TEMPE – In the 2024-25 preseason NCHC polls, Arizona State, the newest member of the conference, was selected to finish eighth in conference play. What ensued over the next 21 weeks shocked others, but surprised no one on ASU's team, as the Sun Devils dominated in conference play to finish second in its inaugural season. ASU's effort culminates this weekend as the No. 2-seed Sun Devils (19-13-2, 14-9-1 NCHC) host No. 7 seed Minnesota Duluth (13-18-3, 9-13-2 NCHC) in the NCHC playoff quarterfinals best-of-three series at Mullett Arena on March 14-16.
Puck drop is set for 7p.m. MST on Friday, March 14 and 6p.m. MST on Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16, if necessary.
Fans can tune in to the entire series on NCHC.tv or locally on FOX 10 Xtra and listen on Fox Sports 910AM. Tyler Paley and Alex Coil are the commentators on both TV and radio platforms.
THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST
In preseason NCHC media polls, Arizona State was picked to finish eighth in the nine-team conference field. Through 24 conference games, the Sun Devils defeated all conference opponents at least once in regulation - they were the only team to do so. ASU also only lost in regulation to two NCHC teams (Colorado College and Omaha).
"We were really confident in the way we went out and built our team and the type of players that we have in our room, we knew we weren't the eighth place team from day one. And to have the success to backup that confidence and to show our hockey community what we're all about and that we're ready to compete with anyone in the country at the very highest level, I think is tremendous. And to be able to host playoff hockey, we took it very seriously the responsibility to show that this is a great hockey market when we lost the National Hockey League and to give this hockey community something to cheer for, something to get excited for, something to really get behind, a passionate group of players and a passionate group of people to represent here in the desert, and we've done that."
ASU NOTABLES
Three members of Sun Devil Hockey were named as one of three finalists for five different NCHC year-end individual awards. Graduate center Artem Shlaine is a finalist for Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, and the Three Stars Award. Ty Murchison is a finalist for the Defensive Defenseman Award and Greg Powers is a finalist for the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year.
For eight of the awards, finalists were determined based on voting by the conference's nine head coaches and one media member covering each of the NCHC's nine programs, with the top three vote-getters (plus ties) for each award being named finalists. Athletic Directors at each NCHC institution had a vote on Herb Brooks Coach of the Year, as well, along with the coaches and media.
LAST TIME VS. THE BULLDOGS
Then-No. 10 Arizona State ice hockey team suffered a heartbreaking loss, 3-2, in overtime at Minnesota Duluth on Friday night. The loss snapped ASU's program record-setting road win streak at six games. The Sun Devils chased UMD to start the game and reach a 1-1 tie through the first 20 minutes. ASU stole the lead in the second period, 2-1, only for the Bulldogs to return the favor and tie it up once again. The teams remained knotted at 2-2 through the remainder of regulation.
On Saturday night, ASU collected a shootout win after 3-3 tie. Artem Shlaine tallied two goals for the Sun Devils to reach 24 points in the past 13 consecutive games. He improved to a 1.29 points per game player and boasts four multi-goal games this season. Gibson Homer made his 13th appearance this season with 32 saves and a record of 6-4-2. His season goals against average is 2.64 with a .913 save percentage.
HISTORY VS. THE BULLDOGS (2-3-1)
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).
ALL-CONFERENCE AND ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference announced four Arizona State hockey players to three All-Conference Teams for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday. Graduate center Artem Shlaine led the team as a First-Team All-NCHC honoree. Winger Lukas Sillinger and defenseman Noah Beck received Second-Team All-NCHC nods and winger Ryan Kirwan was awarded Third-Team All-NCHC.
Five different schools are represented on the All-NCHC First Team, while six squads had at least one player earn all-conference honors. Denver leads all NCHC teams with six honorees, including a pair of players on the First Team. Arizona State and Western Michigan each have a quartet of all-conference recipients, while Omaha placed two on the All-NCHC teams. Colorado College and North Dakota have one honoree each.
Shlaine (Moskva, Russia) finished second in scoring in conference play with 31 points (1.29 points per game), including two game-winning goals. His 14 goals in NCHC action were also second behind only Bump, while his 17 assists were sixth. Overall this season, the New Jersey Devils draft pick has 34 points in 28 games, averaging 1.21 points per game, which is third in the NCHC. Shlaine earned Forward of the Week honors after a four-goal weekend in a sweep of Denver in November.
