<![CDATA[ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY

<![CDATA[ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY - News]]>Tue, 12 May 2026 15:43:49 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Kylie Brown and Quinn Eatinger Carry No. 14 Sun Devils Past No. 4 Midland]]>Fri, 24 Jan 2025 19:22:24 GMThttps://www.asuwomenshockey.com/news1/kylie-brown-and-quinn-eatinger-carry-no-14-sun-devils-past-no-4-midland

January 24, 2025 - Parker Beh

TEMPE, Ariz. – From Torino, Italy, to Tempe, Arizona, Sun Devil freshman forward Kylie Brown and junior goalie Quinn Eatinger teamed up to take down the No. 4 Midland University Warriors (17-5-1-0), by a score of 2-1. The No. 14 Arizona State Sun Devils (7-4-2-0) earned their third win against a ranked opponent on home ice this season.

Five Sun Devils and their head coach, Lindsey Ellis, returned from Torino earlier this week after representing Team USA in the 2025 World University Games.

“It was an unbelievable experience to be able to represent your country,” Ellis, who served as the United States’ head coach said. “There’s nothing better than having the red, white and blue in front of you.”

Without Brown, Eatinger, senior forward Sydney Paulsen, sophomore forward Lula Swanson and senior defenseman Elle McKenna in its previous game against the No. 15 Michigan State University Spartans (11-3-2-0), ASU’s depth put up a fight in a 6-4 loss.

In the first game of a two-game tilt against the Warriors, the Sun Devils were outshot 50-24. Eatinger erased 49 shots from entering the back of her net.

“She’s impressive. She’s a great goalie,” Brown said of her teammate, who boasts a 2.58 goals against average (GAA) and a .920 save percentage (SV%). “I have no idea what any of us would do without her. I know all of us have her back, and she’s always got ours. ”

Arizona State’s two goals in the game came on the power play. Brown has now recorded four goals in three games. Ellis believes playing against the nation’s best players elevated her game.

A Thursday night face-off between two ranked teams delivered 10 penalties, physical play and a broken helmet to ASU junior forward Breanne Powell after a collision in the third period.

“Absolutely 100%, I think it’s fun to play that way,” Brown said of the chippy tone to the contest. “It’s fun to play physical and to play tough and fast over soft any day.”

The right-handed shot opened the scoring nearly six minutes into the first period. Brown floated a shot through traffic from the left-wing faceoff circle that beat Midland sophomore goalie Meghan Stewart’s blocker. Sun Devil freshman defenseman Kate Streek secured the first of her two assists on the night with the primary assist – this marks the first multi-point game of her career.

Both sides traded goals in the second frame. Warrior senior forward Sky Thompson’s fourth goal of the season made its way through Eatinger’s 5-hole. Thompson’s shot from the slot area came at the 6:48 mark.

ASU’s eventual game-winning goal came with under 10 ticks to go in the second period. On its fourth power-play opportunity, Arizona State sophomore forward Paige Ring reached Brown at the back post from the left-wing faceoff circle. The pass went through a Midland defender, leading to a Brown tap-in.

Despite being outshot by more than double their own, the Sun Devils allowed the Warriors to take a majority of their shots from the perimeter. Eatinger and her defensemen negated most second-chance opportunities in their crease.

“I think we use our speed to our advantage,” Ellis said on what needs to change in today’s game. “I think there was a slight deer in the headlights moment. These are games why we went independent. We had to play hard, physical games. This is what a national tournament team looks like.”

ASU takes the ice again against Midland today with puck drop set for 4:35 p.m. MST at the Mountain America Community Iceplex.

“We need to stay focused. They’re angry. They’re mad,” Eatinger said about the Warriors. “They thought they were going to come in here and walk all over us. That’s just not what happened. We’re not a team that gets walked on like that. So we need to come in strong and they’re really physical, but we just need to match that.”

