The official athletics site of Arizona State University Opens in a new window
ASU Home My ASU Colleges and Schools
Sun Devil Athletics
HomeHome
ASU Home My ASU Colleges and Schools
Loading

Hockey welcomes St. Cloud State to Mullett Arena for the weekend

Season Stats (PDF) Opens in a new window ASU Game Notes (PDF) Opens in a new window
Hockey welcomes St. Cloud State to Mullett Arena for the weekendHockey welcomes St. Cloud State to Mullett Arena for the weekend
by Casey Moser

TEMPE – Sun Devil Hockey returns to Mullett Arena following a weekend away for a two-game tilt against St. Cloud State, facing off on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7. 

Arizona State is looking to bounce back after splitting its last series at Colorado College on Jan. 30-31, 2026. In the series opener against the Tigers on Jan. 30, the Maroon and Gold ended the night in a 6-5 overtime win.

Schedule
Friday, Feb. 6, 2026
Arizona State vs. St. Cloud State - 7 p.m. MST

Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026
Arizona State vs. St. Cloud State - 5 p.m. MST

Where to watch
Fans can tune into the action on NCHC.TV and locally on Fox 10 Xtra on Friday. Tyler Paley and Alex Coil will be on the call and can be heard on the radio at Fox Sports 910AM.

Last time out
ASU (13-14-1, 6-9-1 NCHC) had a series-opening, 6-5 overtime win against Colorado College, with sophomore defenseman Joel Kjellberg scoring the game-winning goal. In that win on Jan. 30, four different Sun Devil skaters recorded a three-plus point game for the first time this season. With the win, ASU moved to 10-1-0 when scoring four or more goals in a game. The special teams were in full force as ASU was able to score three goals in three man-advantage opportunities, and the penalty kill blocked Colorado College from scoring on three out of the five Tigers’ power plays. 

In game two, Colorado College secured a 4-1 (EN) win despite a strong ASU penalty kill. The Sun Devils’ lone goal came on the power play when junior forward Kyle Smolen found the back of the net. Freshman goaltender Sam Urban recorded 37 saves, marking his eighth game of 30-plus saves, but dropping the contest 4-1 (EN). 

Following the weekend tilt, Sam Alfano is cruising with a five-game point streak with one goal and two assists, while Schimek now leads the NCHC in assists, having 27 assists with 27 games played. 

Opponent outlook
St. Cloud State (13-15, 6-12 NCHC) is coming off a sweep against Miami (OH), dropping both games in the series 2-1 and 3-1. The Huskies have four wins over top-10 ranked opponents (then-No. 3 Western Michigan, then-No. 6 Denver, then-No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth and then-No. 9 Denver). 

Sophomore forward Austin Burnevik, who was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL draft, leads the Huskies with 15 goals in his 28 games played; he is ranked fourth in the NCHC for overall goals. Another standout St. Cloud skater is junior Tyson Gross, who is sixth in the conference in points with 32 (14G, 18A) and also leads his team in the category.

Between the pipes, sophomore goaltender Patriks Berzins boasts a .910 save percentage with a win-loss record of 7-6. Berzins is eighth in the NCHC for goals allowed and recorded a season-high 35 saves against Miami (OH) on Nov. 28, 2025.

History vs. the Huskies (2-3)
W, 6-3, at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on Jan. 17, 2025.
W, 5-3, at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on Jan. 18, 2025.
L, 6-1, at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on Jan. 1, 2016.
L, 7-0, at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on Jan. 2, 2016.
L, 4-2, at Prescott Valley Events Center on Dec. 31, 2015.

ASU made the trek out to Minnesota last season and swept then-No. 15 St. Cloud State on their home ice, 6-3 and 5-3. At the time, the Sun Devils were ranked No. 13 nationally, and the weekend sweep had the Maroon and Gold running away with sole possession of the NCHC conference standings’ top spot. 

This will be the first time St. Cloud State comes to Mullett Arena, and the first time the two programs will compete against each other since January 2025. The two teams have previously played within the state of Arizona, with the Huskies winning the matchup at Prescott Valley Events Center in 2016.

Quick hits

  • With a victory, the Sun Devils would have their third straight victory against the Huskies and move to 3-0 in conference play against St. Cloud, evening the all-time series against both schools.
  • Forward Bennett Schimek is one point away from surpassing Josh Doan (2021-23) for eighth all-time (75), and he’s three points away from sitting fifth all-time on the career points list (78).
  • Schimek is currently leading the NCHC with 27 assists; he’s second in the conference with 38 points and is averaging 1.41 points per game.
  • In conference-only action, Schimek is atop the NCHC with 24 points, while leading all skaters with 1.60 points per conference game.
  • Cruz Lucius is tied with Schimek on the team with 38 points, which is tied for third in the nation. Schimek and Lucius’ 38 points are the most by a Sun Devil through the team’s first 28 games
  • Schimek has tallied a team-leading 27 assists this season, which is the seventh most in a season by a Sun Devil.
  • ASU is 10-2-1 when Lucius has two or more points this season.
  • The Sun Devils are the only team in the country to have a pair of teammates with 110+ career points (Lucius, 116, Schimek, 112)
  • ASU is one of two NCHC teams (Minnesota Duluth) to have multiple players with 35 or more points (Lucius, 35, Schimek, 33).
  • Lucius is one of seven skaters in the NCAA to tally 100-or-more shots this season and one of three skaters (Eric Pohlkamp, Denver, William Whitelaw, WMU) in the NCHC.
  • Freshman forward Sam Alfano is riding a five-game point streak, accumulating seven points since Jan. 10 against Miami (OH). 
  • On Saturday, he became the fifth Sun Devil freshman to have a point streak of five games or longer. Joining Johnny Walker, Josh Doan, PJ Marrocco and Jordan Masters.
  • In the month of January, Alfano was tied with Colorado College’s Mats Lindgren for the most points among all freshmen in the NCHC with eight. Additionally, his five assists were the most in the conference, while adding three goals.  
  • Goaltenders Connor Hasley and Samuel Urban were named to the Mike Richter Award watchlist. ASU is one of three schools with multiple goaltenders nominated, joining Sacred Heart and Dartmouth as the only schools to do so. 
    Urban currently leads the NCHC with 30.22 saves per game, while ranking for third in save percentage (.915). Teammate Connor Hasley is fifth (.911).
  • In NCHC play, Urban ranks first with 30.22 saves per game and is second with a .916 save percentage.
  • On the dot, Mesa native Logan Morrell ranks sixth in face-off winning percentage (.569) and is fifth in the conference with 272 face-off wins.
  • Sophomore defenseman Joel Kjellberg ranks second in the NCHC with 51 blocks, while fifth in conference play with 26 blocks in NCHC play
  • Sophomore defenseman Brasen Boser ranks tied for second in the NCHC with 49 blocks, but is second with 38 blocked shots in conference-only games.

Stay up to date with Sun Devil Hockey
Follow Sun Devil Hockey on sundevils.com, @sundevilhockey on Instagram, @SunDevilHockey on X and Sun Devil Hockey on Facebook all season long for coverage of the team.