DULUTH, Minn. – Now a proven well-oiled road machine, No. 10 Arizona State ice hockey once again threatens enemy territory at NCHC opponent Minnesota Duluth this weekend, Feb. 14-15. The two game series completes a four-game home-and-home series with UMD which started in December. ASU (17-10-1, 12-6-0 NCHC) sets its sights on securing six conference points from UMD (10-15-1, 6-10-0 NCHC) as the all-important conference race stays red hot.
Friday night's puck drop is set for 6:07 p.m. MST/7:07 p.m. CST and Saturday's is scheduled for 5:07 p.m. MST/6:07 p.m. MST. Fans can watch both matchups via stream on NCHC.tv or the airwaves with Fox Sports 910. With the NCHC's partnership with Grey Media, Saturday's game will air in the Phoenix-metro area on Arizona Family Sports (Channels 3 and 44).
Currently tied in second place in the NCHC standings, ASU looks to create a gap between itself and Omaha in the Penrose Cup chase this weekend while in Duluth. Omaha plays a two-game series at Western Michigan, the current top contender in the conference, this weekend. WMU boasts 40 conference points compared to ASU and Omaha's tied 37. The Sun Devils host the Broncos in two weeks at Mullett Arena before traveling to Omaha to complete the regular season schedule.
ASU is currently placed at 13 in the PairWise rankings which is historically a bubble spot for an NCAA Tournament selection. The PairWise Ranking is a system which attempts to mimic the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine participants for the NCAA Division I men's hockey tournament. The PWR compares all teams by these criteria: record against common opponents, head-to-head competition, and the RPI.
HISTORY VS. THE BULLDOGS (2-2-0)
Earlier this season, ASU hosted UMD in the final home series of the 2024 calendar year. The two games gave ASU its first home sweep in conference play in program history complete with a 5-3 and 3-2 overtime victories. The wins improved ASU's all-time record vs. UMD to 2-2-0. Before the series in December, the two teams had only met once before during the start of the 2022-23 season. The showdown was UMD's home opener and the Bulldogs came away with a series sweep. TheBulldogs were the last NCHC team that the Sun Devils played in program history (first meeting in 2022).
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend ASU executed a series split with No. 6 Denver to complete the home-and-home series with the Pioneers who are fellow pod members with the Sun Devils. After falling in overtime, 5-4, on Friday night, ASU came back with a big victory in Saturday's overtime to give ASU the edge in the four-game home-and-home series with DU after the Sun Devils already secured the road sweep of the Pioneers at Magness Arena in November. The overtime victory was ASU's 10th overtime win in Mullett Arena. ASU's all-time record in overtime in Mullett Arena is 10-3-4.
ROAD WARRIORS
ASU continues to set a new program record for the longest road winning streak with six consecutive games. This streak is currently active heading into the series at Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 7-8. The previous high was three and reached multiple times over the course of the team's 10-year history. The six-game streak dates back to Nov. 22, 2024 and includes ASU's road sweep over then-No. 1 Denver, then-No. 15 St. Cloud State, and Miami.
DEVILS GOT DEPTH
Down the second half stretch, the Sun Devils have put their full roster depth with goals scored by skaters up and down the lineup. In three of the last six games, ASU's goals have been scored by different skaters totaling 13 goals in that span. In the same span of the past six games, ASU tallied six goals against No. 6 Denver from five different skaters. Bennett Schimek was the only skater in that game to tally two goals. Two weeks ago in Miami, the Sun Devils tallied seven goals from six different players. In that matchup, Ryan Kirwan was the skater that boasted two goals.
THE TWO HEADED MONSTER
Gibson Homer and Luke Pavicich have created the two-headed monster ideal for the grueling schedule in the best conference in college hockey. Homer and Pavicich both own a .913 save percentage. The duo is one of only two tandem tendies in the country, alongside the netminders of Western Michigan, to both boast save percentages in the top 25 in the NCAA. Pavicich has earned the nod as of late, winning 10 of the last 12 games he appeared in dating back to Nov. 16 vs. Omaha.
