Arizona State opens NCHC play on the road at St. Cloud State
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, with first-year head coach Nick Oliver making his NCHC debut.
Playing at St. Cloud always presents the endurance test, as the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center features an Olympic sized ice sheet. Instead of the standard 200 ft. by 85 ft. at Mullett Arena, the sheet at St. Cloud is approximately 2,300 sq. ft. larger, measuring 197 ft. by 98.4 ft. This will automatically force the Sun Devils to focus more on their speed and skill rather than relying on physical play.
Defensive positioning has been much better for the Sun Devils to open the 2026-27 season, but a 3.50 goals against is cause for alarm with the larger playing surface. Goaltender positioning will be key, especially for Samuel Urban, to not overcommit to the play and hold down his spot in the crease.
The Sun Devils will be looking to Daniel Shlaine to sustain his blazing start to the season, having recorded a point in all 6 games and joining Colin Theisen (October 8-23, 2021) as the only Sun Devils to start the season with such a streak.
Despite the 2-3-0 record, don't overlook the Huskies this weekend. Four of their five games have come against ranked teams to open the season, splitting series at home against Michigan Tech and on the road at Boston College. Yan Shostak has been a mainstay in net and excels against high shot volume teams, stopping 43 shots in last Saturday's 5-3 win in Chestnut Hill.
Special teams will be critical this weekend. St. Cloud State has averaged 5 penalties taken and 5 penalties drawn per game to start the season, which will create even more open space with time spent at 5-on-4. Arizona State is a perfect 4-0-0 when recording a power play goal, and will need to convert on every opportunity to come home with much needed conference points.
Quick Hits
With 26 goals in the first six games, Arizona State ranks 5th nationally in scoring at 4.33 goals per game. 26 goals is the most through six games in program history.
Kyle Smolen has two milestones in sight this weekend as he looks to become the 4th Sun Devil in program history to reach 30 career goals (currently at 29), and the 10th in program history with 70 career points (currently at 69).
4 is the magic number. The Sun Devils are 4-1-0 when scoring 4 or more goals, and 3-0-0 when leading after the first 20 minutes.
The Sun Devils will be looking to maintain the road magic, as the road team has won the last 5 games in this series. St. Cloud holds the overall edge at 5-2-0.
How To Watch
The series begins on Friday at 5pm Arizona Time, with Saturday's puck drop coming an hour earlier at 4pm. Both games will be streaming nationally on NCHC.tv (subscription required). Tyler Paley and Alex Coil will have the radio call on Fox Sports 910 AM Phoenix.
Comments