Sillinger (Regina, Sask.) tied for third in NCHC scoring with 29 points, while his 22 assists (1.00 assists per game) led the league in conference play. He has 36 points (8g/28a) in 32 games overall this year, ranking fifth in the NCHC in scoring.
Beck (Richmond Hill, Ont.) totaled 16 points (3g/13a) in 24 NCHC games, while the St. Louis Blues draft pick sits third among NCHC defenseman in overall points with 29 (4g/25a). His 25 assists in 34 games are second among NCHC rearguards in all games.
Kirwan (DeWitt, N.Y.) finished the regular season with 23 goals to lead the NCHC and has 34 points in 34 games. The three-time Forward of the Week tallied 13 goals in NCHC play, which was third, and totaled 22 points in 24 NCHC games. He was also the January NCHC Player of the Month.
The All-Conference Teams were voted on by the NCHC's nine head coaches and one media member covering each team (18 voters total). Coaches and media voted for nine forwards, six defensemen and three goaltenders, awarding first-team, second-team and third-team votes for six players (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) for each team. A first-team vote was worth 5 points while a second-team vote was worth 3 points and a third-team vote worth 1 point. Coaches could not vote for their own players, making 17 first-team votes and 85 points a unanimous selection. The highest point totals earned all-conference honors.
The NCHC will announce its individual award finalists on Thursday. Individual award winners will be revealed at the final NCHC Awards Celebration in Saint Paul, Minn. on Thursday, March 20 on the eve of the 2025 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
SNEAKY SILLINGER
Graduate winger and alternate captain Lukas Sillinger has gone on a heater in conference play, stealing the NCHC lead for assists (22) and assists per game (1.00). He's in the top-five for points (29) and points per game (1.32). Sillinger went on a nine-game point scoring streak which included 15 points. The streak ties the longest consecutive scoring streak set by Josh Doan during the 2022-23 season at nine games with 16 points. In January, he set a new program record for career assists with 69. The fifth-year forward's career includes two seasons at Bemidji State and three at ASU. His combined career stats spanning 168 NCAA games includes 51 goals and 107 assists. Seventy-seven of his career assists occurred at ASU. In the series at Minnesota Duluth in February 2025, Sillinger reached 150 career points combined in five years between Bemidji State and Arizona State. His 106 points at ASU is tied third in the program's all-time career points category with Matthew Kopperud.
DEVILS GOT DEPTH
Down the second half stretch, the Sun Devils have put their full roster depth on display with goals scored by skaters up and down the lineup. In the last eight games, ASU's goals have been scored by skaters from three different lines, totaling 30 goals in that span. In the same span of the past eight 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, at Minnesota Duluth, Artem Shlaine tallied a two-goal game on Saturday night. Three weeks ago, against conference leader then-No. 3 Western Michigan, Cullen Potter collected his second career two-goal game. At Omaha to finish the regular season, Ryan Kirwan notched a two-goal game on Saturday and Potter collected one of his own on Friday.
ROAD WARRIORS
ASU won six of the last eight games on the road, including a program best six consecutive away victories from Nov. 22-Feb. 1. The streak started at then-No. 1 Denver who was on a 21-game winning streak dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament and its national championship run. The Sun Devils collected the series sweep at Magness Arena - it was the first sweep of the Pioneers at home since pre-COVID February 2020. In the four years since then, Denver won two national championships (2022 and 2024). ASU's road dawg record continued at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State on Jan. 17-18 with 11 goals over the weekend pushing the Sun Devils to 6-3 and 5-3 victories. The streak lasted through ASU's dominant weekend at Miami which included 7-1 and 4-1 wins over the RedHawks.
PUT THE SPECIAL IN SPECIAL TEAMS
ASU has tallied a power play goal in 15 of the 18 games since the start of the New Year. The 16 games include a total of 21 power play 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's power play ranks third in the NCAA, behind only Denver (29.5) and Quinnipiac (30.6), with a 29.1 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 (Jan. 18-Feb. 7, 2025).
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 own a near identical save percentage set at .912 for Pavicich and .917 for Homer. Pavicich got the nod in both two starts in the last home series at Mullett Arena against then-No. 3 Western Michigan, saving a combined 76 saves throughout the series. Homer started in both away games at Omaha to round out the regular season, making 61 saves through the series split.