ASU NOTABLES
ASU has tallied a power play goal in every game but one since the start of the New Year. The streak includes 16 goals with a single game high of four PPG at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State on Jan. 18. The goals were tallied by Lukas Sillinger, Noah Beck, Ty Jackson, and Ryan Kirwan. ASU had success on the power play two weeks ago against the Colorado College Tigers penalty kill which ranked ninth in the NCAA with a 85.9 percent success rate going into the weekend. ASU's power play ranks second in the NCAA, behind only Denver, with a 28.7 percent success rate. On the penalty kill, ASU boasted six-straight games and 19 opponent power play opportunities without allowing the opponent to score a power play goal.
HCA CO-PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Kirwan was dominant in January, tying for the NCAA lead with 11 goals during the month. He tallied 17 points in nine games to start 2025, ranking second in the NCHC and third in the NCAA in January scoring. Kirwan recorded at least a point in eight of his nine January games, with five multi-point games, including a trio of three-point games. The Penn State transfer also scored a goal in six of his nine games, including four multi-goal games. He averaged 1.89 points per game in January, which was third in the NCHC, while his four power play goals led the league last month.
Kirwan opened January by being named MVP of the Desert Hockey Classic after leading ASU to the title with a four-goal, five-point weekend. That included a hat trick against Robert Morris on Jan. 3, which helped him earn the first of two NCHC Forward of the Week nods during the month. Kirwan helped the Sun Devils to a sweep at St. Cloud State on Jan. 17-18 with a three-goal, four-point weekend, including three points in the series opener and the game-winning goal in the finale. The Hobey Baker Award nominee picked up his second Forward of the Week award after five points against Colorado College, including a career-high-tying four points on Jan. 25 in a 5-4 loss. Kirwan stretched his point streak to five games with two power play goals on Jan. 31 in a win at Miami to close out the month.
Kirwan finished the month with a +9 plus/minus, which tied for third in the NCHC, and fired 35 shots on goal, which was second in the conference in January. His 31.4 shooting percentage was also second in the NCHC. Kirwan now leads the NCHC with 18 goals this season, while his 28 points tie for fourth in the conference.
ARTY - THE TWO WAY CENTER
Shlaine led the NCHC in points through the month of January with 18. His season total rests at 29 heading into the series at Minnesota Duluth. His career season high for points is 32 which he recorded in his first season at Northern Michigan (2022-23).
With four points on Friday night at Miami, Artem Shlaine extended his point scoring streak to seven games, which tied for the second-longest point scoring streak in program history. He boasts 16 points during the streak which is the most points in seven consecutive games by a Sun Devil in program history:
Shlaine notched four points from one goal and three assists which ties the single game career high he set at St. Cloud only four games ago.
Shlaine continued his special teams success in January with one power play goal and two shorthanded. He scored his second shorthanded goal of the year on Friday night at Miami. Both of his lamplighters on Saturday vs. North Dakota were scored on special teams - one on the power play and one shorthanded. There are only four skaters in ASU history who have tallied a shorthanded goal and a power play goal in the same game (two occurred in 2024-25):
Shlaine leads the Sun Devils in shot percentage with 22.7 percent. In 22 games played and 29 points this season, Shlaine is over a point per game skater at 1.27 points per game.
At the dot, Shlaine is one of the top faceoff specialists in the NCHC. He is eighth in the NCHC for faceoff wins with 243 through 22 games played. He has the most wins in the fewest games among all NCHC skaters. His 55.5 percent success rate ranks 10th in the NCHC.
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
On Friday night at Miami, graduate winger Lukas Sillinger notched two assists within three minutes of a five-minute power play to set a new ASU program record for career assists at 69. The fifth-year forward's career includes two seasons at Bemidji State and three at ASU. His combined career stats spanning 162 NCAA games includes 50 goals and 100 assists. Seventy of his 100 career assists occurred at ASU. On Saturday night in Miami, he reached his 100th career assist and 70th at ASU to continue extending his program record.
SMOLEN SUCCESS
Kyle Smolen is ASU's swiss army knife. The sophomore forward can compete anywhere in the lineup. He's spent time this season as a second and third line center and filled gaps on the right wing from the first line down to the fourth line. Since the start of 2025, Smolen tallied 12 points in 12 games, blocked 13 shots, won 50 percent of faceoffs taken, and boasted a +6 plus/minus.