]]><![CDATA[Sun Devils Shut Out No. 2 McKendree for Highest-Ranked Win in Program History]]>Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:44:07 GMThttps://www.asuwomenshockey.com/news1/sun-devils-shut-out-no-2-mckendree-for-highest-ranked-win-in-program-history

November 22, 2024 – Parker Beh

TEMPE – The Arizona State women’s hockey team (6-3-1-0) rewrote its history books on Thursday night: ASU earned its highest-ranked win, over No. 2 McKendree University (14-3-1-0). After falling to the Bearcats 3-2 earlier in the season, the Sun Devils secured a 3-0 victory in the first game of a two-game series at the Mountain America Community Iceplex (MACI).

“I’m proud of them – it’s finally starting to click,” Arizona State head coach Lindsey Ellis said. “I think we found the right line combinations and they’re playing to their potential. I knew they had it and that’s why we were getting frustrated in certain games, and today they showed it.”

ASU junior goalie Quinn Eatinger posted a 30-save shutout in her return between the pipes after missing the last two games with a concussion.

“I felt great. I had been symptom-free for a week, and today it was like can I get cleared? Can I play?” Eatinger said about her return to the ice. “I had been feeling great in practice all week, and finally put it to the test.”

“That’s the Quinn we saw at nationals,” Ellis said, referencing Eatinger’s 70-save performance against Liberty University last season. “That’s the Quinn we need for the rest of the season. I was happy with the performance, and I know it will continue.”

Sun Devils’ sophomore defenseman Hannah Kunz opened the scoring at the 13:16 mark of the first period. The left-hander’s shot from the left-wing faceoff circle made its way through traffic in front of the Bearcats’ net. Now, Kunz leads all Arizona State defensemen in points, with seven in 10 games.

“She’s been great, she’s definitely stepped up a little bit more leadership recently,” Eatinger said. “She’s a sophomore, and she’s going to be a great upperclassman.”

From then on, ASU’s new faces on the team generated the next two goals. Fourteen minutes into the second period, freshman forward Kylie Brown potted her fourth goal of the season. Freshman defenseman Gracie Bagnall-Dubras fed a pass from the left point to the inner area of the right-wing faceoff circle to Brown. The right-handed shot wristed one past McKendree junior goalie Rachel Staresinic on the low glove side.

With 4:41 to go in the second frame, Sun Devils’ freshman defenseman Claire Bolen and senior defenseman Elle McKenna made trips to the sin bin roughly 40 seconds apart from each other. Ellis sent out senior forwards Sam Murphy and Syndey Paulsen along with Kunz to start the five-on-three penalty kill. Arizona State killed McKendree’s man advantage; the Bearcats were scoreless on their four power plays in the game.

“We didn't chase. That’s a big one,” Kunz said about what went well defensively. “I think when we get caught chasing, and then when that puck comes down, we get out of position. Then that’s how you can get the rebound and the shot off of it. So I think I was holding position and making sure not to over-pressure on them.”

Not even a minute into the third period, ASU freshman forward Taylor Bierlmeier recorded her third goal in the past three games. The right-handed shot tipped home sophomore forward Lula Swanson’s shot from the slot, putting her side up 3-0.

“She just keeps getting better and better every single game, and more confident,” Ellis said of Beirlmeier. “She is not afraid to go to the net and it shows. She doesn’t care if it’s pretty or anything like that – she just wants it in the net.”

Kunz added that Bierlmeier’s humbleness and level-headed mindset have helped her this season. The Calgary, Alberta, native shared the team’s vibe after the win.

“I think the team is, like, super excited about it,” Kunz said. “We knew we could take them, so it’s not like a big surprise to us. Everybody went out there and gave it their all. What can you expect but a win?”

Other than the historic win for the Sun Devils, it marked freshman forward Makena Ducklow’s debut in the maroon, gold and white. She played a fourth-line role with junior Evelyn Olson and freshman Paige Brien.

“I think it was great. I think she had to shake out the nerves a little bit,” Ellis said. “I think it was great for her to get some touches on the ice. She even had a great forecheck at the end of the game to gain possession, and the entire bench was like going crazy for her. So we like that.”

Ellis touched on the potential of the team.

“I think the potential with such a young group as 16 freshmen on the team, I can only imagine what it’s going to continue to grow the older they get,” Ellis said. “I think this is such a great starting point for us to just kind of keep going from here.”

Arizona State will look to sweep its two-game series against McKendree today with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. MST at the MACI.

Happy with the win, Kunz gave her thoughts on how her side could earn another win today.