Puck drop is set for 7p.m. MST on Friday, March 14 and 6p.m. MST on Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16, if necessary.
Fans can tune in to the entire series on NCHC.tv or locally on FOX 10 Xtra and listen on Fox Sports 910AM. Tyler Paley and Alex Coil are the commentators on both TV and radio platforms.
BE KILLERS ?? pic.twitter.com/tAptmFC6I4
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) March 14, 2025
THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST
In preseason NCHC media polls, Arizona State was picked to finish eighth in the nine-team conference field. Through 24 conference games, the Sun Devils defeated all conference opponents at least once in regulation - they were the only team to do so. ASU also only lost in regulation to two NCHC teams (Colorado College and Omaha).
"We were really confident in the way we went out and built our team and the type of players that we have in our room, we knew we weren't the eighth place team from day one. And to have the success to backup that confidence and to show our hockey community what we're all about and that we're ready to compete with anyone in the country at the very highest level, I think is tremendous. And to be able to host playoff hockey, we took it very seriously the responsibility to show that this is a great hockey market when we lost the National Hockey League and to give this hockey community something to cheer for, something to get excited for, something to really get behind, a passionate group of players and a passionate group of people to represent here in the desert, and we've done that."
ASU NOTABLES
- The Sun Devils finished the regular season with a 19-13-2 overall record and as one of the best offensive producing teams in the NCAA.
- ASU is tied fifth in goals per game at 3.6 and tied 10th in shot percentage at 11.1 percent.
- The Sun Devils power play has been dominant throughout the entire year and continues to rank third in the country with a 29.1 percent success rate.
- ASU's 124 goals ranks third among NCHC teams and they've allowed the third fewest goals against out of the nine member institutions.
- ASU's seven shorthanded goals outpaces all other NCHC teams by nearly double - the mark is also tied fourth in the NCAA.
Three members of Sun Devil Hockey were named as one of three finalists for five different NCHC year-end individual awards. Graduate center Artem Shlaine is a finalist for Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, and the Three Stars Award. Ty Murchison is a finalist for the Defensive Defenseman Award and Greg Powers is a finalist for the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year.
For eight of the awards, finalists were determined based on voting by the conference's nine head coaches and one media member covering each of the NCHC's nine programs, with the top three vote-getters (plus ties) for each award being named finalists. Athletic Directors at each NCHC institution had a vote on Herb Brooks Coach of the Year, as well, along with the coaches and media.
LAST TIME VS. THE BULLDOGS
Then-No. 10 Arizona State ice hockey team suffered a heartbreaking loss, 3-2, in overtime at Minnesota Duluth on Friday night. The loss snapped ASU's program record-setting road win streak at six games. The Sun Devils chased UMD to start the game and reach a 1-1 tie through the first 20 minutes. ASU stole the lead in the second period, 2-1, only for the Bulldogs to return the favor and tie it up once again. The teams remained knotted at 2-2 through the remainder of regulation.
On Saturday night, ASU collected a shootout win after 3-3 tie. Artem Shlaine tallied two goals for the Sun Devils to reach 24 points in the past 13 consecutive games. He improved to a 1.29 points per game player and boasts four multi-goal games this season. Gibson Homer made his 13th appearance this season with 32 saves and a record of 6-4-2. His season goals against average is 2.64 with a .913 save percentage.
HISTORY VS. THE BULLDOGS (2-3-1)
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).
ALL-CONFERENCE AND ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference announced four Arizona State hockey players to three All-Conference Teams for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday. Graduate center Artem Shlaine led the team as a First-Team All-NCHC honoree. Winger Lukas Sillinger and defenseman Noah Beck received Second-Team All-NCHC nods and winger Ryan Kirwan was awarded Third-Team All-NCHC.
Five different schools are represented on the All-NCHC First Team, while six squads had at least one player earn all-conference honors. Denver leads all NCHC teams with six honorees, including a pair of players on the First Team. Arizona State and Western Michigan each have a quartet of all-conference recipients, while Omaha placed two on the All-NCHC teams. Colorado College and North Dakota have one honoree each.
Shlaine (Moskva, Russia) finished second in scoring in conference play with 31 points (1.29 points per game), including two game-winning goals. His 14 goals in NCHC action were also second behind only Bump, while his 17 assists were sixth. Overall this season, the New Jersey Devils draft pick has 34 points in 28 games, averaging 1.21 points per game, which is third in the NCHC. Shlaine earned Forward of the Week honors after a four-goal weekend in a sweep of Denver in November.
