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Hockey’s 6-3 win over No. 5 Minnesota Duluth features milestone nights for Schimek and Lucius

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Hockey’s 6-3 win over No. 5 Minnesota Duluth features milestone nights for Schimek and LuciusHockey’s 6-3 win over No. 5 Minnesota Duluth features milestone nights for Schimek and Lucius
Minnesota Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. – Sun Devil Hockey picked up a bounce-back win after downing No. 5 Minnesota Duluth 6-3 (EN) on Saturday night at Amsoil Arena. Senior forward and co-captain Bennett Schimek turned in a career-best five-point performance (3G, 2A), which included the empty net goal to seal the victory and secure the hat trick. The five-point effort gave Schimek his 100th and 101st career points between his time at Providence and Arizona State. 

Another Sun Devil hit career milestones, after senior forward Cruz Lucius tallied one goal and two assists tonight, allowing him to surpass the 100 career points mark. The duo of Schimek and Lucius now become the only active teammate duo in the NCAA to each have 100+ career points. 

The Sun Devils (8-9-1, 4-5-1 NCHC) saw their first line forwards of freshman Cullen Potter, Schimek and Lucius explode for a combined five goals, four assists, nine points, and a +15 in the victory. The win over the Bulldogs (14-6-0. 7-5-0 NCHC) now marks the third win over a top-10 opponent for ASU this season (No. 6 North Dakota, No. 3 Denver). 

Freshman goaltender Samuel Urban turned in a solid outing between the pipes en route to picking up his second career win. Urban registered 37 saves on 40 shots in his first start since Nov. 21 against then-no. 4 Denver. 

Following the milestone trend, freshman defenseman Justin Kipkie notched the first goal of his career after a shot in the third period gave the Sun Devils a three-goal advantage. 

ASU will head into the holiday break on a high note, as the team will be completely off for the duration of the next week to officially wrap up the first half of the season. The Sun Devils will be back in action Dec. 27-28 as they head east for a weekend series against No. 8 Dartmouth. 

PERIOD BREAKDOWN
First Period 
ASU fell behind after an early onslaught from Minnesota Duluth resulted in the first goal of the evening. As the period began to wind down, Schimek found the open puck and buried the equalizer to tie the game 1-1. With a little over one minute remaining in the period, the Sun Devils found themselves on a power play after a Bulldog slash. While on the man advantage, Lucius found Potter in the center of the ice, who netted his sixth goal of the season to give ASU the 2-1 lead headed into the first intermission. 

Second Period
A slow start for both sides took place in the second, with Duluth getting its first chance on the power play after freshman defenseman Richard Baran took an interference call. The Sun Devil penalty kill held strong and kept the Bulldogs off the score sheet to keep things at 2-1. The sides traded chances until Schimek snuck one past the UNM goaltender on a long shot from the point to make it 3-1 ASU. 

Third Period 
The Sun Devils kept their foot on the gas to start the third, as Lucius tapped in his team-leading 11th goal of the season to make it 4-1 just two minutes into the frame. Duluth answered back less than a minute later to cut the ASU lead in half at 4-2. The Sun Devils continued to generate a slew of chances in the offensive zone, as Schimek set Kipkie up for a prime opportunity and the freshman made no mistakes, firing in his first career NCAA goal to make it 5-2. The Bulldogs were then able to find another goal to bring it to 5-3. In its last ditch effort, Minnesota Duluth pulled its goaltender in hopes of crawling back in. Schimek then put the finishing touches on his hat trick with an empty-net goal to officially seal the road win for the Sun Devils.. 

GAME NOTES

  • The win for the Sun Devils marks their first win at Amsoil Arena and is the team’s third top-10 win of the season. ASU previously had wins over No. 6 North Dakota and No. 3 Denver.
  • Arizona State’s first line - Bennett Schmiek, Cruz Lucius, Cullen Potter - combined for five goals, four assists for nine points in the win. The top line combined for a +14 plus/minus in the victory.
  • The Sun Devils scored six goals in the win, the most in a game this season. The six goals are the most the Bulldogs have allowed in a game this season. 
    ASU moves to 5-4-1 all time against Minnesota Duluth and has scored six goals in two of the last three matchups.
  • Co-captain Bennett Schimek reached 100 career points with a career-best five points in the victory. It’s Schimek’s fourth, three-plus point game of the season and the seventh of his career. The Sun Devils are 3-0-1 when Schmiek has three or more points.
  • Schimek recorded his second career hat trick, his last coming on Oct. 4, 2024 against Air Force. The forward is one of three Sun Devils - Dylan Jackson, Johnny Walker - to have multiple hat tricks as a Sun Devil.
  • Schimek is the third Sun Devil to have five-plus points in a game and the first since Lukas Sillinger, who had five points against Robert Morris on Dec. 17, 2023.
    Cruz Lucius recorded his 100th career point with two points in the win, notching his 100th point on a goal in the third period. The Sun Devils move to 5-1-1 when Lucius records two points or more in a game.
  • Arizona State is the only team in Division I to have two active skaters - Lucius and Schimek - with 100+ career points.
  • Lucius and Schimek recorded a career-best +5 plus/minus in the win.
  • Cullen Potter’s two points (1G,1A) mark his third multi-point game in the last four contests. The Sun Devils are a perfect 6-0-0 when the sophomore scores a goal this year.
  • Freshman Justin Kipkie scored his first collegiate goal in the third period to give ASU a 5-2 lead.
  • In his first start in five games, freshman Sam Urban recorded 37 saves which is the second most in a game this year. 

Up Next:

  • The Sun Devils will return to action for the final time in 2025 facing No. 8 Dartmouth Saturday, Dec. 27 at 3 p.m. MST and Sunday, Dec. 28 at 1 p.m. MST at Thompson Arena. Both games will be available to watch on ESPN+.