TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State men's hockey team hopes to carry momentum from the Holy Cross series into their final homestand of the 2017 calendar year against Princeton at Oceanside Ice Arena on Friday and Saturday night. Tickets for Friday night are SOLD OUT, while limited standing room only tickets remain here.
The Sun Devils (3-8-3) are fresh off a bye week and a fulfilling Thanksgiving road trip where they served Holy Cross their first home loss of the season. The Tigers (5-6-1) are venturing to the wild, wild, west for only their third road game this season.
"This is yet another tremendous opportunity for our local hockey fans to come out and see a really good, historic college hockey program like Princeton this weekend," said head coach Greg Powers. "We are really excited about all of the high-end programs we bring in over the next two months, and it all kicks off this weekend with a really talented Princeton team."
Playing in east coast territory has grown to be familiar for the Sun Devils, but this introductory series between the two programs is also the first time that Princeton has played on the west coast since traveling to the Denver Cup Classic in 2011.
Despite the two programs never meeting, Princeton and ASU have shared common opponents. Princeton took on Holy Cross in their home season opener this season, defeating the Crusaders, 4-2. The Tigers also faced Yale and Quinnipiac, two squads ASU will play later in the season.
ASU currently holds a 3-6-2 all-time record against the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), including wins over Quinnipiac, Colgate, and Rensselaer.
Sophomore forward Brett Gruber continues to lead the Devils in points with three goals and six assists. His success has blossomed as of late, with two shots finding the back of the net in the last three games.
A goal and two assists from fellow sophomore Tyler Busch contributed to the Sun Devils' success in Worcester two weekends ago. In his last three games, Busch has tallied two goals and two assists for a three-game point streak, which has moved him up into second on ASU's top scoring list.
Fellow forward Johnny Walker is also on a three-game point streak after rattling off two goals and an assist against the Crusaders.
Princeton rolls into Tempe boasting the fifth-best offense in college hockey this season, as they're currently scoring 3.50 goals per game. That average comes highly inflated due to their most recent game against Dartmouth, where they netted nine goals – the most scored by a Princeton squad since 1994.
In that game, Princeton leading scorer and junior forward Max Véronneau acquired his first-career hat trick, totaling nine goals and six assists so far this season.
Princeton's second-leading scorer Jackson Cressey exploded on the stat sheet during the game against Dartmouth with three assists and a goal of his own. His 10 assists are tied for the most on team this season.
Tiger senior David Hallisey ranks third at 13 points this season, with eight points, six goals, and two assists, in the last five games.
Just one isn't enough for the Tigers. Princeton has scored at least two goals in 12 out of 14 games this season. The exceptions come from a scoreless overtime tie against Colgate and a 3-0 loss to Brown.
In 12 games, Tigers freshman netminder Ryan Ferland claims a .910 save percentage and a 3.11 goals against average.
ASU goaltender Joey Daccord dons a similar save percentage to his Princeton counterpart at .919 in 13 games played, and a sub-3.00 goals against average at 2.97. His recent success continues to give the Sun Devils a chance night-in and night-out. He's currently riding a five-game streak of 30-plus saves per game, with a .942 save percentage in his last three games.
Puck drop on Friday and Saturday is set for 7:05 p.m. (MST) at Oceanside Ice Arena.
The Sun Devils (3-8-3) are fresh off a bye week and a fulfilling Thanksgiving road trip where they served Holy Cross their first home loss of the season. The Tigers (5-6-1) are venturing to the wild, wild, west for only their third road game this season.
"This is yet another tremendous opportunity for our local hockey fans to come out and see a really good, historic college hockey program like Princeton this weekend," said head coach Greg Powers. "We are really excited about all of the high-end programs we bring in over the next two months, and it all kicks off this weekend with a really talented Princeton team."
Playing in east coast territory has grown to be familiar for the Sun Devils, but this introductory series between the two programs is also the first time that Princeton has played on the west coast since traveling to the Denver Cup Classic in 2011.
Despite the two programs never meeting, Princeton and ASU have shared common opponents. Princeton took on Holy Cross in their home season opener this season, defeating the Crusaders, 4-2. The Tigers also faced Yale and Quinnipiac, two squads ASU will play later in the season.
ASU currently holds a 3-6-2 all-time record against the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), including wins over Quinnipiac, Colgate, and Rensselaer.
Sophomore forward Brett Gruber continues to lead the Devils in points with three goals and six assists. His success has blossomed as of late, with two shots finding the back of the net in the last three games.
A goal and two assists from fellow sophomore Tyler Busch contributed to the Sun Devils' success in Worcester two weekends ago. In his last three games, Busch has tallied two goals and two assists for a three-game point streak, which has moved him up into second on ASU's top scoring list.
Fellow forward Johnny Walker is also on a three-game point streak after rattling off two goals and an assist against the Crusaders.
Princeton rolls into Tempe boasting the fifth-best offense in college hockey this season, as they're currently scoring 3.50 goals per game. That average comes highly inflated due to their most recent game against Dartmouth, where they netted nine goals – the most scored by a Princeton squad since 1994.
In that game, Princeton leading scorer and junior forward Max Véronneau acquired his first-career hat trick, totaling nine goals and six assists so far this season.
Princeton's second-leading scorer Jackson Cressey exploded on the stat sheet during the game against Dartmouth with three assists and a goal of his own. His 10 assists are tied for the most on team this season.
Tiger senior David Hallisey ranks third at 13 points this season, with eight points, six goals, and two assists, in the last five games.
Just one isn't enough for the Tigers. Princeton has scored at least two goals in 12 out of 14 games this season. The exceptions come from a scoreless overtime tie against Colgate and a 3-0 loss to Brown.
In 12 games, Tigers freshman netminder Ryan Ferland claims a .910 save percentage and a 3.11 goals against average.
ASU goaltender Joey Daccord dons a similar save percentage to his Princeton counterpart at .919 in 13 games played, and a sub-3.00 goals against average at 2.97. His recent success continues to give the Sun Devils a chance night-in and night-out. He's currently riding a five-game streak of 30-plus saves per game, with a .942 save percentage in his last three games.
Puck drop on Friday and Saturday is set for 7:05 p.m. (MST) at Oceanside Ice Arena.