SUN DEVIL HOCKEY

Photo: Scott Strande/ITHSW Friday night's game was highlighted by a strong resilience as the Sun Devils battled back from a first period deficit to claim the weekend-opening win. Saturday night's rematch did not yield the same results, as St. Cloud adjusted their strong defensive blueprint, holding on for the 2-1 win and a weekend split. The Huskies set the tone very early, striking just 14 seconds into the game on the second goal of the season from Hayden Paupanekis. The lea

Ben Muthersbaugh celebrates after scoring the first goal of Friday's game. Photo: Sun Devil Athletics The last time Dave Hakstol was behind an NCHC bench, he led North Dakota to the third and final regular season title of his tenure en route to a Frozen Four appearance in 2015. 11 years later, he picked up right where he left off, guiding Arizona State to a hard-fought 3-2 road win over the St. Cloud State Huskies. It was a tightly contested game throughout, with little margi

Arizona State hosting St. Cloud State on February 7, 2026. Photo: State Press Sun Devil Hockey is sitting in a solid position as the NCHC schedule kicks off this weekend. Coming off a bye week owning a 4-2-0 record, Arizona State will head north to take on the St. Cloud State Huskies in a weekend of debuts on both benches. The overwhelming story in Tempe is of course the re-debut of head coach Dave Hakstol in conference play, but the Huskies are also under new leadership, wit

The trend is that teams lose votes and move down the rankings in early-season weeks of hockey polls when they do not play. Arizona State was a part of that trend after not playing last week. Arizona State (4-2) received nine votes in the week four USCHO hockey poll, down from last week's 22. It moved from sixth to tied ninth in the others receiving votes group. The Sun Devils are tied with Bowling Green. Both teams are 80 votes behind 20th-place Massachusetts. The NCHC saw a

Now that the season is fully underway, all 10 NCHC teams have wins and losses, which was not the case last week, leading to some movement. Conference play begins for eight teams this week. 1. Denver (3-2-1, Last week’s rank: 3) Denver won and tied with Boston College last week. The Pioneers host Omaha this week. 2. Western Michigan (4-1, Last week’s rank: 2) Western Michigan lost to Michigan in one game last week. The Broncos host Long Island this week. 3. Minnesota-Duluth

Photo: Russel Hons / UND Athletics After not seeing a single movement last week, there is a major shakeup in the NCHC power rankings. Six of the nine teams that played were involved in a sweep, allowing for significant movement. 1. North Dakota (4-0, Last week’s rank: 2) North Dakota moves up a spot after sweeping Bentley in two shutouts. The Fighting Hawks visit Minnesota this week. 2. Western Michigan (4-0, Last week’s rank: 3) Western Michigan swept Notre Dame in a home-

Photo: Scott Strande/ITHSW Last season, it took three weeks for Arizona State to fall from No. 14 to out of the USCHO poll, the equivalent of the AP poll in NCAA men’s hockey. This season, it took three weeks for the Sun Devils to receive votes, and only one week under head coach Dave Hakstol. Arizona State (4-2) earned 22 points in the week three USCHO poll, placing sixth among the others receiving votes after it swept UMass-Lowell. It was 78 points behind the final team in

Photo: Sun Devil Athletics Two games, two wins. The Dave Hakstol Era is off to the most ideal start that Sun Devil Hockey fans could ask for. Arizona State completed a very successful business trip to the Tsongas Center, defeating the UMass Lowell Riverhawks by a 4-2 score on Saturday night. Just like on Friday night, the opening salvo for the Sun Devils came in the opening minutes, this time from a highly unlikely source. Sophomore defenseman Richard Baran notched the first

The lights were shining bright on the bench as new head coach Dave Hakstol returned to a college bench for the first time since a Frozen Four semifinal loss to Boston University in 2015, but the Sun Devils shined on the ice at the Tsongas Center, riding a three-goal first period outburst on the way to a 5-4 win for the new bench boss. What an outburst that first period was, as the Sun Devils jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on goals by Daniel Shlaine (4th goal in 5 games) and L

Photo: Arizona State Athletics After two tumultuous weeks of off-ice news, the Sun Devils will finally be able to take to the ice with a sense of normalcy as they hit the road for the second time this season, taking on the Riverhawks of UMass Lowell. The dominating storyline will be the debut of new head coach Dave Hakstol, returning to the college hockey level for the first time since 2015. Hakstol is a proven veteran, bringing 11 years and 289 career victories from his time