TEMPE – Sun Devil Hockey heads to Magness Arena in Denver to face off against the eighth-ranked Pioneers in Arizona State’s final regular-season series.
After wrapping up its home slate last weekend against Omaha, ASU (13-18-1, 6-13-1) is looking to clinch a spot in the NCHC Tournament. The Sun Devils can earn a spot on Friday with a regulation win and a regulation loss by Omaha. The Mavericks are hosting a two-game series against Miami (Ohio), which is receiving votes in the latest top 25 poll.
Arizona State and Omaha split last weekend’s two-game series in Tempe. The Mavericks took Friday night's contest, 4-2, while the Sun Devils were victorious on Saturday night, 6-3.
Three unanswered goals in the third period propelled ASU to a win on senior night. Six different Sun Devil skaters netted a goal, with senior forwards Cruz Lucius and Bennett Schimek combining for seven points.
Even though Saturday was set aside to honor the Sun Devil seniors, freshman forward Lincoln Kuehne recorded the first goal of his collegiate career and then added an assist later in the win to tally his first career multi-point game.
Schedule
Friday, Feb. 27, 2026
Arizona State at No. 8 Denver - 7 p.m. MST
Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026
Arizona State at No. 8 Denver - 6 p.m. MST
Where to watch
Fans can tune into this weekend’s action on NCHC.TV, where Brad Thompson will be the play-by-play announcer on the NCHC.TV broadcast.
Tyler Paley and Steve Peters can be heard on Fox Sports 910AM on the radio broadcast.
Opponent outlook
No. 8 Denver (19-11-1, 15-6-1 NCHC) is jumping back into action following an off weekend, after previously suiting up against Omaha and Colorado College. The Pioneers swept Omaha in a two-game series, while getting one regulation win over Colorado College.
The Pioneers sit eighth in the national rankings and have not dropped a contest over their last seven consecutive games. In fact, Denver holds a 7-1-1 record over its last nine games.
Junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, who was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, leads the program with 30 points, netting 16 goals and assisting 14.
Goaltender Quentin Miller, a freshman, boasts a .946 save percentage with 12 wins under his belt this season. Miller was chosen in the fourth round by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2023 NHL draft.
Tale of the tape
ASU has had recent success at Magness Arena, with a road sweep of then-No Denver in November 2024, which was the last time the Maroon and Gold made the trip out to Denver.
The Sun Devils previously faced the Pioneers at Mullett Arena in late November 2025, when each team picked up a win in the two-game series. Cullen Potter scored the overtime goal to propel the Sun Devils to a 3-2 victory on Nov. 22, while Denver won on Nov. 21.
Last five matchups (2-3) // History vs. Denver (6-12-1)
ASU 3, Denver 2 (OT), Nov. 22, 2025 (Mullett Arena)
Denver 7, ASU 1, Nov. 21, 2025 (Mullett Arena)
Denver 4, ASU 2, Mar. 21, 2025 (Xcel Energy Centre, St. Paul, Minn. [NCHC Frozen Faceoff])
ASU 6, Denver 5 (OT), Feb. 8, 2025 (Mullett Arena)
Denver 5, ASU 4 (OT), Feb. 7, 2025 (Mullett Arena)
Quick hits
- Lucius led the NCHC this weekend in goals (3), assists (4), points (7) and tied senior forward Bennett Schimek for a league best +5 in the plus/minus category.
- Schimek, who already has the fifth most in program history, having 78 career points, enters the final weekend of the regular season sitting two points shy of becoming the sixth Sun Devil to record 80 career points.
- Heading into the weekend’s action, Arizona State features three skaters ranked among the top seven in the NCHC in points per game: Cruz Lucius (2nd, 1.32,) Bennett Schimek (3rd, 1.27), and Cullen Potter (7th, 1.17).
- In conference-only action, Schimek tied for first with 28 points, while leading the conference with 1.33 points per game.
- Schimek and Lucius have dished a team-leading 30 assists this season, which is tied for fourth most in a season by a Sun Devil, and it’s tied for third in the country. Both skaters are atop the NCHC with 30 assists.
- The Sun Devils are the only team in the country to have a pair of teammates with 110-or-more career points: Lucius - 123, Schimek - 116.
- Sam Urban currently leads the NCHC with a 29.27 saves per game mark.
- On the dot, sophomore forward Logan Morrell ranks fifth in face-off winning percentage (.574) and is fourth in the conference with 348 face-off wins.
- Sophomore defenseman Brasen Boser ranks first in the NCHC with 70 blocks on the season, as well as first in conference-only contests with 59 blocked shots. Boser’s 70 blocks are currently tied with Brinson Pasichnuk for the third most in a season by a Sun Devil.
- Sophomore defenseman Joel Kjellberg ranks second in the NCHC with 60 blocks and third in conference play with 35.
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