OMAHA, Neb. – Sun Devil Hockey makes their second of three-straight road trips this weekend, as they trek to the Midwest for a two-game series with Nebraska-Omaha at Baxter Arena.
ASU (1-3-0) is coming off of back-to-back, one-goal losses at then-No. 19 Air Force, while the Mavericks (1-1-0) split with No. 12 UMass-Lowell. In 2015, the Devils and UNO met for the first time with the outcome favoring the then-No. 6 Mavericks, 9-1, in two games.
"We're excited to be back in Omaha for the first time since our hybrid year," said head coach
Greg Powers. "Omaha is a great program who has really welcomed us into Division I college hockey. This will be a tremendous test for our young program that we will undoubtedly leave from better for playing."
A handful of players from both squads were on the roster the last time these two met, including four NHL draft picks from UNO and eight Sun Devils who were in their freshman season. One of those included current junior goaltender
Ryland Pashovitz, who made 41 saves on 44 shots in the first meeting. The Devils dropped that match-up, 3-1, with the Mavericks' only three goals coming on the man advantage.
Current UNO starter Evan Weninger started that game across from Pashovitz, making 18 saves on 19 shots.
Both teams appear very different from two years ago, as the Sun Devils feature the first year of a full Division I recruiting class and two years of experience, while the Mavericks are without several draft picks from that season, including 2017 Stanley Cup champion Jake Guentzel.
Through four games, the mix bag of freshmen, sophomores and juniors have totaled 12 goals – 11 of which have been scored by a different player. This means half of the Sun Devils that have taken the ice this season have scored.
The captain's line of
Dylan Hollman,
Louie Rowe and
Anthony Croston continue to thrive together, holding the 1-2-3 spots in scoring for the Devils. As a line, the trio has totaled four goals and 10 assists in four games. The three have been averaging over 20 minutes a night, with Croston pacing the line at 22-plus minutes.
Rowe, along with graduate transfer
Gage Hough, return to Omaha after spending two seasons as members of the USHL's Omaha Lancers. Hough actually calls Omaha home, as he grew up and began his hockey career locally.
Both puck drops are scheduled for 5:07 p.m. (AZ)/7:07 p.m. (CST) and can be streamed on NCHC.tv.
