ASU hosts Desert Hockey Classic at Gila River Arena
The Arizona State University hockey team hosts the inaugural Desert Hockey Classic on Friday and Sunday at Gila River Arena.
Friday's schedule features Michigan Tech (11-7-2) vs. Connecticut (6-12-1) at 5 p.m., followed by ASU (5-15) vs. Yale (7-4-2) at 8. Sunday's games will be at noon and 3 p.m. -- with ASU playing in the 3 p.m. game regardless of whether it's for the championship or third place.
ASU, in its first season of Division I competition, lost 5-2 to Connecticut on Tuesday at Oceanside Ice Arena.
"The Desert Hockey Classic is a great opportunity to show what Sun Devil Hockey is all about," ASU coach Greg Powers said. "We get to showcase our program on a national stage, and we could not be more thrilled that three great programs are joining us in making history."
The Coyotes have embraced the addition of ASU's fledgling Division I program to the Greater Phoenix market as a partner in growing awareness and appreciation for the sport.
"To see hockey getting to another level by Arizona State adding a team is huge," Coyotes captain Shane Doan told Craig Morgan of thesundevils.com. "It's a testament to the state of hockey and how it is growing in Arizona, and I think ASU will help speed up that process even more."
Added Anthony LeBlanc, Coyotes president and CEO: "Our view is that anything that is going to put a spotlight on the sport of hockey in the middle of a campus of 83,000 students is a good thing. To me, it's an organic thing. When you help grow the game at the youth level and you help partner with ASU to grow the game at the collegiate level, it's going to do nothing but help us on a professional level."
For ticket information, click here.
