Sun Devil Hockey returns to Mullett Arena to face #20 Colorado College

TEMPE – Sun Devil Hockey (3-5-0, 1-1-0 NCHC) returns home to host No. 20 Colorado College (5-3-0, 0-2-0 NCHC) to continue conference play at Mullett Arena Friday night, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. MST. The series will conclude with the finale, slated for Saturday at 5 p.m. Both games are streamed on NCHC.tv, and Friday’s tilt is being televised locally on Fox 10 Xtra.

Friday’s game is Pucks and Paws night, where ticket packages are available to purchase for four tickets, including one dog for a spot on the Dos Equis Devil Deck to enjoy the game.  

Arizona State will play its first home game in 27 days, following its last home outing, a 5-2 takedown of Alaska-Fairbanks in the Ice Breaker Tournament championship on Saturday, Oct. 11, which featured a Cruz Lucius hat trick, helping secure a trophy.

“It’s just what the doctor ordered ... for our guys to come back and remember how lucky they are to play in front of our fans, ” said head coach Greg Powers. “We’re excited to be back home, it’s exactly what our guys need.”

The Sun Devils began NCHC play at Miami last weekend, where they split the series on the road against the Red Hawks. Newcomer Jack Beck scored his first career NCAA goal in his Sun Devil debut, while goaltender Connor Hasley surpassed 2,000 career saves en route to a 4-1 (EN) ASU victory. 

Tune in 
Fans can catch all of this weekend’s action on NCHC.TV with Tyler Paley and Alex Coil on the air. Friday’s tilt will be broadcast on Fox 10 Xtra locally. Radio broadcasts will be available on local airwaves via FOX Sports 910 AM. 

Tale of the tape
ASU holds a 7-5-2 record against Colorado College dating back to the 2017-18 season. The Sun Devils hold a 5-1 advantage in home tilts against the Tigers since 2018, outscoring the opposition 27-12 in the last six home matchups. Last season, Colorado College had success against Arizona State, winning three out of four matchups in NCHC play.

Scouting the oppostiion 
Colorado College stands at 5-3-0 through eight games to begin the season. However, the Tigers dropped both games against Omaha last weekend, starting 0-2 in conference play. While on the road this season, Colorado College remains undefeated at 3-0-0 and is second in the NCHC for shots on goal with 37.5 per game.

Quick hits

• The Sun Devils have scored 4+ goals in every home game against Colorado College, bolstering a 5-1 record.
• Senior co-captain Bennett Schimek is tied with Lucius with a team-best ten points this season, averaging 1.25 points per game. The forward leads the team with seven assists.
• Schimek turned in his first three-plus point game as a Sun Devil after notching a goal and three assists in game one against Miami.
• Joel Kjellberg ranks second in the NCHC with 19 blocked shots and is first in the conference, averaging 2.38 blocks per contest.
• Forward Cruz Lucius is tied for third in the NCHC with seven goals in eight games. Additionally, he ranks tied for second in the conference with four power-play goals.
• ASU comes in at a stellar faceoff win percentage of 54.6%, ranking eighth nationally.
• After going his first five games without a point, forward Johnny Waldron recorded three points in the weekend series against his former team, Miami.
• Sean McGurn has now recorded back-to-back games with a point after assisting on Lucius’ first-period goal on Saturday night.
• Goalie Connor Hasley has compiled 191 saves this season, which ranks fourth in the conference; his 27.29 saves per game rank third in the NCHC.

An ASU victory …

• Would be the third straight win at home and its sixth win at home over Colorado College in the last seven matchups.
• Give ASU its first-ranked win of the season, which would snap a four-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
  
  Milestone watch
• Goaltender Connor Hasley is one win away from reaching 40 wins in his NCAA career.
• Forward Cruz Lucius is two points away from 90 career points. 
• The senior is three games away from 100 career NCAA games.
• Forward Johnny Waldron is one game away from 100 career NCAA games between his time at Miami and ASU.
• Waldron is one point away from 60 career points.
• Co-Captain Bennett Schimek is 16 points away from 100 career points.
• Schmiek is three assists away from 50 career assists.
• Sophomore Cullen Potter is three points away from 30 career points. 

Cruz control 
Senior forward Cruz Lucius has established himself as one of the key forces to ASU's offensive success to begin the 2025-26 season. Lucius is currently riding a five-game point streak after netting his team-leading seventh goal of the season in game two against Miami. 

Lucius has now scored seven goals in eight games, nearly quadrupling his season total of just two goals in the 2024-25 season. Lucius’ seven goals this season are good for the third-most in the NCHC this season. Additionally, he now sits in second overall for power play goals with four. He recorded his first career hat-trick on Oct. 11 against Alaska Fairbanks in the Ice Breaker championship game. Notably, all three goals came on the power play, the most individual power play goals in a game this season in the country.

The alternate captain currently has nine points amidst his five-game point streak. Lucius surpassed 80 career points in the win against Alaska Fairbanks with his hat trick between his time at Wisconsin and ASU. 

Lucius was chosen in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft (124th overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes, then had NHL rights traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2024. 

Beck is back 
Joining the Sun Devils in late September and serving a six-game suspension due to the NCAA’s delayed enrollment rules. Jack Beck officially made his debut for the Maroon and Gold this weekend. 

The Ontario native lived up to the lofty expectations, finding the back of the net with just 58 seconds left to put Miami out of reach and give the Sun Devils their first NCHC win of the season. 

Last year, he played 40 professional games between the American Hockey League (AHL) and ECHL, and the 22-year-old left winger joined the team, averaging a point per game in his first season playing professionally. 

Jack is also the brother of former Sun Devil standout Noah Beck. Noah spent his graduate season at ASU in 2024-25, recording the third-most single-season points for a defenseman in program history with 33. Noah earned second-team all-NCHC honors and went on to sign an NHL entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. 

CHL pipeline
Before the CHL rule change was a sure thing, Braxton Whitehead (Regina Pats) and the Sun Devils were the first to take a risk and make an official move, shaking up the hockey world in anticipation of the results from the a class action lawsuit, Rylan Masterson v. NCAA, which accused the NCAA of illegally preventing Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players from competing for American university teams.

“I’ve always thought that rule was antiquated in so many ways,” said Sun Devil Hockey Head Coach Greg Powers. “With Braxton, I simply believed in getting ahead of the curve by handicapping the situation. Change was coming, and it felt right. It’s going to make college hockey so much better.”

ASU now boasts seven players who competed previously in the CHL, including Sean McGurn (London, OHL), Austin Zemlak (Tri-City, WHL), Ty Nash (Edmonton, WHL), Justin Cloutier (Soo, OHL), Sam Alfano (Erie, OHL), and Whitehead (Regina, WHL). Before turning pro and competing in the ECHL and AHL, Jack Beck played for the Soo Greyhounds (OHL).

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