This weekend the No. 11 Arizona club hockey team (14-10) faces No. 9 ASU (15-10) for the final time this season and likely for the final time in the careers of their seniors.
Defenseman Mike Pelletier, forward Cole Dunlop, defenseman Eric Kowalek and forward Brian Pollock, all seniors, will have to settle any scores they may have left with their rivals. Co-captain and senior defenseman D.J. Pelletier will miss the series because he is still scratched from the lineup with a wrist injury suffered on Dec. 2’s contest against then-No. 6 Weber State.
“”Every time we play them, every game seems like the fastest, the most hard-hitting,”” Pollock said. “”It’s been that way for my whole four years.””
The games will take place tonight at 7:30 and at 5:45 p.m. Saturday at ASU’s home rink, the Alltel Ice Den in Scottsdale.
This year’s installment of the rivalry has left the Icecats on the losing side of a 1-4 record against the Sun Devils, including a 3-1 Arizona loss in their last meeting Jan. 8. The seniors said they hope some of the other players on this young Arizona squad are learning how much the rivalry means to the team and its fans.
ASU makes up the second leg of a three-week road trip the Icecats face before returning home Feb. 17 against Texas Tech. Arizona has played one of the toughest schedules in the Arizona Collegiate Hockey Association this season, facing five teams in the top 15, including No. 1 Penn State.
Coming off a split at No. 7 Weber State, Arizona head coach Leo Golembiewski said he hopes that with a good series against ASU, they should be locked in for their 21st trip to the ACHA Nationals in 23 years.
“”After taking one game from the No. 7 team and splitting a tough Colorado State series, we certainly shouldn’t go down (in the rankings), so I think we’re in a good position,”” he said.
