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    • The Arizona Coyotes are gone, but hockey returns to Mullett Arena with ASU
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    The Arizona Coyotes are gone, but hockey returns to Mullett Arena with ASU

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    Mullett Arena was, to use a hockey term, bustling with activity on Friday afternoon.

    The barn on the ASU campus was energized from the moment students rushed to their area an hour before the puck dropped. And perhaps Phoenix-area hockey fans could enjoy a game for a few minutes or hours knowing that the Sun Devils program — which has been around since 2015 and has played at the NCAA Division I level since 2016 — is still playing all season long would be there.

    Tenth-ranked Michigan shared the ice with the Sun Devils at ASU's home game.

    The last time a hockey game was played at Mullett Arena, the Coyotes played their last game in Arizona, in front of a packed house of fans who came to celebrate and mourn them at the same time.

    The Coyotes have become the Utah Hockey Club; The season opened on Tuesday in Salt Lake City. The franchise has moved on from Arizona, where it endured year after year of arena drama, was on the verge of moving to another city, experienced ownership missteps and was nearing the end of its 28 years in the Phoenix area, a failed one Vote to build a new arena, a short bike ride from Mullett Arena and the butt of jokes from NHL fans everywhere.

    “Welcome back to hockey,” an usher, who did not want to be named, said to fans walking down the steps to their seats. The usher also worked Coyotes games.

    “It’s been a long summer without hockey,” he added.

    ASU hockey head coach Greg Powers was on hand for the Coyotes' last game. On Friday, a few fans were wearing Coyotes jerseys, and ASU football head coach Kenny Dillingham stopped by the student section, where he spotted a man in a Michigan jersey, pulled out a maroon ASU jersey and waited and watched as the fan He put on a new shirt over the one he was wearing.

    “I was sad for the hockey community,” Powers said. “Leaving the NHL was not a market problem. It was a property issue and we hope it comes back to that very soon.”

    ASU is not the NHL, but it is major college hockey. Powers believes the Sun Devils can fill the void felt by local hockey fans without the Coyotes.

    “Anyone who has never experienced college hockey at the highest level will be amazed by the speed and passion with which our players play,” Powers said.

    A former Sun Devil, Josh Doan, scored the game-winning goal for the Utah Hockey Club, sending its game against the New York Islanders to overtime on Thursday night. Utah won in the extra session.

    Another former ASU player, goaltender Joey Daccord, signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday.

    “We have 5,000 seats here every season and it's almost sold out,” said Steve Gloyd of Tempe, ASU hockey season owner whose children played youth club hockey and who attended Coyotes games in Glendale and Tempe several times a year. “It’s a great venue. It’s intimate and there are no bad seats.”

    Gloyd, who was outside the arena with his wife, Amy, before Friday's game, was concerned about the Arizona Kachinas, a grassroots hockey organization for women and girls that received some of its funding from the Coyotes. But he also believes that ice hockey can be successful in the market if fans visit and support the Sun Devils.

    “They now have a deficit of $250,000 a year. Girls-only hockey will suffer,” he added.

    The Gloyds hoped the NHL would one day return.

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    Kathleen William
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