Linda Donnelly // Oklahoma celebrates a goal against Arizona on Oct. 27, 2018

 Perhaps no other teams realized the value of a ranked win than UCO and Arizona State. The Bronchos blanked #2 Lindenwood in the Lions’ new barn. The Sun Devils went 1-0-1 against their hated rivals Arizona. UCO jumped from #9 to #8 and Arizona State welcomed themselves into the ACHA’s top 25, checking in at #24.

#15 Oklahoma (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHL) is hosting the #11 Wildcats (once) and #24 Sun Devils (twice) to open their WCHL conference play. The Sooners have quite an opportunity to ascend the conference standings and begin building a credible resume to return to their backyard for Nationals.

Beyond the statistics column – and I have already touched on this in the previous piece – Oklahoma had a very sporadic time playing against the Arizona teams.

Let’s start with the #11 ranked Wildcats.

Arizona returns three core pieces from last season’s WCHL-best roster:

-G Anthony Ciurro (who will likely start Thursday)

-F Anthony Cusanelli

-F Bayley Marshall

Something also caught my eye during the summer. Arizona’s recent rise to the top of their conference has allowed them to bring in talents like Josh Lusby – a former assistant captain of Bemidji Lumberjacks HS (Minnesota). If anything, the Wildcats remain a bettor’s favorite to continue making noise in the Western league.

Last season, the Sooners were under .500 against Arizona in three matchups, save for a shutout on 10/27/18 (cover photo). However, this is a revamped Sooner roster and coaching staff. I’m intrigued to see how both teams come out on Thursday night.

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Arizona State.

The Sooners earned more wins against the Sun Devils in the city of Tempe, AZ than domestically at the Blazers Ice Centre. (There were more opportunities, but the point remains). ASU’s upset of Oklahoma on October 25 remained a valuable loss of points for the Sooners, and Arizona State has improved. (And I’m not just saying that because Colorado is winless in six games.) They’ve returned…

-G Bronson Moore

-F Jett Larson

Arizona State F Andrew Husted scores in the shootout on Sept. 29, 2019 // Photo credit goes to Arizona State

The Sooners may begin with a higher-ranked opponent, but the weekend is 100% ranked; Arizona State will surely be looking for more on Friday and Saturday.

Here’s a copy-paste of my projected starters.

THURSDAY, OCT 3 (Arizona)

Babb vs. Ciurro

FRIDAY, OCT 4 (Arizona ST)

Babb vs. Moore

SATURDAY, OCT 5 (Arizona ST)

Hawkes vs. Severtson

The cover photo is credited to Linda Donnelly.

The photo of Arizona & Arizona State is credited to Arizona State University.

Thanks for reading.

Written by John Adkins, Broadcaster and Deputy Media Director