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Hockey opens season with 5-0 shutout win over Lindenwood

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Hockey opens season with 5-0 shutout win over LindenwoodHockey opens season with 5-0 shutout win over Lindenwood
Box Score

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — Sun Devil Hockey opened its 2026-27 season with a statement, riding a 37-save shutout from sophomore goaltender Samuel Urban and points from 13 different skaters to a 5-0 victory over Lindenwood on Friday night at Centene Ice Center.

Urban turned aside all 37 shots he faced to earn the second shutout of his career and give Arizona State its third opening-night shutout in program history, joining season-opening clean sheets in 2023 and 2018.

Urban’s 37 saves set the program mark for the most in an opening-night shutout, while the Sun Devil offense spread the wealth with five goals and 13 different players recording at least one point.

Sophomore forward Olivier Houde — who transferred from Lindenwood — made his Sun Devil debut a memorable one, finding the back of the net against his former team in his former home rink.

 

Houde was joined by fellow newcomers Ben Muthersbaugh, Nic Chin-DeGraves and Daniel Shlaine as four of ASU’s five goal scorers, while senior captain Kyle Smolen rounded out the group of lamp lighters.

Sophomore defenseman Rylan Brown, junior defenseman Filip Nordberg and junior forward Cade Littler each recorded an assist in their ASU debuts, while freshman forward Landon Hafele recorded the first point of his NCAA career with an assist of his own.

The Sun Devils will look to complete the sweep and earn their first road season-opening sweep in program history when they face the Lions in game two at 3 p.m. MST/5 p.m. CDT on Saturday.

Fans can tune into the action via FloHockey or over the local airwaves on Fox Sports 910 Phoenix, with Tyler Paley and Alex Coil on the call.

Notes

  • The Sun Devils earned their third opening-night shutout in program history, joining a 1-0 win over Merrimack on Oct. 13, 2023, and a 3-0 win over Alaska Fairbanks on Oct. 6, 2018.
  • Urban recorded the second shutout of his career and set a program mark for the most saves in a season-opening shutout with 37. Both of Urban’s career shutouts have come with 37 saves.
  • The shutout marked ASU’s first on the road since a 2-0 win at Northern Michigan on Oct. 26, 2024.
  • Thirteen different Sun Devils recorded at least one point, with nine of which being newcomers.
  • The 13 different point scorers were ASU’s most in a game since 13 skaters recorded at least one point in a 6-3 win over St. Cloud State on Jan. 17, 2025.
  • Eleven of ASU’s 13 forwards recorded at least one point.
  • All five ASU captains – Smolen, Beck, McGurn, Morrell and Muthersbaugh – recorded at least one point.
  • Four of ASU’s five goals were scored by newcomers (Muthersbaugh, Houde, Chin-DeGraves, Shlaine). 
  • ASU improved to 4-0-1 all-time against Lindenwood and has scored at least five goals in each of its four wins in the series.
  • The victory marked ASU’s first win in the state of Missouri in program history.
  • ASU snapped a five-game road losing streak dating back to last season.
  • The Sun Devils’ five goals tied for the second most in a season opener in program history, matching a 5-3 win over UMass Lowell on Oct. 2, 2021. ASU’s eight goals in an 8-1 win at Air Force on Oct. 4, 2024, remain the program high.
  • Smolen netted his third career opening-night goal after scoring twice in ASU’s season-opening win at Air Force on Oct. 4, 2024.
  • Chin-DeGraves turned in the fifth multipoint game of his career (1G, 1A). The performance also pushed him to 20 career points between his time at Penn State and ASU.
  • Brown’s assist marked his first point since Nov. 1, 2025, as a member of Michigan Tech and gave him 20 points for his collegiate career.
  • Four of ASU’s five goals came with fewer than five minutes remaining in a period, with Houde’s goal at 9:57 of the third being the lone exception.
  • The Sun Devil penalty kill shut down all five Lindenwood power-play opportunities, finishing the night a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
  • Freshman forward Nathan Behm recorded a game-high six shots on goal in his NCAA debut.

Period-by-Period Breakdown
Period One
The first period remained scoreless until the later stages as Urban stood tall in net to keep the Lions off the board. The Sun Devil power play eventually got its first opportunity of the season, and Muthersbaugh cashed in to make it 1-0 at the 16:47 mark. Muthersbaugh ripped home a one-timer off a feed from Beck and Littler to net his first goal in the Maroon and Gold and give ASU the lead heading into the first intermission.

Period Two
Urban continued to turn away the Lions throughout the second period as the Sun Devils protected their one-goal advantage. With things once again quiet offensively for the majority of the frame, Smolen doubled the lead with just 33 seconds remaining in the period. Linemates Morrell and Hafele picked up the assists, with Hafele earning the first point of his NCAA career.

Period Three
After nearly 10 minutes of scoreless play, ASU broke through again as Houde split the defense and roofed one bar down to score against his former team in his former home rink, extending the Sun Devil advantage to 3-0.

Urban continued to slam the door at the other end as the Lions searched for their first goal of the night. With 2:14 remaining in regulation, Lindenwood used its timeout and pulled its goaltender in a last-ditch effort, but Chin-DeGraves wasted no time finding the empty net for his first goal as a Sun Devil to put the game away.

The empty-net goal was followed by a late power-play opportunity for the Sun Devils, where Shlaine found the back of the net for his first goal in the Maroon and Gold to put the exclamation point on the 5-0 season-opening victory.

Urban closed out the night with 37 saves to secure his second career shutout and preserve ASU’s third opening-night shutout in program history.

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