Michigan and Tim Lovell prepared for battle with Arizona State

When thinking of hockey hubs in America, Michigan, Minnesota and Massachusetts are the first areas that come to mind. With their harsh winter weather, it’s fair to say that these states are prime locations for hockey development. 

Regardless of which states come to mind, one thing is for sure — one of the last ones is Arizona. And yet, that is exactly where the No. 10 Michigan hockey team is heading this upcoming weekend. 

The Wolverines may not be used to the heat of the desert, but they feel ready to take on Arizona State with an ace up their sleeve — Sun Devil transfer, graduate defenseman Tim Lovell. 

Michigan coach Brandon Naurato designed the non-conference schedule to be challenging, so the Wolverines cannot simply write off this series because Arizona State fell out of the top 20. While emotions may be running high for the first road trip of the season — especially for Lovell — Michigan can’t let the heat get to its head. 

“I came here for a reason,” Lovell said Tuesday. “To win the National Championship. And I think we can do that. We just have to take these guys seriously.”

After playing his freshman year at Boston College, Lovell transferred to Arizona State for the rest of his undergraduate career. Lovell had a stellar Sun Devil career, tallying 76 points in three years and over a point per game in his senior season. He led the Arizona State defensemen in points, and he was even a Hobey Baker nominee. 

Lovell knows that this weekend should be a physical battle with emotions running high — but he’s ready for the challenge. 

For Lovell, becoming a Wolverine for his final collegiate season felt like a ‘no brainer.’ But that doesn’t mean it won’t be difficult to play against his old team, a team that plays a physical, hard-nosed style of hockey.

Michigan isn’t known for its aggressive game, instead prioritizing speed and skill. That’s not to say the Wolverines aren’t physical — they definitely can be — but physicality is not their main identity. So when the Sun Devils try to bring the heat of the desert onto the rink and rile Michigan up, it can’t melt under the pressure.

“They have a blue collar mindset,” Lovell said. “ … A lot of jealousy will be played from Arizona State. Michigan is ‘one of the best schools there is for hockey.’ So I think with them coming out with that mentality of working us and working hard, trying to play physical and fast, we just have to play our game and stick to what we do.”

Arizona State is coming off of a split, competitive series with Air Force, in which the Sun Devils dominated 8-1 on Friday and lost 4-3 in overtime on Saturday. While utilizing an aggressive play style can be beneficial, it can also work in an opponents’ favor. Arizona State showcased its undisciplined physicality from the jump against the Falcons, giving Air Force six power-play opportunities on Friday compared to its mere two. 

Attacking with a physical approach propelled the Sun Devils to a win on Friday. So, if the Wolverines want to sweep Arizona State, they need to adjust from last weekend’s poor power-play performance against Minnesota State and capitalize on the inevitable advantages. 

“We can’t fall into the trap of making it a physical battle even though we have some physical guys,” Lovell said. “I don’t think we can play that way. I think we just play a different style of game where we’re quick in transition and very dangerous on the offensive side of the puck. So if we continue to do that, we should be more than fine.”

Lovell has shown off his speed and skill in his brief time thus far with Michigan, taking his talents to the Wolverines’ power-play unit. Knowing the Sun Devils’ systems better than most, he feels confident in his new team — and against his old. 

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