As nice as summer was, I cannot wait to get back into covering the Arizona State University hockey team once again! With the sun devils joining the Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL,) I'm excited to see how the year will go. However, one thing that really seemed to grind my gears was the fact that the maroon and gold will not be facing Robert Morris this season.
Arizona State University was undefeated last season, until they faced NCAA Penn State. I might add that they went 18 games without losing. However, the first ACHA team to break their winning streak was Robert Morris... and this was before ASU had many of their injuries and not to mention the rough patch that soon followed. Arizona State took game one of the two game series in early December, by a score of 7-4. I actually caught up with RMU's captain Chris Cimoch at the end of the game, and he said that even though ASU had outstanding depth, he was confident that they would be right there with them. They certainly were!
But here are the main reasons why I think not facing RMU is a big deal,
1) RMU beat ASU while they were still excelling. Although they may have broke their winning streak against Penn State, they also beat Penn State, which was HUGE momentum. The fact of the matter is, Robert Morris effectively got inside of the maroon and gold's heads.
2) Robert Morris faced ASU on December 7th, the last series they played ended on November 17th, so they were coming off of no momentum and a bit cold. The fact that they were able to come out with a win, says a lot about the organization and skill level of the team.
3) ASU did not face RMU during the 2011-2012 season. Therefore, a big reason why that series was so competitive was that neither team was fully familiar with each other. Yet, it was a complete battle.
I had actually picked RMU to win the National Tournament, and knock teams such as ASU out of it, just from the lack of exposure. Yes Robert Morris did lose in the first game, but this year they are coming back with a vengeance. Mark my words when I say the odds are likely that ASU will see them this year in the National Tournament, and I hope that this lack of exposure does not come back to haunt them.
Arizona State University was undefeated last season, until they faced NCAA Penn State. I might add that they went 18 games without losing. However, the first ACHA team to break their winning streak was Robert Morris... and this was before ASU had many of their injuries and not to mention the rough patch that soon followed. Arizona State took game one of the two game series in early December, by a score of 7-4. I actually caught up with RMU's captain Chris Cimoch at the end of the game, and he said that even though ASU had outstanding depth, he was confident that they would be right there with them. They certainly were!
But here are the main reasons why I think not facing RMU is a big deal,
1) RMU beat ASU while they were still excelling. Although they may have broke their winning streak against Penn State, they also beat Penn State, which was HUGE momentum. The fact of the matter is, Robert Morris effectively got inside of the maroon and gold's heads.
2) Robert Morris faced ASU on December 7th, the last series they played ended on November 17th, so they were coming off of no momentum and a bit cold. The fact that they were able to come out with a win, says a lot about the organization and skill level of the team.
3) ASU did not face RMU during the 2011-2012 season. Therefore, a big reason why that series was so competitive was that neither team was fully familiar with each other. Yet, it was a complete battle.
I had actually picked RMU to win the National Tournament, and knock teams such as ASU out of it, just from the lack of exposure. Yes Robert Morris did lose in the first game, but this year they are coming back with a vengeance. Mark my words when I say the odds are likely that ASU will see them this year in the National Tournament, and I hope that this lack of exposure does not come back to haunt them.