ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 2-seed Arizona State ice hockey team (21-13-2, 14-9-1 NCHC) continues its storybook inaugural season in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference as one of four teams to compete for the conference's tournament trophy in this weekend's Frozen Faceoff on CBS Sports Network. ASU faces off against No. 3-seed Denver (21-10-1, 15-8-1 NCHC) in the opening game of the tournament's semifinal round on Friday, March 21 at 4 p.m. CT/2 p.m AZT at Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild, in the Twin Cities.
ASU's own Tyler Paley and Alex Coil will bring the game to the airwaves on FoxSports910AM. All games of the Frozen Faceoff air on CBS Sports Network and are not available on the conference's NCHC.tv platform.
FROZEN FACEOFF SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 20:
ASU's post-practice press conference on NCHC.tv - 12:40 p.m. CT/10:40 a.m. AZT
NCHC Awards Celebration on NCHC.tv - 5:15 p.m. CT/3:15 p.m. AZT
Friday, March 21
Denver vs. Arizona State (Semifinal 1) - 4 p.m. CT/2 p.m. AZT
North Dakota vs. Western Michigan (Semifinal 2) - 7:30 p.m./5:30 p.m. AZT
Saturday, March 22
Championship Game - 7:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. AZT
DEFYING THE DOUBTERS
In preseason NCHC media polls, Arizona State was picked to finish eighth in the nine-team conference field. Through 24 conference games, the Sun Devils defeated all conference opponents at least once in regulation - they were the only team to do so. ASU also only lost in regulation to two NCHC teams (Colorado College and Omaha).
"We were really confident in the way we went out and built our team and the type of players that we have in our room, we knew we weren't the eighth place team from day one. And to have the success to backup that confidence and to show our hockey community what we're all about and that we're ready to compete with anyone in the country at the very highest level, I think is tremendous. And to be able to host playoff hockey, we took it very seriously the responsibility to show that this is a great hockey market when we lost the National Hockey League and to give this hockey community something to cheer for, something to get excited for, something to really get behind, a passionate group of players and a passionate group of people to represent here in the desert, and we've done that."
- Sun Devil Hockey head coach Greg Powers
ASU NOTABLES
PLAYER NOTABLES
NCHC INDIVIDUAL AWARD FINALISTS
Three members of Sun Devil Hockey were named as one of three finalists for five different NCHC year-end individual awards. Graduate center Artem Shlaine is a finalist for Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, and the Three Stars Award. Ty Murchison is a finalist for the Defensive Defenseman Award and Greg Powers is a finalist for the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year.
For eight of the awards, finalists were determined based on voting by the conference's nine head coaches and one media member covering each of the NCHC's nine programs, with the top three vote-getters (plus ties) for each award being named finalists. Athletic Directors at each NCHC institution had a vote on Herb Brooks Coach of the Year, as well, along with the coaches and media.
LAST TIME VS. DENVER - Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8 at Mullett Arena
Friday recap - L, 4-5 (OT): The Sun Devils were down 3-1 halfway through the game before an offensive push with goals by Ty Jackson and Lukas Sillinger that brought November's rematch within one score. Early in the third period, DU retook the lead, 4-3, before Bennett Schimek tallied the game-tying goal with only 48 seconds remaining in regulation. Despite the Sun Devils relentless chase of the Pioneers, ASU ultimately fell, 5-4, in the final moments of the five-minute 3-on-3 overtime in front of a sold out crowd. Luke Pavicich made his 16th start of the season and tallied 29 saves, the most he's had to make in the past four appearances. His record moved to 10-6-0 and it's his first loss since the second game against North Dakota on Jan. 11, 2025.
Saturday recap - W, 6-5 (OT): In the same gritty fashion that's catapulted the Sun Devils into showstopping victories all season, the No. 12 Arizona State ice hockey muscled a 6-5 overtime win over No. 6 Denver on Saturday night. The win gave ASU the edge in the four-game home-and-home series with DU after the Sun Devils already secured the road sweep of the Pioneers at Magness Arena in November. Hobey Baker nominee Bennett Schimek netted the game-winning goal in overtime to complete the win. Schimek continued his hot streak this weekend, tallying two goals on Saturday night to reach seven points in the past four games.