“Just got to keep the energy up. We can’t get comfortable with the win for sure. Sometimes we feel like we’re a confident team. We go, oh, we are a better team and we let up on it, which we absolutely can’t do,” Kunz said. “We have to bring it like we did today. And that’s the reason we were so hard on that forecheck is that we had something to prove, and I don’t want us to get hooked on the fact that we’ve proved it like we can keep doing it, and we got to keep it up.”

]]><![CDATA[Sun Devils Look to Sweep Season Series Against GCU]]>Fri, 15 Nov 2024 16:04:55 GMThttps://www.asuwomenshockey.com/news1/sun-devils-look-to-sweep-season-series-against-gcu

Picture credit: Kiara Quiroz

November 15, 2024 – Parker Beh

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State women’s hockey team (4-3-1-0) returns to action this Friday at the Mountain America Community Iceplex (MACI) against Grand Canyon University (GCU; 5-5-0-0). The Sun Devils are coming off a nail-biting 2-1 overtime win over the University of Arizona on Nov. 8. However, ASU will need to rely on its depth once again this week with two players potentially out with concussion-related symptoms.

“It’s great having a 30-person roster; it isn’t ideal at times, but especially in weeks like this when we have injuries, concussions and so many different things, we’re able to put people in different spots,” Arizona State head coach Lindsey Ellis said.

Among the lineup changes, the Sun Devils moved freshman forward Paige Brien up to the first line last game. The Madison, Wis., native played alongside senior forward Sam Murphy and junior forward Breanne Powell. Sophomore forward Sabrina Enright dressed in her second game of the season, playing a fourth-line role, and freshman defenseman Gracie Bagnall-Dubras made her debut on the blue line.

Most notably, ASU sophomore goalie Brooke Kimel made her ACHA debut in net. The 5-foot-3-inch puck-stopper saved 25 of 26 shots against Arizona. With junior goalie Quinn Eatinger still dealing with a concussion, Kimel will most likely have another opportunity in between the pipes against GCU.

“It’s honestly so high but also very settled into the fact that I did my job,” Kimel said on her confidence level. “I’m comfortable doing it again and again – that’s my role.”

While Ellis didn’t declare a starter for today’s contest against the Antelopes, she highlighted the importance of having a game under Kimel’s belt.

“I think it’s really important,” Ellis said. “That helps her confidence going into it, and you can see it in practice as well with a little pep in her step.”

The Sun Devils’ second line delivered the game-tying goal at the 18:51 mark of the third period. Freshman forward Taylor Bierlmeier’s first career goal in ASU colors couldn’t have come at a better time. The Canadian has centered senior forward Sydney Paulsen and sophomore forward Lula Swanson the past three games.

“I’ve loved playing with Lula and Taylor,” Paulsen said. “They do a great job of communicating on and off the ice – everyone knows where the other person is going to be.”

Paulsen along with Murphy were named alternate captains last week at the team’s Thursday morning skate.

“I was really excited about that,” Paulsen said after being named an alternate captain. “I’m glad that was able to happen and ultimately really honored that the team named me that.”

Unfortunately for Arizona State, the team’s leading scorer, missed last game’s third period and sat out of practices all week with a concussion. With potentially no Murphy or Eatinger, the team will have to adopt a next-women-up mentality.

GCU enters the contest winners of four straight, with two wins over Montana State University and the University of Denver. The Antelopes will lean on forward Reese Gingrich, who leads the team in points (8) and has scored three goals against the Sun Devils this season.

Arizona State defeated GCU 9-3 and 5-1 to open the 2024-25 season. Kimel emphasized the importance of improving the team’s goal differential this week. Currently, the Sun Devils hold a plus-five goal differential. Factoring in ASU’s recent success against the Antelopes, Ellis’s squad will look to boost its record and goal differential – ultimately helping its case to return to the national tournament.

“We can’t go in and just think that we’re the better team,” Ellis said. “We have to prove it every single time.”

The puck drop is set for 4:35 p.m. MST at the MACI as the Sun Devils look to remain perfect against in-state schools this season.

