Sun Devils travel to Dartmouth for holiday weekend series

(Photo: Aiden Longbrake/WCSN)

As the holiday season kicks into full effect, many people around the world are sending Santa their wish lists with what they want as a gift. Arizona State head coach Greg Powers and his men likely have one thing on their list: a series sweep.

The Sun Devils are coming off a bye week after a hard-fought series up north against No. 5 Minnesota Duluth. In game one of that series, it was a perfect representation of the season for ASU. The Sun Devils took an early lead through sophomore forward Ty Nash, but were not able to stop star forward Max Plante and company, coming up short 3-1 on the road.

However, game two was more of a continuation of what Powers wanted to see from the Sun Devils following their only series sweep this season against Ohio State. ASU took the game to the Bulldogs, leading it to a 6-3 win, its largest win over a top 10 opponent since November 2024 against then first-ranked Denver. It was also the Sun Devils’ season-high for goals in a game and the most goals that the Bulldogs had given up since the Sun Devils eliminated them from the NCHC playoffs last season.

ASU’s offensive rush can be looked at like a few famous Christmas characters: Rudolph and Santa’s elves, with Santa being Powers. To start, leading the Sun Devil attack against Duluth was captain senior forward Bennett Schimek, playing about as well as Rudolph on a foggy Christmas Eve. In game two against Duluth, Schimek logged his second hat-trick as a Sun Devil, and has added on to the second-best start to a season in his career, averaging a point per game.

Senior forward Cruz Lucius and sophomore forward Cullen Potter have become Santa’s two main elves as of recent. Lucius grabbed himself another goal and three assists, totalling 11 and 18 respectively. Following an injury-filled season last year, Lucius has returned to the form that fans were accustomed to seeing at Wisconsin, averaging 1.3 points per game and being the Sun Devils leading scorer.

On the other hand, Potter started the season slowly with just one goal in his first 11 games. Recently, Potter has joined Lucius on the heater, with five goals in his last seven games, finally picking up to the level that was expected of the 32nd overall pick in the NHL draft. Potter’s goal against Duluth gave the Sun Devils a lead that they would not let go, allowing them to pull off the upset.

The split with Duluth puts the Sun Devils at No. 35 in the NCAA Percentage Index, far behind where they need to be to have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. While wins over top-ranked teams such as North Dakota, Denver, and Duluth have helped the Sun Devils ranking, ASU split all three of those series. The good news for ASU is that it has another opportunity against a top-ranked team as it travels to take on No. 8 Dartmouth, which is second in the NPI.

Dartmouth has been ranked at the top of the NPI for much of the season, but moved down one spot following its first loss of the season in overtime to New Hampshire on December 14th. While it has played fewer games than most teams, Dartmouth has been one of the most efficient teams in the country.

Dartmouth has the top-ranked scoring defense in the country, only conceding 1.33 goals per game. The Sun Devils are likely to find themselves in games in which they will not have a lot of shots and will have to be efficient with their chances to pull off a much-needed upset. Dartmouth also has the seventh-ranked power play (.270), fourth-ranked penalty kill (.903), and the top scoring margin in the country, winning by an average of three goals per game.

Dartmouth’s third-ranked scoring offense is led by sophomore forward Hayden Stavroff, with 13 goals and seven assists. Unlike a lot of teams, though, Dartmouth has a balanced attack with many different players involved, as 16 players have gotten on the scoresheet this season.

If ASU keeps Lucius, Potter, and Schimek going, it will give itself a greater chance to pull off a much-needed sweep over Dartmouth. A sweep would likely take the Sun Devils into the top 20 in the NPI. With the Sun Devils most likely needing to be within the top 15 to make the tournament, a sweep would allow them to feel as if they control their own destiny, with three series against currently ranked opponents coming up. ASU will drop the puck in Hannover, New Hampshire, at 3 PM MST on Friday.