ASU Players Request Coaches Go on Leave

Several Arizona State hockey players recently sent a letter to their university president, requesting that the Sun Devils' coaching staff put on administrative leave following the August incident with sophomore defenseman Matthew Mayich that has left him in a coma.

Mayich, 21, a Toronto native and a 2023 St. Louis Blues draft choice who played last year for Clarkson University, collapsed following an outdoor workout in Tempe, Ariz. on Aug. 20 that was led by a former military officer, with members of the ASU coaching staff supposedly present. A former four-year major junior player with Ottawa (OHL), he remains in a neurological unit in a coma, with his attorney having noted that Mayich is not expected to recover in any meaningful fashion. ASU police have been conducting their own investigation into the matter, but no findings have yet been released.

ASU head coach Greg Powers, who has led the program since its ACHA club days and its elevation to the NCAA Division I level in 2015, declined to answer questions regarding the incident or the training session at last week's National Collegiate Hockey Conference media day. The Sun Devils, who joined the NCHC in 2024, are slated to open their 2025-26 season this weekend with two games at NCAA Division I independent Lindenwood.

ADDENDUM: Powers has been placed on administrative leave for at least this weekend.

Penn State Sweeps ASU to Start 2025-26 Season

Penn State men's hockey is off to a good start. The Nittany Lions, who made their first-ever NCAA Frozen Four last spring, opened their 2025-26 campaign with a two-step sweep at Arizona State, winning 6-2 on Friday before rebounding for a 4-2 victory on Sunday at Mullett Arena.

Sophomore forward Charlie Cerrato finished with two goals and four assists for PSU (2-0-0 overall), with five of those points coming on Friday. Projected No. 1 overall 2026 NHL draft choice Gavin McKenna fired home the game-winning goal Saturday on the power play, after providing a two-assist collegiate debut the night before. Kevin Reidler, in his first season with the Nittany Lions after spending his freshman campaign at Omaha, stopped 80 of 85 shots over the weekend, making 45 stops on Saturday as PSU rebounded from a 2-0 second-period deficit.

Bennett Schimek and Samuel Alfano posted a goal and an assist apiece for the Sun Devils (0-2-0), who also got 82 saves overall from Bentley transfer Connor Hasley.

ASU Win Streak Ends, Still Atop NCHC

Arizona State's winning streak may have come to an end, but the Sun Devils remain atop the National Collegiate Hockey Conference standings.

ASU's 10-game win streak, which dated back to Nov. 16, ended on Saturday with a 4-3 overtime loss to visiting North Dakota, one night after the Sun Devils bested UND by a 4-1 count at Mullett Arena. Both teams are now tied for first place in the NCHC with 19 points, with UND at 7-3-2-0 (W-L-OTW-OTL) and ASU at 6-4-1-2.

ASU (11-8-1 overall) is in its first campaign in the NCHC after spending the first nine seasons of its NCAA Division I existence as an independent. The Sun Devils are currently 14th in the Pairwise Rankings, which mimics the selection process for the NCAA tournament.

Sun Devils Sweep No. 1 Denver

Defending NCAA champion Denver's 21-game winning streak dating back to last season is history. The Pioneers were swept by visiting Arizona State in a pair of conference games at Magness Arena this weekend, by 3-2 and 5-2 decisions.

In Friday's meeting, ASU got two goals from Artem Shlaine, including the game-winner with 45 seconds remaining in regulation, and 30 saves from Luke Pavicich in topping DU for the first time since Nov. 10, 2023 in Tempe, Ariz. In Saturday's rematch, Shlaine scored two more goals and a second straight game-winner, while Pavicich made 26 saves for the Sun Devils, who are in their first season in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference after nine seasons as an NCAA Division I independent. 

ASU (6-7-1 overall, 3-30 NCHC) returns to action this weekend at home against Minnesota-Duluth, while DU (12-2-0, 2-2-0) will visit Western Michigan, all in NCHC play.

Arizona State Hockey to Join NCHC in 2024

The Arizona State University men's hockey program finally has a conference to call home. 

The Sun Devils, who began NCAA Division I play as an independent in 2015-16 after decades as an ACHA club powerhouse, will join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference as its ninth member beginning with the 2024-25 season. It is the first time the NCHC has expanded since its inaugural campaign of 2012-13. ASU will become an official NCHC member on July 1, 2024.

The "new" NCHC will be divided into three-team pods, in coordination with the NCHC's annual 24-game conference schedule. According to TheSunDevils.com, "the new schedule model and rotation consists of three, three-team pods based on geography with teams guaranteed to play home and away series against the other two teams in their pod every season (eight games). The three-team pods are: Arizona State, Colorado College and Denver; Minnesota Duluth, North Dakota and St. Cloud State; and Miami (Ohio), Omaha and Western Michigan."