JANUARY STARS
Ryan Kiwan's January:
Friday night's puck drop is set for 6:07 p.m. MST/7:07 p.m. CST and Saturday's is scheduled for 5:07 p.m. MST/6:07 p.m. MST. Fans can watch both matchups via stream on NCHC.tv or the airwaves with Fox Sports 910. With the NCHC's partnership with Grey Media, Saturday's game will air in the Phoenix-metro area on Arizona Family Sports (Channels 3 and 44).
Currently tied in second place in the NCHC standings, ASU looks to create a gap between itself and Omaha in the Penrose Cup chase this weekend while in Duluth. Omaha plays a two-game series at Western Michigan, the current top contender in the conference, this weekend. WMU boasts 40 conference points compared to ASU and Omaha's tied 37. The Sun Devils host the Broncos in two weeks at Mullett Arena before traveling to Omaha to complete the regular season schedule.
ASU is currently placed at 13 in the PairWise rankings which is historically a bubble spot for an NCAA Tournament selection. The PairWise Ranking is a system which attempts to mimic the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine participants for the NCAA Division I men's hockey tournament. The PWR compares all teams by these criteria: record against common opponents, head-to-head competition, and the RPI.
HISTORY VS. THE BULLDOGS (2-2-0)
Earlier this season, ASU hosted UMD in the final home series of the 2024 calendar year. The two games gave ASU its first home sweep in conference play in program history complete with a 5-3 and 3-2 overtime victories. The wins improved ASU's all-time record vs. UMD to 2-2-0. Before the series in December, the two teams had only met once before during the start of the 2022-23 season. The showdown was UMD's home opener and the Bulldogs came away with a series sweep. TheBulldogs were the last NCHC team that the Sun Devils played in program history (first meeting in 2022).
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend ASU executed a series split with No. 6 Denver to complete the home-and-home series with the Pioneers who are fellow pod members with the Sun Devils. After falling in overtime, 5-4, on Friday night, ASU came back with a big victory in Saturday's overtime to give ASU the edge in the four-game home-and-home series with DU after the Sun Devils already secured the road sweep of the Pioneers at Magness Arena in November. The overtime victory was ASU's 10th overtime win in Mullett Arena. ASU's all-time record in overtime in Mullett Arena is 10-3-4.
ROAD WARRIORS
ASU continues to set a new program record for the longest road winning streak with six consecutive games. This streak is currently active heading into the series at Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 7-8. The previous high was three and reached multiple times over the course of the team's 10-year history. The six-game streak dates back to Nov. 22, 2024 and includes ASU's road sweep over then-No. 1 Denver, then-No. 15 St. Cloud State, and Miami.
DEVILS GOT DEPTH
Down the second half stretch, the Sun Devils have put their full roster depth with goals scored by skaters up and down the lineup. In three of the last six games, ASU's goals have been scored by different skaters totaling 13 goals in that span. In the same span of the past six games, ASU tallied six goals against No. 6 Denver from five different skaters. Bennett Schimek was the only skater in that game to tally two goals. Two weeks ago in Miami, the Sun Devils tallied seven goals from six different players. In that matchup, Ryan Kirwan was the skater that boasted two goals.
THE TWO HEADED MONSTER
Gibson Homer and Luke Pavicich have created the two-headed monster ideal for the grueling schedule in the best conference in college hockey. Homer and Pavicich both own a .913 save percentage. The duo is one of only two tandem tendies in the country, alongside the netminders of Western Michigan, to both boast save percentages in the top 25 in the NCAA. Pavicich has earned the nod as of late, winning 10 of the last 12 games he appeared in dating back to Nov. 16 vs. Omaha.
ASU NOTABLES
- ASU's goals per game (3.8), shots percentage (11.6), and power play (28.7) are all top 10 in the country.
