting against Brown while riding a program-best three-game winning streak. Halfway through the season, the Sun Devils have six players with double-digit points including Robbie Baillargeon (15), Tyler Busch (12), Wade Murphy (12), David Norris (12), Louie Rowe (11), and Dylan Hollman (10).
Redshirt junior Wade Murphy is averaging a point per game over the last seven games (3G, 4A) while also on a five-game point streak. Big man Louie Rowe is also on a five-game point streak with three goals and three assists throughout that stretch. Between the pipes, senior Robert Levin is on a two-game winning streak with a combined 1.00 GAA and .964 save percentage.
In the Sun Devils latest matchup in Massachusetts, redshirt junior David Norris had himself a week with two goals and two assists on the three-game road trip. The Devils swept the week in Massachusetts with back-to-back 4-1 victories over UMass, for the program's first sweep of the season and first ever three-game winning streak.
Four of the Sun Devils final seven opponents this season are currently ranked in the USCHO top-20, including #2 Denver, #9 Ohio State, #14 Quinnipiac and #16 Western Michigan. A potential matchup with #18 St. Cloud State makes it five of seven.
ST. CLOUD STATE
St. Cloud State arrives in town after just tacking on their fourth win of the season against a nationally ranked team. In spite of a five-game losing streak at home, SCSU produced a 4-2 win at home over #20 Omaha. This season, the Huskies have averaged 32 shots on goal per game and 3.38 goals per game. The scoring leaders of the Husky pack include junior Judd Peterson with nine goals while sophomore Mikey Eyssimont is right behind him with 8 goals this season. Freshman netminder Zach Driscoll has appeared the most between the pipes with 12 appearances for a 6-5-1 record, 3.13 goals against average and .889 save percentage.
The Huskies will be without head coach Bob Motzko and defenseman Jack Ahcan, who paces the team in scoring from the blue line with three goals and a team-leading 10 assists. Motzko is the bench boss for Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championships with Ahcan on his roster.
UCONN
The University of Connecticut returns to the Desert Hockey Classic after finishing third in 2015. The other Huskies enter the weekend off a fresh 3-1 win against Massachusetts for a 6-6-6 overall record. Like St. Cloud, UCONN will miss two key pawns in the tournament, as leading scorer Tage Thompson (USA) and starting goaltender Adam Huska (Slovakia) are also at the IIHF World Junior Championships. At the halfway point in the season, the Huskies average 2.83 goals per game and 27.9 shots on goal per game. Senior Rob Nichols, who has made eight appearances with a 2-3-3 record this season, will be the Huskies only line of defense between the pipes.
BROWN UNIVERSITY
The Brown University Bears can rest in peace and hibernation until the #DHC2016 after solidifying their third win of the season against Rensselaer, 6-3, on Dec. 10. Six different Brown players contributed to their latest win, pushing the Bears to a 3-9-0 record. One of those goals came from junior forward Sam Lafferty, who leads the team in points (14) this season. The Bears average just over 2.17 goals on 28 shots per game.
CANNIBALISM: UCONN vs. ST. CLOUD STATE
The opening matchup of the tournament is a battle for leader of the pack as the University of Connecticut Huskies take on the #18 St. Cloud State Huskies. SCSU holds a overall season record 8-7-1 while UCONN is 6-6-6. The Husky clash in the desert is the first time the team's will meet on the ice in program history.
SEASON OF FIRSTS: ASU vs. BROWN
Midway through a season of firsts for ASU, another first-impression will be made on Friday night, as the Sun Devils will meet the Bears for the first time ever on the ice. The two programs have two common opponents this season - Colgate and RPI - with ASU holding a 2-2 record and Brown boasting a 2-1 record with both wins against the Engineers. The Devils currently rank 43rd in goals per game – 33rd in overall goals – while Brown ranks 56th in goals per game and is tied for last in goals scored (26).
STREAMING LIVE
All four games will be streamed for a fee on HockeyTV.com. Live stats can be found here.