HISTORY VS. THE PIONEERS (5-10-1)
L, 1-5 - Jan. 6, 2017 - Magness Arena
L, 1-6 - Jan. 7, 2017 - Magness Arena
W, 4-1 - Dec. 6, 2019 - Oceanside Ice Arena
T, 2-2 - Dec. 7, 2019 - Gila River Arena (Coyotes Arena)
L, 3-8 - Oct. 8, 2021 - Magness Arena
L, 3-4 - Oct. 9, 2021 - Magness Arena
L, 2-6 - Dec. 3, 2021 - Oceanside Ice Arena
L, 1-7 - Dec. 4, 2021 - Oceanside Ice Arena
L, 2-3 - Dec. 2, 2022 - Magness Arena
L, 2-5 - Dec. 3, 2022 - Magness Arena
W, 6-5 (OT) - Nov. 10, 2023 - Mullett Arena
L, 4-8 (EN) - Nov. 11, 2023 - Mullett Arena
W, 3-2 - Nov. 22, 2024 - Magness Arena
W, 5-2 - Nov. 23, 2024 - Magness Arena
L, 4-5 (OT) - Feb. 7, 2025 - Mullett Arena
W, 6-5 (OT) - Feb. 8, 2025 - Mullett Arena
ROAD WARRIORS
ASU won seven of the last 10 games on the road, including a program best six consecutive away victories from Nov. 22-Feb. 1. The streak started at then-No. 1 Denver who was on a 21-game winning streak dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament and its national championship run. The Sun Devils collected the series sweep at Magness Arena - it was the first sweep of the Pioneers at home since pre-COVID February 2020. In the four years since then, Denver won two national championships (2022 and 2024). ASU's road dawg record continued at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State on Jan. 17-18 with 11 goals over the weekend pushing the Sun Devils to 6-3 and 5-3 victories. The streak lasted through ASU's dominant weekend at Miami which included 7-1 and 4-1 wins over the RedHawks.
DEVILS GOT DEPTH
Down the second half stretch, the Sun Devils have put their full roster depth on display with goals scored by skaters up and down the lineup. In the last 10 games since the Sun Devils last competed against the Pioneers, ASU's goals have been scored by skaters from three different lines, totaling 39 goals in that span. In the same span of the past 10 games, ASU tallied six goals against No. 6 Denver from five different skaters. Bennett Schimek was the only skater in that game to tally two goals. The Sun Devils accomplished the same feat - six goals from five different skaters - in the 6-5 overtime victory over No. 7-seed Minnesota Duluth last weekend to advance to the Frozen Faceoff. In Saturday's game, Shattuck-St. Mary's own Artem Shlaine was the sole player of the game to tally two goals.
SILLINGER STAYS RED HOT
Graduate winger and alternate captain Lukas Sillinger has gone on a heater in conference play, stealing the lead for assists (22) and assists per game (1.00) in the NCHC's regular season. He's in the top-five for overall season assists (30), assists per game (.88), points (38) and points per game (1.32). Sillinger went on a nine-game point scoring streak which included 15 points. The streak ties the longest consecutive scoring streak set by Josh Doan during the 2022-23 season at nine games with 16 points. In January, he set a new program record for career assists with 69. The fifth-year forward's career includes two seasons at Bemidji State and three at ASU. His combined career stats spanning 170 NCAA games includes 51 goals and 109 assists. Seventy-nine of his career assists occurred at ASU. In the series at Minnesota Duluth in February 2025, Sillinger reached 150 career points combined in five years between Bemidji State and Arizona State. His 107 points at ASU is tied second in the program's all-time career points with Brinson Pasichnuk. The record is set at 123 career points by Johnny Walker (2017-22). Most impressively, both Walker and Pasichnuk accumulated their career points in four years solely at ASU. Sillinger has racked up 107 career points at ASU in only three seasons (2022-25) after transferring from Bemidji State.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALIST
Artem Shlaine is finalist for three NCHC individual awards: Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, and Three Stars Award. Through his 24 games played in the conference regular season this year, Shlaine is a top performer. The graduate center boasts 31 points and 14 goals (in regular season conference play) - both marks are in the top-five. His 14 goals is only one shy of the lead set by Alex Bump (WMU). His 31 points ranked second, only one shy of the lead set by Jack Devine (DU). He ranks in the top-10 of goals, goals per game, assists, assists per game, points, points per game, shot percentage, faceoff wins, faceoff percentage, and shorthanded goals in conference play. With the most time on ice out of ASU's forward, Shlaine's kept a clean penalty sheet with only 14 penalty minutes through 28 games played (10 of those minutes were assessed at the end of the game at Omaha).
