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Another top-10 test awaits Hockey with weekend tilt against #3 Denver

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Another top-10 test awaits Hockey with weekend tilt against #3 DenverAnother top-10 test awaits Hockey with weekend tilt against #3 Denver

TEMPE – Sun Devil Hockey (4-7-1, 2-3-1 NCHC) looks to climb the NCHC rankings this weekend with another test against a top-10 opponent, playing host to No. 3 Denver (8-3-1, 4-0-0 NCHC) at Mullett Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. MST on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday. 

Fans can tune into the action on NCHC.tv, with games also being shown locally on Fox 10 Xtra. Radio broadcasts will be available on local airwaves via FOX Sports 910 AM, featuring Alex Coil and Tyler Paley on the mic.

Arizona State is coming off a series split against No. 6 North Dakota, earning a valuable three points and putting them in fifth in the NCHC standings entering the week. Senior forward Bennett Schimek had a five-point weekend with one goal and four assists, including a shorthanded, empty-net goal that sealed the 4-2 (EN) win. 

Tale of the tape 
The last time ASU faced then-No. 6 Denver was in the 2025 Frozen Faceoff under the bright lights at Xcel Energy Centre in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Sun Devils fell short in a 4-2 loss, marking the end of their inaugural season in the NCHC. Last season, ASU held a winning record of 3-1-1 against Denver, including a road sweep of the then-No. 1-ranked Denver last November. Going into the weekend, the Sun Devils have the second-most power play goals with 14, compared to the Pioneers, who have seven. On the dot, ASU wins 52.4 percent of faceoffs which is 16th in the nation compared to Denver, which is seventh in the conference at 49.4 percent. 

Last five games against Denver (3-1-1) | All time vs. Denver: (5-11-1)
L, 2-4 - St. Paul, Minn./Xcel Energy Centre (NCHC Frozen Faceoff)
W, 6-5 (OT): Feb. 8, 2025 - Mullett Arena
L, 4-5 (OT): Feb. 7, 2025 - Mullett Arena
W, 5-2: Nov. 23, 2024 - Magness Arena
W, 3-2: Nov. 22, 2024 - Magness Arena

Scouting the opposition 
Ranked No. 3 nationally, the Pioneers are a top contender in the NCHC. During the 2024-25 season, the team went 31-12-1 en route to a second-place finish in the NCHC and an appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four. The Sun Devils have historically struggled against the Pioneers. However, ASU has added four wins across the last two seasons, including two at Mullett Arena (a 6-5 OT win on 11/10/23 and a 6-5 OT win on 2/8/25). The Pioneers rank fourth in the nation and lead the NCHC by allowing 1.7 goals against per game, and they have held opponents to one goal or fewer in seven of the 12 contests this year.

This season, the Pioneers have had a strong start, picking up a ranked win over No. 9 Boston College and sweeping two ranked opponents, No. 4 Western Michigan and No. 17 Colorado College. However, Denver’s three losses have all come against unranked teams (4-3 at Lindenwood, 1-0 at Northeastern, and 4-3 OT vs. Alaska Anchorage). Denver is 4-3-1 against Arizona State on the road all-time. The Pioneers are riding a three-game road winning streak and haven’t lost in regulation in six straight games, dating back to Oct. 31. 

Previous meeting (March 21, 2025)
The most recent meeting against Denver was in the 2025 Frozen Faceoff semifinals, with Denver ranked No. 6 in the country. The Sun Devils fell 4-2, putting an end to the 2024-25 season. ASU totalled 29 shots on net, while Denver racked up 32 to give Sun Devil graduate goaltender Luke Pavicich 28 saves. The Pioneers were quick to start the scoring, but the Sun Devils were able to get even on the stat sheets in the second period. However, ASU was unable to come back against Denver, who scored two more goals in the remaining minutes, including one into an empty net.

