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Defying the desert heat, ice hockey won’t be melting away anytime soon — especially with ASU women’s hockey announcing an additional team for next school year.

Since 2016, the women’s club has built a strong reputation that has attracted athletes both inside and outside the United States. 

Coming from Calgary, Alberta, junior defender Hannah Kunz chose ASU for its team environment.

“To know that there was a team that prides itself on the culture … stood out to me,” Kunz said. “They were super committed to the growth of the sport.” 

Lindsey Ellis, the head coach and director of hockey operations, has been with the program since its establishment in the fall of 2016. She has been named the WWCHL Coach of the Year three times.

As an Arizona native and former ACHA Division I player for Miami University (Ohio), Ellis is passionate about providing young women with the opportunity to play hockey in the desert. 

Junior defender Sophie Fausel strives to be a role model for girls within the Arizona Kachinas community. Fausel has previously coached for the organization, during which she aimed to inspire girls to continue playing hockey through college.

“I would talk to them a lot about (ASU hockey),” Fausel said. “They seemed to really look up to me for it, and they would come and support our games.”

Kunz has seen the relationship between the Sun Devils and the Kachinas bring people together. 

“There’s not that many teams in the desert, especially for women’s hockey, for younger girls to look up to,” Kunz said. “So I think it’s really amazing that we get to be that foundation for them.”

In recent years, the Sun Devils have grown their fanbase through their connection to the Arizona Kachinas; with an expansion team on the way, they benefit from the attention of these younger athletes.

Junior goalie Brooke Kimel thinks the ACHA Division II team will bring more girls from around the state to join ASU’s program. 

“Usually we only have two or three people from Arizona on our team,” Kimel said. “The more Arizona people we have on the team, the more it can help spread local awareness.”

Beyond raising local awareness in the community, the Sun Devils have also gained popularity in the digital world through their strong social media presence.

“I can’t remember what our Instagram is at now, but it is probably one of the most followed teams in the ACHA for women’s sports,” Kunz said. “The coverage has been amazing. It really showed people the high level and competitiveness that women’s hockey has, especially our team, and competing with everybody else in our league.”

This competitive atmosphere exists for both men’s and women’s hockey at ASU, drawing the attention of fellow Sun Devils. Within her community, Kimel has seen hockey gain momentum and believes the men’s and women’s programs benefit from each other’s success. 

“It honestly benefits us that the men’s team is doing so well right now,’” Kimel said. “We sold out a couple of our games this year at the Mountainside of the Mullet Arena, which has never happened since I’ve been going to ASU.”

Kunz said she believes the biggest contributor to the recent growth of the women’s program was moving from the off-campus Oceanside Ice Arena to the on-campus Mullet Arena.

“When we came into the on-campus rink … that was huge for the game, because now students can walk to it and we’re right there,” Kunz said. “That was definitely one of the biggest things that increased, specifically, our team’s support.”

Behind this growing program is the idea of “pushing the girl next to you,” Fausel said.

Fausel said the team often finds motivation in the idea of holding themselves accountable on the ice for their teammates.

“If you’re not having a good practice or a good skate, don’t think about yourself. Someone else probably wants to get some goals or some points and win the game,” Fausel said. “We have a mentality of: If you are feeling crappy one day at practice, then do it for the player next to you who’s not. Make them better if you can’t do it for yourself.”

Kunz believes the Division II program will be an “amazing addition” that will offer a place for players to develop.

“They can still grow, they can still learn, and they can develop in a way that we haven’t had a place for yet,” Kunz said. “It’s amazing, and it’s a great way to build that community that I love so much.”

Edited by Jack McCarthy, Leah Mesquita and Ellis Preston.

Reach the reporter at cjoneil6@asu.edu and follow @cjojournalism on X.

Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.

Olivia “Livvy” Dunne said her career with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit “all started because of a hit piece” The New York Times published about her in November 2022.

During a recent appearance on the “What’s Your Story?” podcast, the retired NCAA gymnast recalled the fallout from the past interview about her Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), which was titled, “New Endorsements for College Athletes Resurface an Old Concern: Sex Sells” — and featured a snapshot of her in a LSU team-issued leotard.