]]><![CDATA[Sun Devils Set to Duel in the Desert Against Arizona]]>Fri, 08 Nov 2024 03:05:41 GMThttps://www.asuwomenshockey.com/news1/sun-devils-set-to-duel-in-the-desert-against-arizona

November 7, 2024 – Parker Beh

TEMPE, Ariz. – Coming off a 6-0 win over the University of Denver, the Arizona State women’s hockey team has several storylines to follow heading into its first matchup against the newly created University of Arizona women’s hockey team. The Sun Devils have added two alternate captains, an impactful defenseman is eligible to play, and they anticipate a sellout crowd for Friday’s battle with the Wildcats.

At the team’s Thursday morning skate, head coach Lindsey Ellis announced that senior forwards Sam Murphy and Sydney Paulsen were named alternate captains. The two join junior goalie Quinn Eatinger as alternate captains while senior defenseman Elle McKenna is captain.

“I think both of them lead in very different ways, but the ways that are beneficial for the team,” Ellis said of Murphy and Paulsen. “So we’re excited to have them both and kind of step up a little bit more as leaders.”

The Sun Devils can unleash one of their best-kept secrets: freshman defenseman Gracie Bagnall-Dubras.
“She has a very high hockey IQ and she’s a big body too,” Ellis said of the 5-foot-9, left-handed shot. “She’ll be able to impact our team the second she turns 18, so we’re excited that now she’s an option for our D-core.”

Bagnall-Dubras, who turns 18 years old on Friday, was ineligible to play in ASU’s first seven games due to the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s (ACHA) policy requiring participants to be 18 years or older.

“It’s definitely been hard. It’s never happened to me where an age has been a restriction,” Bagnall-Dubras said. “But I’ve just been supporting the girls and cheering them on and kind of hyping them up before games, giving them advice on how they’re playing.”

The Vancouver, British Columbia, native has had to balance a lot of factors in her first season as a Sun Devil.

“It was definitely tough for the first month or so,” Bagnall-Dubras said and alluded to the fact that it’s her first year at college and being away from home. “But I just worked really hard in practice and kind of made that like my game, and just tried really hard to show what I can do.”

Arizona State will relive its rivalry against Arizona this Friday, Nov. 7, 2024, with a puck drop scheduled for 7:35 p.m. MST at the Mountain America Community Iceplex in Tempe. According to Ellis, it’s both teams’ first meeting since 2006-07.

“They’re a hungry new team and they want to be the best, and obviously they want to beat us too. This isn’t just a one-sided rivalry,” Ellis said. “At the end of the day, they’re not going to play easy.”

Currently, Murphy’s 10 points are ASU’s team best. The two newly named alternate captains, Murphy and Paulsen, are tied for the team best in goals, with five. Murphy and sophomore forward Paige Ring are knotted at five assists each. Eatinger has gotten the nod in between the pipes in every game this season. She has posted a 3.11 GAA (goals against average) and a .894 SV% (save percentage) in her early 2024-25 campaign.

As for the Wildcats, freshman forward Brynn O’Neill (team’s best in goals, with five) and freshman defenseman Savannah Allen are linked for their side’s lead in points, with six. Chatham University transfer forward Teila Saarinen has four assists to lead Arizona. In the crease, Stonehill College transfer goalie Lauryn Hanafin and freshman goalie Olivia Sorlie have split time this season.

“I’m excited to see what Arizona hockey looks like and what the rivalry can do for the fans and our team,” Bagnall-Dubras said.

Ellis expects a sellout crowd for the game. Arizona is holding a girls’ youth hockey tournament, and she expects them to show up. Friday’s game also marks the return of former Sun Devils junior forward Britney Bridel and junior defenseman Rylee Armstrong, now playing for the Wildcats. While Ellis had nothing but positive comments about the two, her message was clear.

“They’re great kids, and they have great attitudes,” Ellis said. “It’ll be fun to have them back in the barn, but I want them to lose.”