Quick hits

  • Since the opening of Mullett Arena in 2022, the Sun Devils are 3-3 against top-three opponents at home. The last win came in a 5-3 win against No. 3 Western Michigan on Feb. 21, 2025.
  • ASU is 5-5 against top-three teams since 2022 and went 3-1 last season, including a road sweep over then-No. 1 Denver.
  • The Sun Devils went 2-for-3 on the power play against North Dakota last weekend and are tied for second in the NCHC with 14 power-play goals.
  • After compiling four assists over the weekend, senior forward Bennett Schimek leads the NCHC, averaging 1.08 assists per game, and is third in the conference with 13 assists in 12 games. Across the NCAA, his 13 assists are tied for fourth in the country. 
  • Schimek ranks third in the NCHC, averaging 1.5 points per game. Cruz Lucius closely follows, ranking fifth at 1.25 points per game heading into the weekend.
  • Senior forward Cruz Lucius turned in his second multi-assist game of the season, while also compiling his fifth multi-point game of the campaign. In his career, teams are 22-1-1 when Lucius records a multi-point game.
  • Lucius ranks third in the NCHC in both goals (9) and goals per game (0.75).
  • Lucius has scored five power-play goals this season, including three against Alaska Anchorage. His five goals are tied for second in the NCHC conference and tied for sixth in the nation. 
  • Senior goaltender Connor Hasley recorded his 40th career NCAA win between his time at ASU and Bentley. Hasley recorded 39 saves, which is the third most this season by an ASU netminder.
  • The Sun Devils are atop the conference in blocked shots, registering 184 over a 12-game span, averaging 15.33 blocks per contest.
  • Sophomores Joel Kjellberg and Sam Court have absorbed a combined 49 blocks during their time on the defensive line. Kjellberg currently leads the team and the NCHC with 28 blocks.

Milestone watch

  • Schimek is one goal away from 40 career goals. Additionally, he’s eight points away from 100 career points. Schimek is three games away from 50 in a Sun Devil uniform.
  • Lucius recently surpassed 100 career NCAA games, and he is seven points away from 100 career points. Additionally, he is two assists away from 60 career assists.
  • Sophomore Cullen Potter is three games away from 50 career appearances in a Sun Devil uniform.

Going streaking

  • Schimek goes into the weekend against Denver on a two-game point streak and has compiled back-to-back games with two-plus points.
  • Potter is currently riding a three-game point streak with two assists and a goal in the last three games, dating back to Nov. 8 against Colorado College.
  • Going into the Denver series, he has a two-game point streak after tallying a goal and a pair of assists against No. 6 North Dakota.

Superior Schimek 
Forward Bennett Schimek is coming off a career-best season. Ranking in the top ten in the NCHC with 37 points and 15 goals as a junior. He followed up last season with a superior start to his senior campaign, recording a team-best 18 points off of 13 assists and five goals. 

In his career, he’s had six three-plus point performances, with three of them coming in the last 12 games. Schimek is coming off a five-point weekend where he compiled a goal and four assists, helping the Sun Devils split against No. 6 North Dakota. The senior ranks tied for seventh among all skaters in the country with 18 points and is third in the NCAA, averaging 1.5 points per game. Additionally, his 13 assists rank third-best in the country and are the best in the NCHC conference. 

The forward has compiled 55 points in 47 games as a Sun Devil, netting 25 goals and dishing 35 assists. The Minnesota native is three games away from 50 career games donning a Sun Devil uniform. Schimek scored his fourth career shorthanded goal in the 4-2 victory over North Dakota, helping seal the win. 

Cruz Control 
Senior forward Cruz Lucius has established himself as one of the key forces to ASU's offensive success 12 games into the 2025-26 season. Lucius was riding a six-game point streak, which ended in the series finale against Colorado College. He enjoyed a three-point weekend at North Dakota, picking up a goal and two assists. Lucius ranks second in the conference with five power-play goals and comes into the weekend with a two-game point streak.

Lucius has now scored nine goals in 12 games, more than quadrupling his season total of just two goals in the 2024-25 season. Lucius’ nine goals this season are good for the third most in the NCHC this season. 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 accumulated 11 points, which is the most by a Sun Devil in a six-game span from Oct. 11 to Nov. 7. Lucius surpassed 80 career points in the win against Alaska Fairbanks with his hat trick between his time at ASU and Wisconsin. 

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, freshman forward Jack Beck has lived up to expectations so far, gathering 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 Arizona State its first NCHC win of the year. 

Last year, he played 40 professional games between the American Hockey League (AHL) and the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The 22-year-old left winger joined the team, averaging one 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, and he recorded 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 
Forwards Logan Morrell 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, Morrell has two goals and two assists. Morrell and Nash were members of the Junior Coyotes and have been playing together since they were 10 years old. Read more about the pair of Arizona Natives here and their Sun Devil journey.

“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.”

Donning the ‘A’
Sophomore defenseman Brasen Boser is the newest addition to the Sun Devil hockey leadership squad. In six games since returning from an injury, Boser has collected two points (2A) and nine blocks, providing a spark for the Sun Devils, both defensively and offensively. In his rookie season, he led all ASU freshmen, appearing in 37 games, making 60 blocks and picking up seven points (2G, 5A).

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