(Photo: Scott Russomano)
Finding a stride at the right time is crucial for any team hoping to compete for a championship, and especially in college hockey, where only 16 teams get that opportunity. Arizona State is one of those teams that seems to have everything clicking just when it needs it to.
The Sun Devils came out of last weekend in high spirits, winning their second trophy of the season and their fifth straight in-season tournament. They started off the weekend with a 7-2 win over Alaska Anchorage, followed by a 5-2 win in the championship game against Air Force to give ASU its first winning record of the season.
“The result was really good,” head coach Greg Powers said, “I thought we played really well for the most part. I still think there’s growth and opportunity to get a lot better at managing pucks in certain situations.”
While Powers wants to see improvement from his players, there is a group of players who seem to be doing everything right. The Sun Devils’ top line features sophomore forward Cullen Potter along with senior forwards Bennett Schimek and Cruz Lucius, not only has ASU fans on notice, but the whole country.
The trio has combined for 88 points this season, more than any other group of three players in the country, including the dominant lines that No. 1 Michigan and No. 5 Minnesota Duluth possess. All three players came into the season with high expectations, and they’ve stepped up and exceeded them so far.
“They’re all three in the top 11 nationally for scoring, and two of them are in the top three,” Powers said, “That’s pretty special. When you have kids that are driving the play that well and that dominant, everybody else just needs to buy into their role, get some secondary scoring, and focus on keeping the puck out of our net.”
As members of last season’s team, which found itself falling one spot short of making the NCAA Tournament, the trio has found its footing in an attempt to avoid a postseason appearance slipping through their fingers once again. After ASU started its season similarly slow, they’ve amplified their performances in the big games. Schimek’s heroics have come all season, highlighted by a hat-trick against No. 5 Duluth and two assists in a 5-1 win against then eighth-ranked Dartmouth. Schimek is ranked second in the nation with 31 points, trailing only Lucius.
Lucius has been in a league of his own all season long. After coming to ASU with sky-high expectations following a Hobey Baker nomination in his freshman year at Wisconsin, an injury-riddled first year in Tempe kept him from reaching his peak. Entering the season fully healthy, he has found an even greater stride than he did in his first two seasons in college, as his NCAA-leading 32 points have him making a strong case for himself to be nominated for the Hobey Baker Award again.
“They’re special,” Powers said of his top line, “When Cruz got here and unfortunately wasn’t able to display it because of his injury. I thought he was going to be one of the best players that’s ever played here, and he is.”
Despite a slow start to the season, Potter has lit the ice on fire for the Sun Devils in the last two months. Whether it has been overtime winners against then third-ranked Denver or Ohio State, Potter has found ways to heighten his level as the games get bigger. He added the first hat trick of his college career against Alaska Anchorage, before adding his 12th goal of the year in the Desert Hockey Classic final against Air Force. Potter has now scored in nine of his last 11 games, showing why the Calgary Flames used their 2025 first-round pick on him.
“I’m probably thinking [Potter, Lucius, and Schimek] are going to score, so just take a nap in the cage for a second,” senior goaltender Connor Halsey joked, “I’m always happy to see them succeed. They’ve been unbelievable. Every time they are out there, I feel bad for their goalie sometimes.”
The Sun Devils’ recent success hasn’t been without struggles, as injuries and departures have left the ASU roster quite thin at times. Freshmen Justin Cloutier and Austin Zemlak left the team to return to the Canadian Hockey League, while injuries have plagued the Sun Devils in recent weeks. Junior defenseman Anthony Dowd and junior forward Sean McGurn have missed the last four games, and freshman forward Jack Beck hasn’t seen the ice since November 29 against Ohio State. While Dowd and McGurn are expected to return this weekend, Beck had to undergo season-ending surgery, Powers announced Tuesday.
“It’s really tough, especially since [Beck] is such a big part of our team,” Lucius said, “He’s such a good hockey player. It’s definitely a big piece missing.”
As the injuries pile on for ASU, it has looked to its young core to deliver. Less experienced players such as freshman forward Carmelo Crandell and sophomore forward Ty Nash have raised their level, each recording a multi-goal game over the weekend. Freshman forward Ben Kevan and sophomore forward Logan Morrell have had their moments this season, with Morrell getting on the scoresheet on Saturday night.
“One guy goes down, and the young guys realize how much he means to us,” Hasley said, “They know they can mean that much, too. With how many young guys we have, it’s been great seeing them come into their roles. I really love all our freshmen. They’re all great guys and are going to do everything they can to help us win.
The Sun Devils will host a familiar face this weekend, as the Miami(OH) Redhawks travel from Oxford, Ohio, to Tempe. The two teams split earlier in the season, but their standings have since completely flipped. When the Sun Devils went to Oxford in October, they were coming off being swept with a 2-4 record. Miami, on the other hand, went into that series undefeated, posing as a real threat in the NCHC.
Since then, ASU has found its rhythm, winning eight out of its last 11 games, now sitting 25th in the NCAA Percentage Index. The Redhawks have only one other conference win since their opening victory over ASU, but do find themselves just five spots below the Sun Devils in the NPI at 30th.
“I think it’s one of the cool things about being in a league,” Powers said, “You develop these rivalries with teams in your league, especially when you’re playing four times a year.”
Because the NPI has such a weight on whether teams are home or away, a home series against a lower-rated team serves as a potential must-sweep for the Sun Devils to keep their postseason hopes afloat.
“We’re clearly in the fight, and we know we’re in the fight,” Powers said, “Especially with another good weekend, we should jump another five or six spots. So, we’re right there, and I think that our approach wasn’t this is where we are in the way too early computer rankings, and push the panic button.”
While ASU will be getting some help depth-wise with players returning from injury, it will be without senior forward and former-Redhawk, junior forward Johnny Waldron, after he suffered an injury against Air Force, leaving another key piece missing in an all-important series for ASU.
“Guys got to step up, and right now they have,” Powers said, “Look at what Ty Nash has done, what Logan Morrell has done. Look at what [Potter], [Lucius], and [Schimek] are doing. We have plenty upfront to get done what we need to get done.”
If the Sun Devils’ young core and top line can continue to light up the ice, they will have a good chance to make a similar run as last year in the NCHC. With three top ten opponents still to play, ASU will look to keep its momentum going, as the puck drops against Miami at 7 pm MST on Friday.
“Why can’t we go 9-2 in our next 11 instead of 8-3?” Powers said, “That’s the message. We went through an utter gauntlet that could have broke us, and it didn’t. Now we have to use that to our advantage and continue to find a way to get better.”
