Hockey notes: Arizona unveils deal for ASU game

By JAMES KELLEY Published January 29, 2013 at 2:00am Updated January 29, 2013 at 2:00am

Though the home series against Arizona State University is nearly a month away, Wildcat hockey is encouraging and incentivizing fans to get their tickets early.

Until Feb. 21, the UA has a deal for tickets for the Feb. 22-23 series where if you buy two tickets, you get a third free. The second ASU home series is the end of the regular season.

“We want to fill it up, we want to fill up the building,” head coach Sean Hogan said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to.”

Arizona is currently suffering from a 28 game winless [not losing] streak against No. 2 ASU.

Prices for the ASU games are higher, $17 instead of $15 for center ice tickets, $12 instead of $10 for corner tickets, $10 instead of $8 for tickets on the end and $10 instead of $5 for student priority.

The last time Arizona played its rival, attendance was about 3,000.

The last sell out was likely Feb. 2, 2008, when 6,500 came out for the first capacity crowd in over eight years.

“I really hope there’s four or five thousand people because we definitely play a lot more into the games when there is more people,” senior forward Brian Slugocki said. “Hopefully we can get as many people in there as possible, because it would be a great way to send us seniors out.”

On the road again

Not only are the Wildcats in the midst of a seven game road trip, they also will have to practice away from home.

Displaced partly by the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and partly because Tucson doesn’t have a regular ice rink, the Wildcats will practice away from the confines of the Tucson Convention Center for three weeks.

“We definitely have a tougher road than most guys, in terms of we’re not going to practice as much as we would like,” Hogan said.

“We have to go on the road for long, extended periods, guys miss school, but if you want to make the national tournament, that’s things we have to do.”

On Monday, the team had off-ice workouts at Jimenez Practice Facility on Monday, and will take today off. Practice resumes Wednesday in Chandler, Ariz., then Thursday in Tempe, with play at ASU on Friday and Saturday.

Next week, the Wildcats travel to North Dakota for a game at Williston State on Thursday, followed by a two game series at No. 3 Minot State.

Murmes/Slugocki top the charts

Junior forward Andrew Murmes is second in the country in game-winning goals and Slugocki is second in power play goals. Murmes, who has 15 goals and 28 assists, has six game winning goals. Slugocki, who has 23 goals and 20 assists, has 11 power play goals.