Shlaine led the NCHC in points through the month of January with 18. His season total rests at 34 at the end of the regular season. His career season high for points is 32 which he recorded in his first season at Northern Michigan (2022-23).
With four points on Friday night at Miami, Shlaine extended a point scoring streak to seven games, which tied for the second-longest point scoring streak in program history. The streak was only disrupted because Shlaine was injured and stretchered off the ice within the first three minutes of Saturday's game at Miami. He boasted 16 points during the streak which is the most points in seven consecutive games by a Sun Devil in program history:
- Artem Shlaine: 16 points - Jan. 10 - 31, 2025
- Robert Mastrosimone: 13 points - Feb. 17 - March 11, 2023
- James Sanchez: 12 points - Oct. 18 - Nov. 29, 2019
- Tim Lovell: 8 points - Jan. 13 - Feb. 10, 2024
The point streak record is held by Josh Doan with nine goals and 16 points from Feb. 4-March 11, 2023. This record is now tied by Lukas Sillinger who has the opportunity to extend the active streak going into the series at Omaha.
Shlaine continued his special teams success in January with one power play goal and two shorthanded. He scored his second shorthanded goal of the year at Miami to close out the month of January. Both of his lamplighters on Saturday vs. North Dakota were scored on special teams - one on the power play and one shorthanded. There are only four skaters in ASU history who have tallied a shorthanded goal and a power play goal in the same game (two occurred in 2024-25):
--- Artem Shlaine, vs. No. 14 North Dakota on Jan. 11, 2025 (L, 4-3 OT)
--- Bennett Schimek, vs. Air Force on Oct. 4, 2024 (W, 8-3)
--- Robert Mastrosimone, vs. Michigan Tech on Jan. 6, 2023 (L, 4-2)
--- Josh Maniscalso, vs. Alaska Fairbanks on Nov. 9, 2019 (W, 4-0)
Shlaine recorded his fifth multi-goal game of the season and seventh of his career in Saturday's game vs. Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC Quarterfinals. He set a single game career high on Saturday night at St. Cloud State with four points from one goal and three assists. Three games later, he reached the feat again with a four-point night at Miami (1G, 3A).
Shlaine leads the Sun Devils in shot percentage with 20.8 percent. In 30 games played and 37 points this season, Shlaine is over a point per game skater at 1.23 points per game which ranks 14th in the NCAA.
At the dot, Shlaine is one of the top faceoff specialists in the NCHC. He is second in the NCHC in faceoff wins during conference play and sixth overall with 344 through 30 games played. He has the most wins in the fewest games among all NCHC skaters. His 54.7 percent success rate ranks 12th in the NCHC overall.
NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Kirwan was dominant in January, tying for the NCAA lead with 11 goals during the month. He tallied 17 points in nine games to start 2025, ranking second in the NCHC and third in the NCAA in January scoring. Kirwan recorded at least a point in eight of his nine January games, with five multi-point games, including a trio of three-point games. The Penn State transfer also scored a goal in six of his nine games, including four multi-goal games. He averaged 1.89 points per game in January, which was third in the NCHC, while his four power play goals led the league last month.