]]><![CDATA[Sun Devils Return to Winning Ways in 6-0 Victory Over Denver]]>Wed, 06 Nov 2024 00:01:29 GMThttps://www.asuwomenshockey.com/news1/sun-devils-return-to-winning-ways-in-6-0-victory-over-denver

November 3, 2024 - Parker Beh

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State women’s hockey team (3-3-1-0) returned to the Mountain America Community Iceplex (MACU) after a four-game road trip to the St. Louis, Mo., area. The Sun Devils hosted the University of Denver (2-8-0-0) in hopes of putting an end to their four-game losing skid. In the end, sophomore forward Lula Swanson and junior forward Bre Powell both potted two goals in the team’s 6-0 win on Sunday afternoon.

“We’re definitely back to Sun Devil hockey,” freshman forward Emmerysn Stoddard said. “Coming back and getting that shutout for Quinn [Eatinger] and 6-0 is amazing for us – we really needed this.”

Stoddard scored the sixth and final goal for ASU at the 1:08 mark of the second period. The Hermosa Beach, Calif., native buried a rebound from the slot top-shelf – it was her first goal in maroon, gold and white. Sun Devils sophomore forward Paige Ring recorded one of her two assists on the night on her teammate’s first career goal.

“She has a great attitude,” ASU head coach Lindsey Ellis said of Stoddard. “I know that it’s tough mentally to be the extra person and not always rotated in. I thought she did really well on the bench cheering on the team. We put her in and she scored right away, so that was really exciting.”

As Ellis alluded to, the right-handed shot had served as the team’s extra forward when slotted in the lineup. Stoddard took on the same role in the Sun Devils’ shutout victory.

“I think I started crying when it went in the net. It was pretty surreal for me,” Stoddard said. “I’ve never been more excited in my life.”

Powell shared a similar experience last season in her first year adjusting to the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) D1 level.

“I took a bit to adjust last year when I was coming into college hockey as well. I think she’s adjusting really well,” Powell said. “She’s an all-star and it showed today, so I’m really excited for her to carry that onto our next games.”

Despite constant line juggling amidst Arizona State’s first road trip of the season, Powell and senior forward Sam Murphy have stuck together on the same line throughout six out of its seven games.

The two roommates combined for a goal twice in the opening period and pushed the Sun Devils ahead 3-0 as the team headed into the second period. Powell deposited a rebound shot coming from Murphy midway through the period. Later, ASU scored its second power-play goal of the period as Murphy found Powell at the right-wing faceoff circle with a high wrist shot that beat Denver’s goalie Avery Valente’s glove.

“Sam and I play really well together,” Powell said. “We read the puck, we read each play, we kind of always have an off-ice relationship and on-ice bond – it really helps our play.”

Swanson’s two-goal afternoon improved her home-ice goal total to three. The second time she lit the lamp was on a two-on-one. Arizona State freshman forward Paige Brien fed Swanson the puck through a Pioneer defender and the sophomore finished it off with a forehand to backhand move and roofed it upstairs.

“I thought she did really well,” Ellis said of Swanson. “After she took a semester off, it’s taken a little bit to get her feet back under her, and today I saw it. I’m ready for her to excel and get better every game.”

Sun Devils senior forward Sydney Paulsen started the team’s three-goal second period at the 7:37 mark. Freshman defenseman Jorja Dezainde caused a turnover behind Denver’s net. She then found freshman forward Taylor Bierlmeier who put in on a platter for Paulsen to finish all alone, putting her side up 4-0. Dezainde picked up her first point as a Sun Devil on the secondary assist.

Paulsen and Murphy are now tied for ASU’s lead in goals with five each.

According to Ellis, a defensive emphasis was implemented at the team’s practices leading up to Sunday’s game, after being outscored 18-6 in St. Louis.

“It’s getting back to our structure. We can’t run around like we did in St. Louis,” Ellis said. “We’re setting things up for a reason, and if we’re not a structured hockey team we see what happens. I thought tonight was a lot better; obviously, there’s still things to work out, but it’s moving in the right direction.”

Arizona State allowed 11 shots on net from the Pioneers, handing junior goalie Quinn Eatinger her first shutout of the season. ASU will look to continue to remain perfect on home ice as they take on the newly created University of Arizona women’s hockey team. Puck drop is set for 7:35 p.m. MST on Nov. 8, 2024, at the MACU.

“I think it’s going to be a really, really good time and good game to watch,” Powell said. “We’re going to bring it to them, we’re going to play our game the way Sun Devil hockey plays their game.”

