TEMPE – Despite a strong start and a dominant second period, No. 14 Sun Devil Hockey (0-2-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) fell, 4-2 (EN), to No. 5 Penn State (2-0-0, 0-0-0 Big Ten) on Saturday night at Mullett Arena. The weekend’s two-game season opener was a physical battle that saw both Sun Devil returners and newcomers getting in on the goal-scoring action. Transfer senior goaltender Connor Hasley was a highlight for the Sun Devils, tallying 82 saves through two appearances.
Sun Devil special teams struggled in night two of the top-15 showdown, which allowed the Nittany Lions to score two goals, one on the power play and one shorthanded. The Sun Devils held a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes of play but suffered four unanswered goals, including an empty netter.
Looking ahead, the Sun Devils will host the Ice Breaker Tournament, Friday, October 10-11, with participating teams Alaska, Notre Dame and Quinnipiac. Alaska and Quinnipiac drop the puck for the opening game of the tournament at 3pm on Friday afternoon followed by ASU versus Notre Dame at 7:00 p.m. MST at Mullett Arena. The winners of both Friday night games will advance to the championship. ASU will play at 7 p.m. MST on Saturday regardless of Friday’s night's result. Fans can watch the matchup locally on FOX 10 or stream on NCHC.tv
GAME NOTABLES
- The NCHC’s highest returning point scorer and captain Bennett Schimek racked up two points (1G, 1A) in Saturday’s contest.
- Senior goaltender Connor Hasley stood tall in net, turning aside 42 shots in round two against the Nittany Lions for a total of 82 saves over the weekend
- Sophomore defenseman Joel Kjellberg ate pucks against the Nittany Lions, blocking 10 shots through two games
- Sophomore forward Ty Nash and freshman forward Sam Alfano lead the team in plus/minus with +2 through the opening series
- Newcomer Sean McGurn saw success in the faceoff dot tonight, winning 16 of 21 faceoffs taken, earning a success rate of 76.2 percent.
PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period
The opening frame saw back and forth action with several chances on both ends of the ice. Pressure from Penn State in the offensive zone gave ASU space to attack when navigating through, but neither side could find the back of the net. Both goaltenders held strong through 20 minutes, with Penn State leading 13–11 in shots as the game remained scoreless after one.
Second Period
The Sun Devils scored the game's first goal just over two minutes into the middle frame capitalizing on a 3-on-2 opportunity. Bennett Schimek took it himself into the attacking zone before finding the back of the net on a five-hole wrist shot. Justin Kipkie and Cullen Potter were credited with the assists. The Nittany Lions took control of the pace of play following the goal with several chances and a power play opportunity, but couldn’t convert. After Penn State knocked on the door with heavy possession in the O-zone, Cruz Lucius doubled the lead for the Sun Devils with a nifty finish on the counter attack set up by Sean McGurn. Schimek secured an assist for his second point of the game and secured ASU a 2-0 lead heading into the third period.
Third Period
Penn State came out aggressively to start the third, ringing a shot off the post before breaking through to make it 2–1. The physical intensity ramped up with a series of penalties on both sides, including matching minors and a 5-on-3 opportunity for ASU that couldn’t be converted. With under two minutes left, consensus 2026 No. 1 overall NHL draft pick Gavin McKenna buried the puck to give the Nittany Lions their first lead of the night at 18:07 and eventual game-winner. Penn State sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final seconds to close out a 4–2 victory over ASU.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Greg Powers
Opening Statement
“5-on-5, I thought we were a better team tonight and we were. That's what put us up two. I thought we managed that part of the game incredibly well. Much like I said last night, we need our veteran guys to step up and either finish off games and manage situations the right way or they're not gonna be out there in big situations. To give up a (shorthanded goal) up by two at home and be careless with the puck, that's where the game kind of turned on us. It was inexcusable.”
On positive takeaways from the weekend:
“The silver lining is that's as good of a team as you're going to see all year. On paper, they're arguably the most talented team in the country. I think that the oddsmakers have them as the favorite to win a national championship and we had a lead on them going into the third (period) on both nights. Tonight, it felt like this was going to be our game and we felt like we outplayed them in 5-on-5, so we can take away that we can clearly play with anybody. But, we're beyond moral victories here. I don't remember the last time we blew a lead going into third, let alone two in a row over the course of the weekend. So our guys have got to dig deep and figure it out. We’ve got a long season.”
On Justin Cloutier’s performance in his first match as a Sun Devil:
“Awesome. I wish he could have played more. There were just a lot of penalties both ways that kind of messed up the flow of the game. He did his job. He's a really, really good hockey player and he shows.”
Forward Cruz Lucius
On positives from this weekend:
“Good second periods, I think we came out and rallied in the second really good. I think there is more we need to work on. That’s more important… closing out games. Realistically we did a lot well, but we gotta look at what we need to improve on.”
Captain Bennett Schimek
On playing aggressive into the third:
“I thought we did it for 40 minutes. I thought the first two periods we played really well. We were getting into dirty areas, getting into traffic, and the third period we just fell hard. I think it’s just a mental thing, going into the third guys know that it’s going to be harder now.”