ASU qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2019 after going 21-13-1 overall, the first hockey independent to do so since Alaska Anchorage in 1992, and the fastest school to ever do so at the NCAA Division I level. The Sun Devils were also on pace to qualify for the 2020 NCAAs after going 22-11-3, had the tournament not been canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. They then played all their games on the road in 2020-21, due to COVID, all against Big Ten conference schools while finishing 7-16-3 overall.

The Sun Devils, who are coached by alumnus and former club team coach Greg Powers, went 18-21-0 this past season, their first in their new on-campus home, the 5,000-seat Mullet Arena that ASU currently shares with the NHL's Arizona Coyotes. Since joining the NCAA Division I ranks, ASU has amassed an overall record of 106-140-16, all under Indianapolis native Powers, a former Sun Devils club team goaltender who had previously guided ASU's ACHA Division I team to a national club title in 2014. ASU also recently hired former Boston University player and assistant/head coach Albie O'Connell as its new associate coach/recruiting coordinator.

ASU will play its final season as an NCAA independent in 2023-24, with two-game series against three of its future NCHC brethren: at Miami on Oct. 27-28, at home versus Denver on Nov. 10-11, and at Colorado College on Dec. 1-2. The Sun Devils will also play on the road at Robert Morris, Alaska Fairbanks, and Alaska Anchorage, and at home against Merrimack, Northern Michigan, Stonehill, UAA, Providence, Dartmouth, Cornell, Augustana, Lindenwood, UAF and Long Island. ASU will also skate in the Adirondack Winter Invitational in Lake Placid, N.Y. on Dec. 28-29, before hosting its annual Desert Hockey Classic on Jan. 5-6 featuring UMass Lowell, Harvard and Omaha.

ASU, Lindenwood Record Milestone Victories

It was a tale of two firsts on Friday night in men's college ice hockey.

First, independent Arizona State University christened its brand-new, on-campus, 5,000-seat Mullet Arena with a 2-0 victory over visiting Colgate. Josh Doan, son of retired longtime NHL player Shane Doan, scored the first-ever goal in the new facility, which will also house the NHL's Arizona Coyotes over the next few years. Northeastern transfer TJ Semptimphelter earned the shutout on 30 saves for the host Sun Devils, who played their first seven NCAA Division I seasons out of the 747-seat Oceanside Arena.

That same evening in St. Charles, Mo., some 1,450 miles east, fellow independent Lindenwood University earned its first-ever win as an NCAA Division I program with a 7-6 triumph over visiting Air Force. Ryan Finnegan notched the game-winning goal late in regulation, while Trent Burnham made 39 stops for the Lions, like ASU a former ACHA Division I club power.

Arizona State Over .500 After Six Games

Don't look now, but Arizona State is 4-2-0 to begin the 2018-19 NCAA campaign.

The lone men's hockey Division I independent, the Sun Devils started the season with a home sweep of Alaska in which ASU didn't allow a goal. ASU then dropped two close contests to 2018 Frozen Four participant Ohio State (2-3, 1-3), and then swept host Alabama-Huntsville this past weekend by 2-1 and 5-1 scores.

Sophomore forward and Phoenix, Ariz. native Johnny Walker currently leads the Sun Devils with four goals and four assists for eight points through ASU's first six games, which places him among the top 10 players in national scoring. Junior goaltender and Boston native Joey Daccord has played every minute in net so far for ASU, and has gone 4-2-0 with a 1.18 goals-against average and .956 save percentage, while allowing just seven goals in all. He also leads the nation with 357 minutes played to date.

ASU's penalty kill also ranks among the top 10 nationally. The Sun Devils have negated 30-of-32 opposing power plays, and are tied with Sacred Heart for third overall in Division I at 93.7 percent.

Next on tap for the Sun Devils will be the visiting Omaha Mavericks, this Friday and Saturday at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe, Ariz. ASU will then visit Omaha in November. Omaha defeated
ASU, 5-1, a year ago in Nebraska before the two schools skated to a 4-4 tie the next night.

ADDENDUM: ASU upped its record to 6-2-0 with a two-step sweep of Omaha, 6-3 and 7-2.

Sun Devils Top Air Force for First Ranked Win

NCAA Division I independent Arizona State earned its first-ever victory over a ranked opponent with Sunday's 5-2 triumph over No. 18 Air Force at Gila River Arena.