]]><![CDATA[New Faces Prevail in 9-3 Victory Over Grand Canyon University]]>Sat, 05 Oct 2024 17:22:41 GMThttps://www.asuwomenshockey.com/news1/new-faces-prevail-in-9-3-victory-over-grand-canyon-university

October 5, 2024
Written by Parker Beh

TEMPE, Ariz. – A sellout crowd was on hand Friday night to see the Arizona State ACHA D1 women’s team take the ice at the Mountain American Community Iceplex In a lively environment, the Sun Devils defeated the Grand Canyon University Antelopes 9-3 in their home opener to start the 2024-25 season.

“I think it’s great,” ASU head coach Lindsey Ellis said about the packed crowd. “The better they get, the more wins we get, hopefully we can sell out Mullett (Arena) against U of A.”

The team will have to wait for its February 1, 2025, senior night date against the University of Arizona’s newly created women’s club hockey team. Coming into the game, Grand Canyon had split its opening series against the Arizona Wildcats, giving them a 1-1 record.

After adding 16 new skaters to Arizona State’s roster in the offseason, six of them contributed on the scoresheet. Sophomore forward Lula Swanson and freshman forwards Kyly Laybolt and Kylie Brown potted their first career goals as Sun Devils in the winning effort.

“It was a blast,” Swanson said after playing in her first game in ASU colors. “I wasn’t sure what to expect being a transfer. But after seeing just our practices this week leading up to it, I knew it was going to be good. Honestly, the game was even more fun.”

Arizona State freshmen forwards Taylor Bierlmeier, Mara Draper, and Paige Brien recorded their first assists in the maroon, gold, and white as well.

The Sun Devils’ special teams were dominant against the Lopes, scoring four power-play goals and one shorthanded goal. Senior forward Sydney Paulsen found the back of the net shorthanded to put her side up 2-1 with 3:12 to play in the opening period. The teaming-leading point scorer from last season beat GCU junior goalie Olivia Cronin with a quick move to her backhand, all alone in front of the net.

Despite breaking her stick in warmups, “Paulsen Power,” was in full effect – the right-handed shot notched a 4-point night, including two assists which moved her past Sheridan Gloyd for second-most assists in program history. She commented on the new faces in the lineup.

“It was an exciting moment for all the freshmen as we had so many new people playing,” Paulsen said. “It was really a fun opportunity to see how everyone plays with each other and ultimately playing a team that we don’t really have the best relationship with.”

Grand Canyon and Arizona State’s rivalry brings its Cactus Cup series every season. With the Sun Devils sweeping the five-game series against the Lopes last season and the addition of the Wildcats, the Cactus Cup race will now feature three teams.

The Lopes scored on their first shot of the game, coming at the 7:53 mark of the first period. The Sun Devils went nearly 12 minutes without allowing a shot on goal. GCU senior defenseman Reese Gingrich shelved a shot over ASU junior goalie Quinn Eatinger’s glove side through a screen from the inner right-wing face-off circle.

Arizona State’s response in the second and third periods showcased the potential of the team’s depth. The Sun Devils’ all-time leading scorer, senior forward Sam Murphy, and sophomore forward Paige Ring notched 3-point performances. Furthermore, all four forward lines
contributed to goals in the contest.

“Overall, our speed and just the want for the puck – I don’t think we’ve ever collectively had a full team that just wants the puck,” Ellis said. “And it was so obvious tonight that they all wanted it, so that was great.”

]]><![CDATA[ASU Women's Hockey 24-25 Season Preview]]>Fri, 04 Oct 2024 16:27:09 GMThttps://www.asuwomenshockey.com/news1/asu-womens-hockey-24-25-season-preview

Friday, October 4, 2024
Written by Chase Beardsley
Photo by Billy Wuneburger

Change comes to everyone and every team at some point. It leaves a chance to be better and improve. That’s what the Arizona State ACHA D1 women’s hockey team hopes to do with the moves they made over the offseason heading into a big 2024–25 season. After their best season in program history last year, they look to take another step toward their goal of winning an ACHA national title.

