No. 15 Hockey handles Alaska-Fairbanks to win 29th annual Ice Breaker Tournament

TEMPE – The No. 15 Sun Devil Hockey team (2-2-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) collected its first piece of hardware of the 2025-26 season, taking home the Ice Breaker Tournament trophy in its inaugural appearance. Veteran Cruz Lucius closed out the 5-2 victory over Alaska Fairbanks (1-3-0) in a third-period flurry that saw a hat trick of goals for the senior forward on Saturday night at Mullett Arena. 

ASU capitalized on a prolific night of special teams in a game that saw players in the penalty box all throughout the contest. Previously, two-for-18 on power play opportunities, the Sun Devils flipped the switch on the man-advantage, scoring all five goals on the power play, tying the program record. 

Goaltender Connor Hasley remained rock solid between the pipes collecting 34 saves in his third start in maroon and gold. The senior netminder now boasts a 3.46 goals against average and 92.0 save percentage to begin the season.

Following Saturday night’s tournament victory, the Sun Devils will embark on their first road trip of the year to face Augustana on Friday Oct. 17 with puck drop slated for 5:07 p.m. MST. The first game of the weekend tilt will air on FOX 10 locally. 

GAME NOTABLES

• Captain and junior center Kyle Smolen reached 50 career points in the win/defeat, compiling a goal and an assist for the second-straight game. 
• The Sun Devils recorded five power-play goals in the win, tying the program record and the most in a game since a 7-2 win against Omaha on Oct. 27, 2018.
• Sophomore defenseman Sam Court set a career high with two assists in the win/defeat against Alaska Anchorage, and had three apples for the weekend. 
• To add, the defenseman reached 10 career assists in the first period.
• Cruz Lucius secured his first career hat trick and he’s the first Sun Devil to record a hat trick since Ryan Kirwan versus Robert Morris on Jan. 3, 2025.
• The first Lucius goal marked the 80th career point in his career between Wisconsin and ASU. 
• Michigan Tech transfer and sophomore center Logan Morell compiled his second-straight multi-point game (1G, 1A) of the weekend, marking the seventh time he’s had 2-plus points in a contest and the first time he’s done it consecutively since Dec. 13- Dec. 14, 2024 against Bemidji State.
• Senior forward Bennett Schimek recorded an assist for the third straight game marking the first time in his collegiate career he’s had three straight games with an assist.
• Netminder Connor Hasley recorded his first win as a Sun Devil. 
• His two assists in the victory is his second career multi-assist game, and the first since Jan. 26, 2024 as a member of Providence.
• The Sun Devils have now won three straight games over Alaska Fairbanks at Mullett Arena and the four victory in the last five games. 
• The victory gives ASU a 5-4 record at home against Alaska Fairbanks at home since 2015.

PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
Both sides eased into the championship game exchanging chances throughout the opening frame. After a failed power play opportunity earlier in the period, ASU opened the scoring with a hard wrist shot from Logan Morrell to take the lead on the man advantage. Kyle Smolen and Sam Court were credited with the assists. Sound defensive play from the Sun Devils and a big-time save from Connor Hasley kept the Nanooks off the board through one.

Second Period
Special teams told the story in the second period. Following a slow start and a penalty kill, the Sun Devils struck again on a power play at 7:12 as Kyle Smolen deked on a slap shot and slotted a wrister through the five-hole to take a two-goal lead. The assists came from Court and Morrell marking a multi-point night for each of the three skaters involved in the goal. Just over one minute later, Alaska struck back with a power play goal of their own to make it 2-1 heading into the third.

Third Period
ASU started on the power play in a period riddled with penalties, but could not convert. As the Sun Devils continued to look for insurance, senior Cruz Lucius came through notching two goals in two minutes to make it 4-1. While Alaska kept things interesting by scoring one back, Lucius capped off the championship game with a hat trick on an empty net to close out the 5-2 Ice Breaker Tournament victory.

QUOTABLES
Arizona State Head Coach Greg Powers
Opening Statement:
“It was good. I told the guys after what was pretty much a heartbreaking weekend last weekend, for a young team to bounce back and win a trophy and score ten goals and do a lot of good things. It's really promising. We've got a lot of work to do. We're going to be a work in progress for a little bit but it’s always good when you can learn while you win and we’re good enough to do that. As long as they compete and figure out a way and keep pushing forward I really like what we’re going to become.”

On the momentum moving forward:
“Winning breeds winning. They get a taste of winning a trophy, a young team this early in the season. We’re going to play for another trophy at our Desert Classic in January and then it's our goal obviously to get home ice and through the NCHC playoffs and play for the ultimate trophy in our conference at the end of playoffs. The more trophies you can stack up and win the more winning becomes customary the more losing becomes not acceptable and before you know it maybe you find yourself in Las Vegas at the end of the year." 

On improved power play:
“Some puck luck more than anything. Really the only conventional power play goal we scored was the first one. Cruz Lucius hit a couple shots and picked a spot. It was a little bit of puck luck and just getting pucks in the net and simplifying. I’m really relieved that the power play stepped up like it did but we still got a lot of work to do on it.”

On Cruz Lucius' Three Goal Performance:
“It’s nice to see him break out and get rewarded, he’s had a lot of chances and I’ve always told you guys how good of a player I believe he is. He’s a difference maker for us and this is hopefully what he needed to really get going.”

On Veteran’s Leadership:
“It’s what you need, you need your vets to step up and lead the group and do great things and tonight really just the whole weekend they did a good job of it. They need to pull the train and our young guys, we have so many of them and they're so talented. You're going to see nights like last night where Carmelo Crandell and Ben Kevan and Cullen Potter do great things for us. It was a team weekend in every way but the vets got going and we’re going to need them going up at Augustana.”

Arizona State forward Cruz Lucius
On third period hat trick
“It happened really fast, obviously, but I think it was just the way my line was playing I think that kind of thing was coming for us and it's good to see it go in. But having those chances is what matters most.”

On team’s offensive performance:
“I think that’s the biggest thing even touching back on last year, we had a complete team. And I think if you want to be a top team in the country, your whole team needs to step up and be able to do that, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

Arizona State goaltender Connor Hasley
On his growth as a Sun Devil:
“It's just everything around them (skaters) putting a lot of work on and off the ice.  Our goalie coach has been great. And then just the team in front of me, we’ve made a lot of strides in every aspect and I think they really shut it down for me and let me see the pucks. I was there when I needed to be.”

On first win in net as a Sun Devil:
“I’m ecstatic. I’m so happy to get that first one under my belt. I think with the group we have, there's a lot more in us so we can’t wait to keep it going.”