Arizona State announced Wednesday that four Sun Devil hockey games and two additional NCAA games will be played at Gila River Arena during the 2015-16 season.
“The Phoenix community has embraced Sun Devil hockey with open arms and the Arizona Coyotes are great ambassadors for the sport of ice hockey in the Valley,” said ASU athletic director Ray Anderson in a news release. “The partnership between Sun Devil athletics and the Arizona Coyotes gives our student-athletes the experience of competing in a top-tier NHL facility in Gila River Arena, and the partnership also provides immense exposure for the growth and development for the sport of hockey at all levels in Arizona and on the west coast.”
“We are proud to be hosting a couple of ASU’s marquee matchups and a first of its kind NCAA D-I hockey tournament in the Southwestern United States,” added Coyotes co-owner, president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc. “Gila River Arena is one of the best hockey venues in the entire NHL and we are excited to have the Sun Devils play in our home. The Sun Devils will have an enormous positive impact on the growth of hockey in Arizona. We look forward to a long and great partnership with ASU.”
The Sun Devils will host Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. ASU will also host the four-team tournament Desert Hockey Classic, with Connecticut, Yale and Michigan Tech, with two games being played on Friday, Jan. 8 and two games being played on Sunday, Jan. 10. Additionally, ASU will host the U.S. National Under-18 Team on Sunday, Feb. 28.
