👋 GOOD MORNING
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025 — Happy Thursday! Excited to talk a little NCHC hockey below, but first I wanted to call out a nice bounce back win from the Suns over the Nets yesterday, featuring another strong performance from Devin Booker (32 points) and newcomer Nick Richards (15 rebounds). All of that added up to their sixth win in their last eight games, and a 3-2 road trip with wins over Brooklyn, Detroit and Washington.
They’re now home for three straight games beginning on Saturday, and not only will Richards likely make his Footprint Center debut, but fans continue to wait with bated breath on word of any sort of trade, whether it involves Jimmy Butler or not.
While I’m still talking basketball, come join us for a PHNX college basketball takeover on Feb. 1, as Arizona and Arizona State face off at Desert Financial Arena! If you haven’t been to one before, you’re in for a treat — we have a pregame meetup with your favorite PHNX personalities — food and drink included — plus a game ticket!
Come join in on the fun, it would be great to see you there!
On to the show!
Sun Devil Hockey Poised to Finish Strong Down the Stretch
The ASU men’s hockey team stands alone in first place in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
The Sun Devils are ahead of Western Michigan, Omaha and North Dakota. Defending national champ Denver? Heck, they’re eight points behind (with two fewer conference games played, to be fair). Then there’s Minnesota Duluth, Colorado College, St. Cloud State and Miami, and all of them are chasing ASU for the top spot in the conference. A conference, by the way, that has produced six of the last eight NCAA national champions.
Wow.
The Sun Devils host Colorado College at Mullett Arena this weekend, and there’s an opportunity for a little revenge after the Tigers swept Arizona State in Colorado Springs on Nov. 8 and 9 — the last series in which ASU has been swept.
Health & Continuity Help Turn Season Around
The Sun Devils had a rough start to the season, earning just one regulation win over their first six games. Health had a lot to do with it, as they were missing several key players, including Charlie Schoen, Cruz Lucius, Lukas Sillinger and Ben Schimek from their lineup.
ASU has battled through injuries for much of the season, so much so, that coach Greg Powers said Tuesday’s skate was the first practice in which all rostered players fully participated.
No matter, the Sun Devils are one of the hottest teams in the country right now, having posted a 12-1 record since Nov. 16, which includes:
- Road sweep over No. 1 Denver (NCHC opponent)
- Home sweep over Minnesota Duluth (NCHC opponent)
- Second consecutive Desert Hockey Classic title with wins over Robert Morris and No. 16 Cornell
- Series split with North Dakota (NCHC opponent)
- Road sweep of No. 15 St. Cloud State (NCHC opponent)
Do they have your attention yet? Good. Not that it matters to the team that was picked to finish near-or-at the bottom in its first year of NCHC play.
“We’ve been a program that people have counted out from day one. I think most people in college hockey probably didn’t think 10 years later I’d still be standing here,” Powers said. “We don’t really give a shit about what other people think. It’s just a fact. We care about what’s going on in our room, and our inner belief is all that matters.”
That inner belief has added up to a whole lot of wins, a No. 11 ranking in the USCHO.com poll, and a No. 12 designation in the Pairwise rankings.
“This is the most talented roster we’ve ever had,” Powers said. “What’s special about these guys is they truly have really bought into what our mantra, which is ‘Be the Tradition,’ and setting a standard here for everyone to follow behind them.
“They have a chance to do it.”
Among The Leaders in the NCHC
Forwards Ryan Kirwan and Schimek, as well as defenseman Noah Beck, are all nominees for the Hobey Baker Award — awarded to the nation’s “most outstanding college hockey player.” Netminder Gibson Homer, meanwhile, ranks fifth in the NCHC with a sparkling .927 save percentage.
Not that the team is fixated on individual accolades.
Powers said he is consistently focused on setting clear expectations and standards within the program, and the Sun Devils’ meteoric rise is evidence of that. He said the true leaders have stepped up from last year’s 24-win team, and their previous experience is shining bright.
“They really re-instilled what our core values are and really held each other to that standard everyday, which is why we won 24 games,” Powers said. “The guys that returned from that team did a wonderful job transitioning into leaders and making sure that all the new guys understood what it was going to take, and what we expect.”
Sun Devils Need Strong Finish Down the Stretch
ASU was a good team last season, and this year they’re playing just as well as a member of the prestigious NCHC. Quantity is nice, but now that the Sun Devils have a conference schedule that’s loaded with prominent programs, each win means that much more towards their ultimate goal of a Frozen Four appearance.
At 13-8-1 there are no givens, but a rematch against Colorado College this weekend offers the opportunity to build upon that success, especially with three series remaining against teams with a conference record above .500.
The motivation isn’t about proving doubters wrong, no matter how good that story looks. It’s about reaching the promised land and elevating the Sun Devils program to heights rarely seen.
“It’s a heavy, heavy bag, to always focus on proving everybody wrong who doesn’t believe in you,” Powers said. “You need to focus on the people that do believe in you, and proving them right. That’s much more rewarding at the end of the day.”
And what about those players who came back from that 2023-24 team?
“They could write a pretty good story,” Powers said, “if they finish this thing the way that I know that they’re going to.”
We can’t wait to watch.
🧢 TIP OF THE HAT BY BRANDED BILLS
Cool moment when Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli notched his first-career hat trick in front of friends and family while playing in Toronto. Congrats, Adam!