- ASU tallied the most shots on goal in a period this season during the third frame vs. No. 6 Denver (23) on Saturday night. Previous high was 18 vs. Omaha on Nov. 15, 2024
- Saturday vs. No. 6 Denver's five goals allowed by ASU ties the most goals allowed this season vs. the five scored by then-No. 19 Colorado College on Jan. 25
- Denver's opening goal on Saturday at the 3:51 mark was the quickest goal from the start of the game by an ASU opponent this season. The previous high was set by then-No. 8 Colorado College on Nov. 8, 2024
- ASU's overtime victory on Saturday vs. No. 6 Denver was the first time this season that the Sun Devils won a game after trailing at the end of the second period
- Saturday vs. No. 6 Denver was the first time that ASU allowed two power play goals in a game since March 1, 2024 vs. Long Island
- DU tallied the third hat trick against ASU this season. (at Providence, Oct. 18 and vs. Michigan, Oct. 11)
ASU has tallied a power play goal in every game but one since the start of the New Year. The streak includes 16 goals with a single game high of four PPG at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State on Jan. 18. The goals were tallied by Lukas Sillinger, Noah Beck, Ty Jackson, and Ryan Kirwan. ASU had success on the power play two weeks ago against the Colorado College Tigers penalty kill which ranked ninth in the NCAA with a 85.9 percent success rate going into the weekend. ASU's power play ranks second in the NCAA, behind only Denver, with a 28.7 percent success rate. On the penalty kill, ASU boasted six-straight games and 19 opponent power play opportunities without allowing the opponent to score a power play goal.
HCA CO-PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Kirwan was dominant in January, tying for the NCAA lead with 11 goals during the month. He tallied 17 points in nine games to start 2025, ranking second in the NCHC and third in the NCAA in January scoring. Kirwan recorded at least a point in eight of his nine January games, with five multi-point games, including a trio of three-point games. The Penn State transfer also scored a goal in six of his nine games, including four multi-goal games. He averaged 1.89 points per game in January, which was third in the NCHC, while his four power play goals led the league last month.
Kirwan opened January by being named MVP of the Desert Hockey Classic after leading ASU to the title with a four-goal, five-point weekend. That included a hat trick against Robert Morris on Jan. 3, which helped him earn the first of two NCHC Forward of the Week nods during the month. Kirwan helped the Sun Devils to a sweep at St. Cloud State on Jan. 17-18 with a three-goal, four-point weekend, including three points in the series opener and the game-winning goal in the finale. The Hobey Baker Award nominee picked up his second Forward of the Week award after five points against Colorado College, including a career-high-tying four points on Jan. 25 in a 5-4 loss. Kirwan stretched his point streak to five games with two power play goals on Jan. 31 in a win at Miami to close out the month.
Kirwan finished the month with a +9 plus/minus, which tied for third in the NCHC, and fired 35 shots on goal, which was second in the conference in January. His 31.4 shooting percentage was also second in the NCHC. Kirwan now leads the NCHC with 18 goals this season, while his 28 points tie for fourth in the conference.
ARTY - THE TWO WAY CENTER
Shlaine led the NCHC in points through the month of January with 18. His season total rests at 29 heading into the series at Minnesota Duluth. His career season high for points is 32 which he recorded in his first season at Northern Michigan (2022-23).
With four points on Friday night at Miami, Artem Shlaine extended his point scoring streak to seven games, which tied for the second-longest point scoring streak in program history. He boasts 16 points during the streak which is the most points in seven consecutive games by a Sun Devil in program history:
- Artem Shlaine: 16 points - Jan. 10 - 31, 2025
- Robert Mastrosimone: 13 points - Feb. 17 - March 11, 2023
- James Sanchez: 12 points - Oct. 18 - Nov. 29, 2019
- Tim Lovell: 8 points - Jan. 13 - Feb. 10, 2024
Shlaine notched four points from one goal and three assists which ties the single game career high he set at St. Cloud only four games ago.
Shlaine continued his special teams success in January with one power play goal and two shorthanded. He scored his second shorthanded goal of the year on Friday night at Miami. Both of his lamplighters on Saturday vs. North Dakota were scored on special teams - one on the power play and one shorthanded. There are only four skaters in ASU history who have tallied a shorthanded goal and a power play goal in the same game (two occurred in 2024-25):
- Artem Shlaine, vs. No. 14 North Dakota on Jan. 11, 2025 (L, 4-3 OT)
- Bennett Schimek, vs. Air Force on Oct. 4, 2024 (W, 8-3)
- Robert Mastrosimone, vs. Michigan Tech on Jan. 6, 2023 (L, 4-2)
- Josh Maniscalso, vs. Alaska Fairbanks on Nov. 9, 2019 (W, 4-0)
Shlaine leads the Sun Devils in shot percentage with 22.7 percent. In 22 games played and 29 points this season, Shlaine is over a point per game skater at 1.27 points per game.