During the offseason, the team announced it would be leaving the WWCHL, meaning for the first time in program history, the Sun Devils wouldn’t be a part of the conference. After winning back-to-back WWCHL championships, it makes sense for the team as they easily dominated all of their conference foes last year, going 15-0-0 in regular season play against them. Then in the WWCHL playoffs, the team cruised to a second straight conference championship, only allowing three goals all tournament long.

In the opening round of the ACHA National tournament, the Sun Devils lost 5-0 to the eventual champions—Adrian College—forcing ASU into the elimination round against Maryville University. In a thrilling game, the Sun Devils scored two goals in the third period to dig out of a 2-0 deficit and force overtime. Then, now-senior forward Sam Murphy tipped a shot into the net to send the Sun Devils into the quarterfinals for the first time in program history.

Facing five-time defending champions Liberty University in the quarterfinals, the Sun Devils scored two goals in the third period once again to take a 2-1 lead. Unfortunately, the Flames scored late in the third and again in the waning minutes of OT to eliminate the Sun Devils despite a stellar 70+ save performance by junior goaltender Quinn Eatinger.

In the offseason, outside of going independent, the team lost a lot of players, including Jill Ketchum, Berkleigh Radcliffe, Sami Lutsch, Logan Sutera, and Tristan Craig. However, perhaps the most detrimental losses were Maddie Pladson, who led the defense in scoring, and Anita Fleming, who led the team in goals and left the team late into the offseason.

To replace the losses and also get better, head coach Lindsey Ellis did some serious recruiting over the past year. There are 16 new players joining the Sun Devils team. Half of those players are forwards while seven of the players will join the blueline. Only one new goaltender was added to the team.

Looking at the forward group, a lot of the star players from last season will once again wear maroon and gold. Senior forward Sydney Paulsen will look to one-up the impressive 33-point season that she had last year. One of her linemates will return as well as the defending WWCHL MVP and sophomore forward Paige Ring heads into her second year with the team. As mentioned, Murphy will also return, looking to break Kat Jones’ goal program record.

Other returnees to the forward group include junior forward Bre Powell, who will return from an injury that held her out of the lineup since January, and junior forward Evelyn Olson, who looks to continue her second-semester red-hot scoring hand after scoring 10 points in her last nine games, and sophomore forward Liv Leavelle.

There are a lot of interesting names joining the forwards. Maybe the most interesting of them all is freshman forward Kyly Laybolt. The former RINK Hockey Academy forward brings some serious speed and offense to the team after scoring 20 points in 29 games with the Academy last season. Her first couple of weeks with the team have been great, and she’s already excited for what comes next.

“We’re all pushing each other on the ice, getting ready for this first game, and the team’s really good,” Laybolt said. “The culture, everything, the girls are great. So, it’s been a really good start as someone new here.”

Alongside Laybolt is a slew of new freshmen, eager to make an impact. Paige Brien, Emmersyn Stoddard, Taylor Bierlmeier, Kylie Brown, and Mara Draper will all try their best to crack the opening night roster against Grand Canyon University. A lot of the aforementioned players come from hockey academies in Canada, while others come from elite programs across the United States. All understand the mission of winning a championship title.

Meanwhile, two new sophomore forwards have joined the team. Sabrina Enright comes to the Sun Devils in her second year at ASU. Last season, she played with the Arizona Kachinas: the same program that many Sun Devils came from. Lula Swanson, on the other hand, is a transfer from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, an NCAA D-III school. Swanson obviously knows the tough play that comes from college hockey and has the talent to thrive in that environment. Adding her experience and skill to this Sun Devils team will only make it better.

On the blueline, sophomore defenseman Hannah Kunz will try to continue her development as one of the best defensemen on the team. She will be without her defense partner Pladson, so it’ll be interesting to see who is placed alongside her. Also returning are sophomore defensemen Mia Gervais, Sophie Fausel, and Amanda Benson, who are looking to further improve their play on the backend that was already exceptional last season.

Two players who will return from injury on defense are junior defenseman Jess Dorovenis and senior defenseman Elle McKenna. McKenna didn’t play after being concussed in the Denver series last year while Dorovenis hasn’t appeared in a game since the 2023 national tournament. As two of the older players on the blueline, they will look to mentor the younger defensemen.

