ASU Hockey: Cornell Preview

No. 13 Arizona State (16-7-1) is back out on the road, and across the county to take on No. 17 Cornell (7-5-1) this weekend.

The trip kicks off a stretch where the Sun Devils won’t play a home game for over a month, and their next six games will be back east.

ASU is coming off a sweep of Boston College, and a tie against No. 7 Minnesota State just before that.

Cornell is 5-2 in the ECAC Conference, which is good enough for third place. In their last three games, the Big Red have won two games and recorded a tie.

Last year, Cornell went 25-5-2, but was upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Boston University. Looking to establish some more quality wins down the stretch of this season, the Big Red Bears and the Sun Devils look to be in for a good series this weekend at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, which has proven to be one of the toughest venues to play at in all of college hockey.

Here is more to know about the matchup:

What Time/Where to Watch

Both games this weekend drop the puck at 5:00 p.m. local time. The games can be viewed on ESPN+ with a 4.99 monthly subscription.

Players to Watch

Cornell has just two players with double-figure point totals. However, the Big Red has a very even scoring attack, and they are led by New York Rangers draft pick Morgan Barron, who has registered six goals and five assists on the season. Senior forward Mitch Vanderlaan also has 11 points.

Additionally, the Big Red showcase a power play unit that is in the top-20 in efficiency in the NCAA.

Between the Pipes

In goal, the Big Red has a sophomore tandem between Austin McGrath and Matthew Galajda. Although Galajda has been injured in recent weeks and McGrath has had to step up.

Galajda has started and played in more games, but McGrath holds a better goals against average and save percentage.

Series History

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

What the Coach had to say about the opponent:

Coach Powers: “They work. They are one of the hardest working teams in the country. It’s a very difficult place to play with one of the craziest atmospheres in college hockey. They sell out every game. Great student section, so it’s going to be a lot of fun, but they (Cornell) work. If our guys show up and at the very least match their work ethic, we are going to like our chances.”

Other Notes:

ASU jumped two spots from No. 15 to No. 13 in the latest USCHO poll. Furthermore, the Devils sit at No. 10 in the Pairwise rankings to make the NCAA Tournament. This weekend can further enhance their resume.

Another interesting statistic was dug up earlier this week. ASU has five freshmen who have registered double-digit point totals, which is the only school in the country who holds that stat.

Also, if you keep a close eye on the Sun Devil program, you might have noticed a missing piece over the last couple weeks. Redshirt senior Louie Rowe is no longer on the roster. In five games played, Rowe had not tallied a goal or a point this season in limited amounts of playing time due to increased depth in the ASU lineup.

Rowe is still playing hockey, and it appears he has made his way to the ECHL’s Maine Mariners. There are no further details on the departure.