Hockey heads to Grand Forks for showdown against #6 North Dakota
The Sun Devils hold a 2-1 advantage all-time over the Fighting Hawks
TEMPE – Sun Devil Hockey (3-6-1, NCHC 1-2-1) embarks on its first trip up to Grand Forks, N.D., to face No. 6 North Dakota (7-3-0, NCHC 3-1-0) at Ralph Engelstad Arena, marking the second conference series between the two teams, with puck drop slated for 6 p.m. MST on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Arizona State is coming off a weekend against No. 20 Colorado College, where they tied the Friday tilt against the Tigers in a 3-3 tie but acquired two points in the conference standings Friday night, thanks to a shootout victory. ASU dropped the series finale 3-1 on Saturday.
On Friday, forward Bennett Schimek recorded his fifth game of his career with three-plus points, and the fifth game this season with a multi-point game. Jack Beck also recorded his first multi-point game as a Sun Devil in the 3-3 draw.
Tune in
Fans can catch all of this weekend’s action on NCHC.TV, in addition to Friday and Saturday’s games, will be broadcast on Fox 10 Xtra locally. Radio broadcasts will be available on local airwaves via FOX Sports 910 AM, featuring Alex Coil and Tyler Paley on the mic.
Action can also be seen on Midco Sports (with a subscription) for both games with Clay Matvick (PxP) and Jim Scanlan (color) on the call.
Tale of the tape
ASU is 2-1-0 all-time against North Dakota, with its first head-to-head matchup being held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the 2022 Ice Vegas Hall of Fame game, where the Sun Devils took home a 3-2 win. In January 2025, both teams split in NCHC play at Mullett Arena, with the Fighting Hawks taking a 4-3 overtime victory.
History vs. North Dakota
Jan. 11, 2025 - #14 North Dakota 4 at #16 Arizona State 3
Jan. 10, 2025 - #16 Arizona State 4 vs. #14 North Dakota 1
Oct. 29, 2022 - Arizona State 3 vs. #6 North Dakota 2 (In Las Vegas, Nev., Hall of Fame Game)
Scouting the opposition
North Dakota boasts a 7-3 overall record, with a 3-1 mark in NCHC play thus far. The Fighting Hawks allow just 2.4 goals per game, while scoring 3.9. North Dakota swept Omaha this past weekend, outscoring the Mavericks 11-3 between the two games. Graduate goaltender and former Sun Devil Gibson Homer holds a 89.0 save percentage, with four wins and three losses on the season. North Dakota has scored 4+ goals in seven of their ten games so far.
“We’re excited to go up there, and when you go into those types of environments, you have to use it to your advantage,” said head coach Greg Powers. “You have to understand that right now, there aren’t many people who think we can go up and have success. We know we can. We know what we’re capable of … you got to draw on experiences, we’ve gone on the road into situations like this before and tough environments and had success, and we believe that we can do that.”
Quick hits
- Forward Cruz Lucius’ six-game point streak came to an end Saturday against Colorado College, which was tied for the third-longest point streak in program history.
- He’s the 15th different Sun Devil to record a six-game point streak, and he compiled seven goals, four assists and 11 points in that span — the most in a six-game span by a Sun Devil.
- Since Oct. 11, Lucius has recorded the 6th most points in the conference and is tied with Austin Burnevik (St. Cloud St.) for the most power-play goals with five. Additionally, Schimek has 10 points in seven games, which is tied for sixth.
- Lucius ranks third in the NCHC with eight goals and tenth with 12 points in ten games this season.
- In four games, Jack Beck has made his mark with five points. In that span, he’s compiled three goals and two assists.
- Senior Bennett Schimek is sixth in points per game in the conference, averaging 1.3 points in 10 games so far. Additionally, he’s sixth among all conference players with nine assists.
- Between the pipes, Samuel Urban registered 30-plus saves for the second consecutive game against Colorado College.
- On the dot, the Sun Devils rank second in the conference, winning 53.8% of faceoffs, trailing only St. Cloud State.
Milestone watch - Forward Cruz Lucius is one game away from playing in his 100th career NCAA game, splitting time between Wisconsin and Arizona State.
- Lucius is ten points away from achieving 100 career points in his collegiate career.
- Forward Bennett Schimek is one assist away from 50 career assists and three points away from 90 career points.
- Schimek is one goal away from scoring his 20th as a Sun Devil.
- Sophomore Cullen Potter is two 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 was riding a six-game point streak, which ended in the series finale against Colorado College.
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 had 11 points amid his six-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.
The Beckoning
After serving a six-game suspension due to the NCAA’s delayed enrollment rules, Jack Beck, the Ontario native, has lived up to expectations so far, compiling three goals and a pair of assists for five points in four games for ASU.
Beck has scored two power-play goals and compiled his first three-point performance against Colorado College in the 3-3 tie, but added a shootout goal to help the Sun Devils take two points. In his first collegiate game, he found the back of the net with just :58 seconds left, solidifying the win against Miami and giving the Sun Devils their first NCHC win of the year.
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.
Home grown Sun Devils
Forward’s Logan Morell and Ty Nash play on the same line and grew up in the Valley. Nash, a Scottsdale native, has a goal and an assist this season after playing for the University of Alberta in the WHL. Morrell, from Mesa, played his freshman season at Michigan Tech, where he scored 11 goals and added 10 assists before returning home to Tempe. As a sophomore, Morell has two goals and two assists. Morell and Nash were members of the Junior Coyotes and have been playing together since they were 10 years old.
“For me, ASU is kind of the place I always wanted to be,” said Morrell. “I didn’t get that opportunity when I was younger. Playing at a school like Michigan Tech, it was a great spot, but watching ASU just get better and better, I knew it was something I would be a part of.”
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