“So I got offered to be in Sports Illustrated — it all started because of a hit piece The New York Times wrote about me,” Dunne, who landed the cover of the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, told host Stephanie McMahon.

“So they came to our gymnastics facility at LSU, took pictures of me. They said, ‘Wear your team-issued attire, put on a leotard,’’ and they took a picture of me standing in front of the beam, like any gymnast would, and then they blew it up on the screen and put the headline, ‘Sex Sells.’

“Okay, well, you just came into the facility and took pictures of me in our team-issued attire and blew it up on a screen… So I was like, ‘Okay, well, this is crazy.’ And there was obviously a lot of backlash to The New York Times because of that.”

At the time, Dunne fired back at the newspaper in an Instagram Story post.

“And I decided I [was] going to put that same picture that they posted and captioned ‘sex sells’ on my Instagram story and write ‘at The New York Times, is this too much?’” Dunne recalled of her clap back in 2022. “Because, come on, you know what you’re doing. You just put a picture of me in a leotard for clicks and then caption it ‘sex sells.’

“… And then people loved that. They were like, ‘This is so great,’ because no, it’s not too much. You’re in your team-issued attire, which is a leotard for gymnasts. I can’t control that…. So it was just ridiculous. There was a lot of positive feedback from that. So, Sports Illustrated reached out to my agent. I was so excited about that. That was always a dream of mine. I mean, there’s some legends and some amazing athletes that have been in Sports Illustrated.” 

The New York Times story was published with the sub-headline, “Female college athletes are making millions thanks to their large social media followings. But some who have fought for equity in women’s sports worry that their brand-building is regressive.”

This isn’t the first time Dunne has called out The New York Times publicly.

During an appearance on the “Full Send Podcast” in 2023, Dunne called the piece “complete BS,” and claimed the reporter “was asking me very odd questions” in the phone interview.

“The interviewer called me and he was asking me very odd questions. It was worded quite weird,” Dunne said. “He was like, ‘So, how does it feel to be a small petite blonde gymnast doing so well with NIL?’ I was just like, ‘Why does it matter that I’m petite and blonde?’ You can just ask me about NIL without you having to use these weird ways of saying it.”

Dunne appeared in the SI Swimsuit issue for the third straight year in 2025, landing one of the four covers for the 2025 issue.

The New Jersey native shot on location in Bermuda, where she posed in a two-piece by Reina Olga.

She told McMahon that she shot the cover with a fractured kneecap suffered during her last season with LSU.

Jonathan (Jon) Ambrose MacDonald, age 52, devoted father, son, brother, and beloved friend, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Carlsbad, CA.

Born on October 27, 1972, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Michael John and Kathryn Mary (McFadden) MacDonald, Jon was raised in Madison, Wisconsin where he cherished his Midwest upbringing spending his winters playing ice hockey and downhill skiing and summers water skiing at the family cabin in Minocqua, Wisconsin. Jon attended Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic School and graduated from Edgewood High School in Madison in 1991. A highlight of his time at Edgewood was winning three Wisconsin Private School State Hockey Championships alongside his lifelong best friends as well as leading his team as captain his senior year. Jon continued his hockey career at Choate Rosemary Hall and at Union College before transferring to Boston College for his sophomore year. At BC, he dedicated himself to his studies, formed additional lifelong friendships, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1996. He went on to earn his JD from Duke University School of Law in 1999 and subsequently relocated to the San Diego area where he built a successful career in real estate law.

Above all, Jon’s greatest love and most cherished role was as a father to his four beautiful children: Sydney (17), Peter (15), Emily (15), and Benjamin (13), all of Carlsbad, CA. Jon is also survived by his devoted parents, Michael and Kathryn MacDonald of Madison, WI and Naples, FL; his sister, Michelle Eigner (Troy Eigner) of Edina, MN; his brother, Kevin MacDonald (Amy Ostendorf MacDonald) of Seattle, WA; as well as many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Jon will be deeply missed and forever remembered for his kind heart, gentle smile, humble manner, and unwavering character by all who loved him.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, July 26 at 11am with visitation at 10am at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 401 S. Owen Drive, Madison. A luncheon will follow at Nakoma Country Club 4145 Country Club Road, Madison.

Memorials may be made in Jon’s name to Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic School, Edgewood High School or Boston College.

Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com

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