Sillinger (Regina, Sask.) tied for third in NCHC scoring with 29 points, while his 22 assists (1.00 assists per game) led the league in conference play. He has 36 points (8g/28a) in 32 games overall this year, ranking fifth in the NCHC in scoring.
Beck (Richmond Hill, Ont.) totaled 16 points (3g/13a) in 24 NCHC games, while the St. Louis Blues draft pick sits third among NCHC defenseman in overall points with 29 (4g/25a). His 25 assists in 34 games are second among NCHC rearguards in all games.
Kirwan (DeWitt, N.Y.) finished the regular season with 23 goals to lead the NCHC and has 34 points in 34 games. The three-time Forward of the Week tallied 13 goals in NCHC play, which was third, and totaled 22 points in 24 NCHC games. He was also the January NCHC Player of the Month.
The All-Conference Teams were voted on by the NCHC's nine head coaches and one media member covering each team (18 voters total). Coaches and media voted for nine forwards, six defensemen and three goaltenders, awarding first-team, second-team and third-team votes for six players (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) for each team. A first-team vote was worth 5 points while a second-team vote was worth 3 points and a third-team vote worth 1 point. Coaches could not vote for their own players, making 17 first-team votes and 85 points a unanimous selection. The highest point totals earned all-conference honors.
The NCHC will announce its individual award finalists on Thursday. Individual award winners will be revealed at the final NCHC Awards Celebration in Saint Paul, Minn. on Thursday, March 20 on the eve of the 2025 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
SNEAKY SILLINGER
Graduate winger and alternate captain Lukas Sillinger has gone on a heater in conference play, stealing the NCHC lead for assists (22) and assists per game (1.00). He's in the top-five for points (29) and points per game (1.32). Sillinger went on a nine-game point scoring streak which included 15 points. The streak ties the longest consecutive scoring streak set by Josh Doan during the 2022-23 season at nine games with 16 points. In January, he set a new program record for career assists with 69. The fifth-year forward's career includes two seasons at Bemidji State and three at ASU. His combined career stats spanning 168 NCAA games includes 51 goals and 107 assists. Seventy-seven of his career assists occurred at ASU. In the series at Minnesota Duluth in February 2025, Sillinger reached 150 career points combined in five years between Bemidji State and Arizona State. His 106 points at ASU is tied third in the program's all-time career points category with Matthew Kopperud.
DEVILS GOT DEPTH
Down the second half stretch, the Sun Devils have put their full roster depth on display with goals scored by skaters up and down the lineup. In the last eight games, ASU's goals have been scored by skaters from three different lines, totaling 30 goals in that span. In the same span of the past eight 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, at Minnesota Duluth, Artem Shlaine tallied a two-goal game on Saturday night. Three weeks ago, against conference leader then-No. 3 Western Michigan, Cullen Potter collected his second career two-goal game. At Omaha to finish the regular season, Ryan Kirwan notched a two-goal game on Saturday and Potter collected one of his own on Friday.
ROAD WARRIORS
ASU won six of the last eight games on the road, including a program best six consecutive away victories from Nov. 22-Feb. 1. The streak started at then-No. 1 Denver who was on a 21-game winning streak dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament and its national championship run. The Sun Devils collected the series sweep at Magness Arena - it was the first sweep of the Pioneers at home since pre-COVID February 2020. In the four years since then, Denver won two national championships (2022 and 2024). ASU's road dawg record continued at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State on Jan. 17-18 with 11 goals over the weekend pushing the Sun Devils to 6-3 and 5-3 victories. The streak lasted through ASU's dominant weekend at Miami which included 7-1 and 4-1 wins over the RedHawks.
PUT THE SPECIAL IN SPECIAL TEAMS
ASU has tallied a power play goal in 15 of the 18 games since the start of the New Year. The 16 games include a total of 21 power play 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's power play ranks third in the NCAA, behind only Denver (29.5) and Quinnipiac (30.6), with a 29.1 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 (Jan. 18-Feb. 7, 2025).
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 own a near identical save percentage set at .912 for Pavicich and .917 for Homer. Pavicich got the nod in both two starts in the last home series at Mullett Arena against then-No. 3 Western Michigan, saving a combined 76 saves throughout the series. Homer started in both away games at Omaha to round out the regular season, making 61 saves through the series split.