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Michigan Hockey at Arizona State Preview

By Grant Dossetto

Feb 27, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of a hockey puck and referees skates during the game between the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers at the American Airlines Center. The Rangers defeat the Stars 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of a hockey puck and referees skates during the game between the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers at the American Airlines Center. The Rangers defeat the Stars 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Arizona State Sun Devil’s are the NCAA’s newest team, and Michigan hockey is their next opponent. Here’s what to expect from the Wolverines.

Michigan hockey goes from Vermont to the desert southwest. This weekend sees the Wolverines play a single game against Arizona State. The NCAA’s newest team is playing its first full Division I schedule this season.

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The Sun Devils are following a different mold than Penn State breaking into NCAA hockey. The Nittany Lions lined up extremely generous funding from Sabres owner Terry Pegula. They hit the ice skating, so to speak, with a brand new facility, top-notch coaching, and a slew of quality recruits. Penn State built a hockey program immediately.

Arizona State—not so much. It’s a long-standing club hockey team with success including an ACHA national title, but tradition and commitment to the sport ends there.

Arizona State splits games between Oceanside Arena and the home of the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale. Both are off campus and Oceanside is not a college hockey caliber facility.

The rink was opened 40 years ago as part of a larger recreational amusement park. Not surprisingly, the whole venture went bust and Oceanside had to be bailed out by the area’s youth hockey organization. The DYHA runs Oceanside to this day. It has a capacity of 747 with bizarre rink dimensions between NHL and Olympic ice measurements at 200×90 feet.

For big games, including tonight’s tilt against Michigan, Arizona State uses the Gila River Arena, an NHL facility, so the amenities are up to par, but there is a reason why the Coyotes have gone bankrupt and been run by the league for most of their existence in Arizona.

Nov 1, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) controls the puck against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) controls the puck against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

The arena sits on the fringe of the metro area. It is very similar to the Palace of Auburn Hills in relation to downtown Detroit. The Pistons will be moving downtown next year because of the attendance strain the suburban location puts on the team.

Arizona State won just a handful of games against D-I teams a year ago in a partial schedule. This year the Sun Devils are 1-7, and their numbers against traditional hockey powers is woeful. Notre Dame, Northeastern and Harvard have outscored ASU 37-9 in six meetings.

The western U.S. has more hockey talent than given credit. Auston Matthews’s four-goal debut is a testament to that. Scottsdale, Arizona turned out the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft this past summer, only to see him make history on opening night.

In theory, ASU should be able to take advantage of that, but the current team is not a serious challenger to the Colorado schools. Colorado College is down but has a long history, and Colorado Springs hosted the NCAA tournament and WCHA for years. It was a natural fit for college to gravitate towards the home of the U.S. Olympic program.

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Denver is a perennial national championship contender and Magness Arena is a gem. Its top line last year was nicknamed the Pacific Rim with members from Boston College, Washington State and California. Denver will get the west’s best until ASU makes a better effort.

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