TEMPE – Sun Devil Hockey honored its four seniors in a 6-3 win over Omaha Saturday night at Mullett Arena. Three unanswered goals in a five-minute span in the third period secured the win for Arizona State.
The Sun Devils honored four seniors before the game, Connor Hasley, Cruz Lucius, Tucker Ness and Bennett Schimek – and they each showed up in their final home game. Hasley stopped 33 of 36 shots faced, Lucius and Schimek combined for seven points in the win, while Ness was strong at the dot whilst making his physical presence known.
Lucius tied the program’s single-game point record with five and became the fourth Sun Devil to record five points in a game, joining Schimek, Lukas Sillinger and Anthony Croston in the record books. The senior also notched a career-best four assists and tallied his fourth game this year with three-plus assists.
Also in the win, freshman forward Lincoln Kuehne scored the first goal of his collegiate career to give ASU a 1-0 lead in the first period. He then netted the first assist of his career on freshman Justin Kipkie’s game-winning goal in the third period that gave ASU a 4-3 lead.
Junior forward Kyle Smolen added his seventh goal of the season in the first period which gave ASU a 2-0 lead. Meanwhile junior forward Sean McGurn notched a career-best three assists in the victory, two of which came on the three unanswered goals in the third period.
The Sun Devils (14-19-1, 7-14-1 NCHC) will hit the road for the last time in the regular season when they head to play Denver on Feb. 27-28, 2026 at Magness Arena.
Period breakdown
First period
- Kuehne started the scoring for the Sun Devils just under halfway through the period, and assists from Lucius and McGurn had ASU up 1-0.
- Following a five-minute major against Omaha, ASU doubled its lead when Smolen buried a power play goal to head into the intermission.
Second period
- Omaha (11-21, 7-15 NCHC) took advantage of a 5-on-3 situation to cut ASU’s lead in half at the 8:27 mark of the second.
- Boser netted his second goal of the season off a one timer to give ASU a 3-1 lead with 7:18 left in the middle frame.
- The Mavericks would go on to score their second goal to pull within one score heading into the second intermission.
Third period
- Six minutes into the final period, Omaha tied the game at three.
- Just 67 seconds later, freshman Kipkie gave the Sun Devils a 4-3 lead after welcoming a pass from Lucius.
- Schimek gave the Sun Devils some breathing room after a goal with 9:43 remaining. Cruz Lucius and Sean McGurn were credited with assists.
- The final score of the night came from Lucius, and gave Arizona State a three-goal lead 12:04 into the third, and ASU would later secure the 6-3 win.
Game notables:
- Six different Sun Devils found the back of the net in the win - Justin Kipkie, Lincoln Kuehne, Bennett Schimek, Kyle Smolen, Cruz Lucius and Brasen Boser.
- Senior forward Bennett Schimek recorded his 30th assist of the season, becoming the sixth Sun Devil skater to tally 30+ assists in a season.
- Senior forward Cruz Lucius notched the second game of his career with four-plus assists, tying a career high last set on Jan. 7, 2023 against Notre Dame.
- Lucius set a career high with five points in the win, becoming the second Sun Devil this season to record five points, joining Schimek who had three goals and two assists in a 6-3 win at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 13, 2025.
- The Sun Devils first line of Schimek, Lucius and McGurn combined for +12 in the plus/minus category in the win.
- Junior forward Kyle Smolen notched a point for the third consecutive game with his goal in the first period.
- Sophomore defenseman Brasen Boser scored his second goal of the season and tied a season high with six blocks.
Quotes from Sun Devil Hockey:
Arizona State Head Coach Greg Powers
On the Sun Devils’ third period effort:
“I thought it was probably our best third period of the year. They got a really lucky bounce out of the corner, and it could have been the mindset of ‘here we go again’. When our guys did the exact opposite, we played the right way. They [ASU] got pucks in and they got above pucks. Cruz [Lucius] led the way and he wasn't going to let us lose tonight, so I'm really proud of him.”
On what the senior class means to the team:
“You can't understate it, especially (Cruz) Lucius and Schim [Bennett Schimek], what they've done for this team and this program. Tucker [Ness], from a culture standpoint, you won't find a better Sun Devil. Hasley [Connor Hasley] has been a model kid too. They [the seniors] mean a lot to me. They mean a lot to us, and tonight was 100% about them and making sure that our guys did everything that they could to get them a win in their last home game at Mullett.”
On Cruz Lucius:
He's a special player. I've said it from the minute he got here how special he was. He's just so skilled and tonight he was just a possessed kid. He moved his feet. He scored two last night, but I didn't love his game away from the puck tonight. He was doing everything. He was forechecking. He was managing pucks. He was making the right decisions and it's funny how this game works. It’s the most honest game in the world, and if you play it the right way, you get rewarded. Our guys got rewarded tonight.”
Arizona State Senior forward Cruz Lucius
On his hockey journey:
“The biggest part is staying in the moment, there’s going to be ups and downs and that’s a part of the sport. Leaning on my friends and my family for support and reminding myself that somebody could be in a worse position than me. Injuries are tough but you know you’re going to come out on the other side, so taking it day by day helps.”
On his last weekend performance on home ice:
“It’s a good feeling, we knew we had to get wins. Coming out on top tonight, especially in our last home game, was special and such a big win.”
Senior forward Bennett Schimek."
On what Sun Devil hockey means to him and Cruz Lucius:
“It’s hard to put into words what this program means to us. We came here on a limb and we gave up a secure place with friends and a campus we know. It was a leap to come here and looking back…even though we still have a lot of hockey left to play…I don’t think we would hesitate to do it again.”
On the future of Sun Devil Hockey:
“The future is bright. Coming into the season, we had a lot of freshman and young guys. Their growth throughout the season has been evident to us older guys. A lot of them have taken big steps and I have no doubt that they’re going to continue the upward trajectory. There is no better place to play college hockey.”
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