At the dot, Shlaine is one of the top faceoff specialists in the NCHC. He is eighth in the NCHC for faceoff wins with 243 through 22 games played. He has the most wins in the fewest games among all NCHC skaters. His 55.5 percent success rate ranks 10th in the NCHC.
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
- Sillinger reached 150 career points combined in five years between Bemidji State and Arizona State. He is also three games away from his 100th at ASU after surpassing the 150 mark in early January.
- Shlaine is four games away from 150 in the NCAA
- Noah Beck reached his 150th NCAA game on Friday night vs. No. 6 Denver
- Ryan Kirwan is two points away from 100 NCAA career points
- Bennett Schimek is three games away from his 100th NCAA appearance
- After missing the first six games to a preseason injury, Artem Shlaine wasted no time in taking up space at the top of ASU's scorers list. The graduate center leads the ASU team in points per game with a 1.27 average through 22 games played (10G, 18A). He notched 18 points in the past 10 games including competition against four ranked teams.
- Ryan Kirwan boasts a 1.04 points per game average. He boasts six multipoint games this season
- Bennett Schimek boasts a 1.12 points per game with 29 points through 26 games plated (12G, 17A)
- Lukas Sillinger jumped into the point per game pool after a four-point series at Miami two weeks ago. The graduate winger boasts a 1.08 point per game average through 26 games played. He had a big three-goal weekend last week vs. No. 6 Denver
On Friday night at Miami, graduate winger Lukas Sillinger notched two assists within three minutes of a five-minute power play to set a new ASU program record for career assists at 69. The fifth-year forward's career includes two seasons at Bemidji State and three at ASU. His combined career stats spanning 162 NCAA games includes 50 goals and 100 assists. Seventy of his 100 career assists occurred at ASU. On Saturday night in Miami, he reached his 100th career assist and 70th at ASU to continue extending his program record.
SMOLEN SUCCESS
Kyle Smolen is ASU's swiss army knife. The sophomore forward can compete anywhere in the lineup. He's spent time this season as a second and third line center and filled gaps on the right wing from the first line down to the fourth line. Since the start of 2025, Smolen tallied 12 points in 12 games, blocked 13 shots, won 50 percent of faceoffs taken, and boasted a +6 plus/minus.
JANUARY STARS
Ryan Kiwan's January:
- Stole the overall season conference lead for goals, tallied the most goals by an NCHC skater in January
- His 4PPG outpaced all other NCHC skaters in the month of January
- Tallied four multigoal games in the month of January, including a hat trick against Robert Morris
- Scored two power play goals within three minutes at Miami (7-1 win)
- Set a new single game career high for PPG
- His 4-point night vs. Colorado College tied his single game high
- Nominated for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award
- Tallied the game-winning goal at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State to secure the road series sweep
- This month Kirwan outpaced his previous season high for points (26) with his 28th point of the year
- Won the Desert Hockey Classic MVP for a five-point weekend vs. Robert Morris and Cornell (4G, 1A)
- Scored the most goals per minute of TOI in the NCAA
- Shot percentage at 22 percent which is highest among top five scorers
- Shlaine led all NCHC skaters in points tallied in the first month of the year with 18 (5G, 13A)
- His 13 assists also ranked first in the NCHC
- His two shorthanded goals (scored vs. North Dakota and at Miami) led all skaters in the NCHC
- His +11 plus/minus ranked first in the NCHC
- Led the NCHC in faceoff wins with 93 through nine games played for an average 10.33 wins per game
- Put up a massive month in January with 18 points in 10 games played. He finished +3 three times, scored 2SHG, 1PPG, and 1EN
- With four points on Friday night at Miami, he extended his point scoring streak to seven games, which is tied for the second-longest point scoring streak in program history. The streak ended the next night after Shlaine was stretchered off the ice. He boasts 16 points during the streak which is the most points in seven consecutive games by a Sun Devil in program history:
- Artem Shlaine: 16 points - Jan. 10 - 31, 2025
- Robert Mastrosimone: 13 points
- James Sanchez: 12 points
- Tim Lovell: 8 points