The Sun Devils, playing in their second varsity season and in their first full NCAA Division I campaign, earned their first win of the season to earn a series split. The visiting Falcons, who earlier this fall won the Icebreaker Classic in Denver with victories over Boston College and Ohio State, had edged ASU, 4-3, on Friday night.

Tyler Busch scored the game-winning goal on a second period power play on Sunday for the Sun Devils, who also got a goal and two assists apiece from from Dylan Hollman and Boston University transfer Robbie Baillargeon, plus 24 saves from Joey Daccord. Sunday's win also marked the first time ASU had beaten a Division I opponent in Arizona, as last year's Division I wins over Alaska (Fairbanks) and Lake Superior State all came on the road or at a neutral site.

ASU (1-3-0 overall) will now visit Northeastern this weekend before hosting Harvard to close out the month.

Sun Devils Earn First NCAA Win over Nanooks

Arizona State made Alaska (Fairbanks) its first victim in NCAA play as the Sun Devils defeated the Nanooks, 2-1, on Saturday in the Kendall Classic in Anchorage. Ryan Belonger, who set up ASU’s tying goal early in the third period at Sullivan Arena, connected for the game-winner with 34 seconds remaining in regulation. Ryland Pashovitz made 37 saves for the Sun Devils (1-1-0), while Tyler Morley scored the lone goal for Alaska (0-2-0), which won last year's Classic.

In one of the bigger shockers of the day , Union won, 5-3, over No. 3 Boston University as Matt Wilkins scored the go-ahead goal and assisted on an insurance marker, both in the final three minutes of regulation. Also out east, No. 19 St. Lawrence topped RIT, 5-1, with Gavin Bayreuther scoring the game-winner and adding an assist.

No. 18 Quinnipiac downed Holy Cross, 4-2, after Thomas Aldworth notched one goal and set up two more for the Bobcats. New Hampshire ran roughshod over American International, 7-3, as Tyler Kelleher had a four-point night, while Alabama-Huntsville scored a 5-2 victory over UConn for a series split, thanks to 29 saves by Carmine Guerriero.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Michigan State defeated Lake Superior State, 4-1 at the Icebreaker Tournament in Portland, Me. thanks to 29 saves from Jake Hildebrand. Mackenzie MacEachern notched the game-winning goal for the Spartans, Mason Appleton had two assists, and JT Stenglien posted a goal and an assist. Also, No. 10 Omaha completed a two-step sweep at No. 6 Minnesota State with a 2-0 victory, powered by two goals from Jake Randolph and 40 saves by Evan Weninger.

 

 

Arizona State to Host Desert Classic in January

Arizona State University will host the inaugural Desert Hockey Classic on Oct. 8-9 in Tempe, at a facility to be determined.

The tournament, which takes the place of an originally-scheduled two-game series with Yale University, will include ASU, Yale, Michigan Tech University and the University of Connecticut. It will also mark ASU's only home games against NCAA competition next season.

The Sun Devils, 2013-14 ACHA national club champions, are entering their first season as an NCAA Division I independent. After a contest against longtime ACHA rival Arizona on Oct. 3, ASU will open its 2015-16 NCAA slate in Anchorage, Alaska on Oct. 9-10 at the Kendall Hockey Classic, with games against Alaska Anchorage and Alaska (Fairbanks).

ASU will be the 60th school to currently sponsor men's ice hockey at the NCAA Division I level.

Arizona State Moving to NCAA Division I Hockey

Arizona State University is apparently moving up to the big time on ice.

According to a report at Fox Sports Arizona, the Sun Devils will be the latest school to join the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey ranks, thanks to a $32 million donation from private supporters led by Milwaukee businessman and ASU alumnus Don Mullett.

ASU will become the 60th NCAA Division I men's hockey program, and the first in the state since Northern Arizona dropped its Division I team in 1986. ASU will also have to add a women's athletics program to satisfy Title IX issues.

ASU won last year's American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I national championship, its first in school history, finishing the season 38-2-0. The ACHA is comparable in terms of talent to NCAA Division III.

As with Penn State, which began its NCAA Division I program in 2012-13 after years as a national club power, ASU plans to wade slowly into the NCAA waters, playing a mix of ACHA and NCAA schools beginning in the 2015-16 academic year. The plan is to then become an NCAA Division I independent the following season, and then finally join an existing league, most likely the National Collegiate Hockey Conference or the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Current ASU head coach Greg Powers, who has recruited several players from the USHL to Tempe, is expected to remain on as coach. It is not exactly known where the Sun Devils will play their home games once they transfer to NCAA Division I, although it could be the the 40-year-old Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, current home of Sun Devil basketball, volleyball, gymnastics and wrestling.