Seven new players will help make up the blueline. Picking one that stands out is hard as all have looked good in practice. Freshman defenseman Kate Streek could be one to look out for after recording six points last season with the Okanagan Hockey Academy, a program that has produced talent of all levels, including Powell. Freshman defenseman Gracie Bagnall has also looked fantastic in practice, looking almost as fast as someone like Laybolt. She comes from the Delta Hockey Academy, which has given the Sun Devils many gifted players like Craig and Powell.

Other defensemen who will be joining the team are freshmen Madeline Christoff, Audrey Ju, Jorja Dezainde, Makena Ducklow, and Claire Bolen. All will help the Sun Devils’ blueline be deeper than ever.

In net, Eatinger returns for her third season with the maroon and gold. After leading the entire WWCHL in wins last year, she now turns her attention to the rest of the league. Eatinger will be tested this season as she will face opponents like Midland University, Adrian College, and McKendree University on a routine basis; but if she performs anything close to how she did last year, the Sun Devils will have one of the best goaltenders in the league again.

Since her 70+ save performance against the Flames, Eatinger has been working hard in the offseason to get better and better. She thinks her team has been getting stronger and stronger as well.

“I feel great,” Eatinger said. “I feel like we have the strongest team we’ve had ever since I’ve been here. Our team culture, our team dynamic is super strong. Everyone gets along. We have a really strong everything. It makes me super excited to play with them and see how we do.”

Fighting for the backup position will be sophomore goaltender Brooke Kimel and freshman goaltender Charlotte Reeves. Both have been worked hard by goaltending coach Evan Hauser in order to ensure the Sun Devils have options in the net for every scenario that could happen. It is vital to have multiple goaltenders you’re confident in to thrive in the ACHA, and the Sun Devils could have that with Kimel and Reeves.

Eatinger is excited to play with Reeves and Kimel. She sees them as strong teammates and knows that they’ll push each other to keep getting better.

“It’s been fun,” Eatinger said. “I think just our dynamic is like we all challenge each other, and I expect nothing less. I love working with them. They’re both really strong goaltenders, and they push me, I push them, and that’s all you ask for.”

Finally, the team has even made some new additions to the coaching staff. Former defenseman Sheridan Gloyd has returned to the program after spending last season coaching the Kachinas. Adding Gloyd to the bench is a smart move by Ellis. The former Sun Devil knows the team well and will help Ellis manage the large group of forwards. Lucas Lomax has also joined the team as the strength and conditioning coach.

It’s a lot of turnover and changes that have hit Ellis’ group. However, she’s confident that her team is better than ever before. Even though the amount of new faces can be a challenge, she likes her group heading into the season.

“It’s a little bit of a challenge,” Ellis said. “I think we’ve really made a step up with the level of player that we’ve brought in. So that really helps in terms of hockey IQ and not having to re-explain things over and over but in terms of learning who the players are and how they react to different things, that's our biggest challenge.”

The goal is still the same despite the new faces: To leave a legacy by winning a national title. With how close they got last season, the team can certainly challenge for one. With the switch to being an independent team, they’ll definitely be challenged like one that has those ambitions in mind.

“I think it’s really exciting this year being able to play people who are kind of in our skill range,” Laybolt said. “It’ll be exciting to play people that challenge us, rather than last year going with the flow and playing whoever. I’m excited to play some good teams and see what our team has to bring and hopefully come home with a national title.”

For Ellis, the goal will always be a national title. However, it takes multiple goals to reach the big one. So, to get prepared for a potential trip to St. Louis in March, the team set a goal to win as many games against ranked opponents to improve their rankings.

“We made a few goals together as a team,” Ellis said. “I thought it was really important that players are involved in that goal setting, so it was feasible. They felt like they had a hand in helping. One of those goals specifically was winning 70% of games against ranked opponents, which I thought was a very doable goal, very reachable goal.”

It’s a deep team that Ellis has put together, perhaps the deepest team the Sun Devils have ever had. It will be tested throughout the season but it could all pay off in March. For now, though, the team will set its sights on the Lopes this weekend for the season opener. It’ll be a season worth watching as excitement has never been higher for the Sun Devils. For Ellis and her team, however, it will be a season they hope ends with their names remembered forever.

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