Sun Devils Swept by Denver, Hakstol's Debut in Tempe Falls Short in Winless Weekend

It was a warm welcome at home for Dave Hakstol's debut. On the ice, Denver was not so welcoming.

The top-five-ranked Pioneers marched into Mullett Arena and were able to dispatch the Sun Devils in both the Friday and Sunday matchups in Arizona, despite both games being hotly contested for the majority of the time on ice.

Friday, 6-3 Pioneers

In the first contest at Mullett Arena, it was a high-scoring affair, but it didn't start like that. A scoreless first period had the teams tied until 6:26 into the 2nd period, when Nathan Behm put the Sun Devils in front. It was the fifth goal of the season for the Canadian Freshman, who leads the team. It was answered immediately by Denver, eight seconds later, by Sam Harris, also his fifth of the year.

The floodgates began to open as two more goals were scored before the period ended, one by each side, to make it 2-2 heading into the 3rd. That was where the game slipped away from the Sun Devils, as despite being tied for more than 40 minutes of gameplay, the Pioneers were able to take control of the game with three straight goals to open the 3rd period. After being up 2-1, the Sun Devils were suddenly down 5-2 and couldn't overcome the deficit, eventually falling 6-3.

It was Denver's big guns doing the heavy lifting on the stat sheet, as their top four scorers on the season all recorded multi-point games, being Daxon Rudolph(2 goals), Kristian Epperson(1 goal 2 assists), Clarke Caswell(1 goal, 3 assists), and Sam Harris(1 goal, 1 assist). The Pioneers doubled up Arizona State in the shots category, outshooting the home team 52-25.

For the Sun Devils, it was Lucas Sawchyn and Cade Littler as the other two goal scorers, netting their second and first of the year, respectively. They went 0-2 on the man advantage and allowed two power-play goals by the Pioneers on four attempts, both of which came in the 3rd period. Samuel Urban made 45 saves in goal for Arizona State, but allowed five in the loss.

Sunday, 1-0 (OT) Pioneers

An unusual day off in between games in the series, both teams were refreshed and ready when they took the ice Sunday afternoon. By the end, it was clear the defense and goaltending were the winners from the time off, as there was no score through regulation. Samuel Urban made 40 saves for the Sun Devils, including 19 3rd period saves, while Johnny Hicks made 28 in a shutout effort.

It took just a minute and 27 seconds in overtime for the Pioneers to find a winner, as it was Denver's star defenseman Daxon Rudolph again finding the back of the net, his third goal of the weekend. The 4th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to the Buffalo Sabres, Rudolph now has six goals and 6 assists through 10 games in his Freshman season.

Looking Ahead

Despite the loss, the Sun Devils did earn a point in the NCHC for reaching overtime, now putting them at four total points after a split of regulation games in St. Cloud to begin conference play. Arizona State is tied for 5th in the conference standings now, as everyone is looking up at Denver in first. The Pioneers already have 11 points, while no other team has more than six.

The Sun Devils will have another week off after the series, and after Hakstol assembled a mini training camp during his first, it will be interesting to see how he and the Sun Devils handle their second week off in the last month.

Next up for the Sun Devils will be a trip back to Minnesota, this time to the shores of Lake Superior and a date with Minnesota-Duluth on Nov. 20 and 21. The Bulldogs(6-2-2) are currently tied for 2nd in the NCHC with six points, and are ranked 6th in the USCHO.com poll. The Sun Devils will look to get off their three-game skid in a tough place to play, Amsoil Arena in Duluth, MN. The puck will drop at 6:07 MST on Friday and 4:07 MST on Saturday.

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