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ASU hockey gearing up for 10-day road trip before home opener at Mullett Arena

jenna ortiz, arizona republic
·4 min read
Aug 23, 2022; Tempe, Arizona, USA; The ASU hockey team watches as the new Multi-Purpose Arena is being named Mullett Arena, in recognition of Donald "Donze" and Barbara Mullett during a press conference at ASU.
Aug 23, 2022; Tempe, Arizona, USA; The ASU hockey team watches as the new Multi-Purpose Arena is being named Mullett Arena, in recognition of Donald "Donze" and Barbara Mullett during a press conference at ASU.

With the days practicing at Oceanside Ice Arena dwindling down, Arizona State hockey will begin its season on a 10-day road trip before settling down in the completed Mullett Arena, which will be finished on Oct. 1.

ASU won't get to see the new completed arena yet with its season set to begin on the road this weekend against No. 5 Minnesota Duluth.

Aug 23, 2022; Tempe, Arizona, USA; The new Multi-Purpose Arena is being named Mullett Arena, in recognition of Donald "Donze" and Barbara Mullett during a press conference at ASU.
Aug 23, 2022; Tempe, Arizona, USA; The new Multi-Purpose Arena is being named Mullett Arena, in recognition of Donald "Donze" and Barbara Mullett during a press conference at ASU.

The Sun Devils were left out of the preseason rankings, but will become familiar with several ranked programs early in the first half of the season. ASU will continue its road trip in Minnesota with Bemidji State on Oct. 7-8.

“You go and get some wins against those guys, it’s the gift that keeps on giving for the pairwise rankings. It’s why we do it and we’re certainly starting out not dodging anybody with Minnesota Duluth in the last five Frozen Fours and national championships. They’re premier, if not the premier model program in college hockey,” ASU coach Greg Powers said.

“To open up there, we’ve never played them before, it’s going to tell us what we’re all about and what we need to work on moving forward. It’s a series where no matter the result, we’re going to get better from," Powers added.

The rest of the first half features a who’s who in the college hockey landscape starting with No. 4 North Dakota in Las Vegas for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 29.

No. 2 Minnesota will visit Mullett Arena on Nov. 25-26. ASU will head to Denver to see the defending NCAA champion and preseason No. 1 Denver on Dec. 2-3.

ASU will return home for its much-anticipated home opener at Mullett Arena on Oct. 14 against Colgate.

Mullett Mania: Arizona State's new sports facility gets its name | Coyotes embrace 'new chapter of hockey in Arizona' in first season at Mullett Arena

Aug 23, 2022; Tempe, Arizona, USA; The new Multi-Purpose Arena is being named Mullett Arena, in recognition of Donald "Donze" and Barbara Mullett during a press conference at ASU.
Aug 23, 2022; Tempe, Arizona, USA; The new Multi-Purpose Arena is being named Mullett Arena, in recognition of Donald "Donze" and Barbara Mullett during a press conference at ASU.

Last season’s campaign left a disappointing taste for ASU after losing five of its last eight and finishing 17-17-1 to miss the NCAA Tournament. ASU was left out of the preseason rankings.

"You never want to see your team unranked, but that's just something to work towards. You just got to focus on game one and if we take care of business up in Minnesota, I think we'll be rewarded. But we're just focused on game one right now," ASU alternate captain Demetrios Koumontzis said.

To address the scoring that graduated, the team brought in depth up front. Transfers Robert Mastrosimone, Lukas Sillinger, Ty Jackson, and Dylan Jackson combined for 86 total points with different programs in 2021-22.

“We took the approach of bringing guys in that have some length in their terms. The Jacksons have three years, Sillinger technically has three years, Mastrosimone has three years, these are all guys that want to be here for the long-term and are not one-year rentals so to speak. They’ve submerged themselves in every way and they’ve been really good,” Powers said.

Powers sees his forwards group as the biggest strength coming into the season with an additional five freshman forwards. The younger team gives way for a faster and more skilled identity.

"We got a lot of guys coming in that are really quick and that’ll be big for us because we had a quick team last year, but college hockey is fast. I think this year’s team’s offense will be a little bit faster-paced," ASU captain Josh Doan said.

The returning group still features offensive power in Doan, last year’s top-scoring freshman, and Matthew Kopperud. Kopperud, now entering his junior season, was one goal shy of tying Johnny Walker’s single-season goals record (23).

Doan, who was named captain alongside alternate captains Koumontzis and Jacob Semik, has made even more strides in the practices leading up to his second season. His well-rounded game has made him available to be used in every situation.

"If you looked at him physically this time last year and now, it’s night and day. He’s much bigger, much stronger, and much more mature. He was always a mature kid, but he’s a big, strong young man now. He’s not a kid anymore. I think that’s the biggest difference," Powers said.

Reach the reporter at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com or 602-647-4122. Follow her on Twitter @jennarortiz. 

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU hockey to start with road trip before opener at Mullett Arena