Kirwan opened January by being named MVP of the Desert Hockey Classic after leading ASU to the title with a four-goal, five-point weekend. That included a hat trick against Robert Morris on Jan. 3, which helped him earn the first of two NCHC Forward of the Week nods during the month. Kirwan helped the Sun Devils to a sweep at St. Cloud State on Jan. 17-18 with a three-goal, four-point weekend, including three points in the series opener and the game-winning goal in the finale. The Hobey Baker Award nominee picked up his second Forward of the Week award after five points against Colorado College, including a career-high-tying four points on Jan. 25 in a 5-4 loss. Kirwan stretched his point streak to five games with two power play goals on Jan. 31 in a win at Miami to close out the month.
Kirwan finished the month with a +9 plus/minus, which tied for third in the NCHC, and fired 35 shots on goal, which was second in the conference in January. His 31.4 shooting percentage was also second in the NCHC. Kirwan now leads the NCHC with 18 goals this season, while his 28 points tie for fourth in the conference.
KIRWAN DOWN THE STRETCH
Since ASU last played Denver, Kirwan tallied nine points in eight games. He is currently on a four-game point scoring streak - and a four-game goal-scoring streak - which includes seven points (5G, 2A). In that same span he boasts two game-winning goals (at Omaha on Feb. 28 and vs. UMD on March 15) and two power play goals. Both of his game-winning goals were tallied on even strength.
PUT THE SPECIAL IN SPECIAL TEAMS
ASU has tallied a power play goal in 16 of the 20 games since the start of the New Year. The 20 games include a total of 22 power play goals with a single game high of four PPG at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State on Jan. 18. The goals were tallied by Lukas Sillinger, Noah Beck, Ty Jackson, and Ryan Kirwan. ASU's power play ranks third in the NCAA with a 29.2 percent success rate, behind only Denver (29.5) and Quinnipiac (30.3). On the penalty kill, ASU boasted six-straight games and 19 opponent power play opportunities without allowing the opponent to score a power play goal (Jan. 18-Feb. 7, 2025). The PK units rank 11th in the NCAA with a 84.1 percent success rate.
TWO HEADED MONSTER
Gibson Homer and Luke Pavicich have created the two-headed monster ideal for the grueling schedule in the best conference in college hockey. Homer and Pavicich own a near identical save percentage set at .909 for Pavicich and .919 for Homer. Pavicich got the nod in both two starts in the last home series at Mullett Arena against then-No. 3 Western Michigan, saving a combined 76 saves throughout the series. Homer started in both away games at Omaha to round out the regular season, making 61 saves through the series split. In the NCHC quarterfinals vs. Minnesota Duluth, Pavicich started both games and after winning on Friday night, he gave up three goals in the first period of Saturday's tilt. Powers made the call to put Homer in as relief at the start of the second period. The junior netminder made 34 saves through two regulation periods and overtime on the way to his eighth win of the season that also advanced the Sun Devils to the Frozen Faceoff.
ASU's own Tyler Paley and Alex Coil will bring the game to the airwaves on FoxSports910AM. All games of the Frozen Faceoff air on CBS Sports Network and are not available on the conference's NCHC.tv platform.
FROZEN FACEOFF SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 20:
ASU's post-practice press conference on NCHC.tv - 12:40 p.m. CT/10:40 a.m. AZT
NCHC Awards Celebration on NCHC.tv - 5:15 p.m. CT/3:15 p.m. AZT
Friday, March 21
Denver vs. Arizona State (Semifinal 1) - 4 p.m. CT/2 p.m. AZT
North Dakota vs. Western Michigan (Semifinal 2) - 7:30 p.m./5:30 p.m. AZT
Saturday, March 22
Championship Game - 7:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. AZT
DEFYING THE DOUBTERS
In preseason NCHC media polls, Arizona State was picked to finish eighth in the nine-team conference field. Through 24 conference games, the Sun Devils defeated all conference opponents at least once in regulation - they were the only team to do so. ASU also only lost in regulation to two NCHC teams (Colorado College and Omaha).
"We were really confident in the way we went out and built our team and the type of players that we have in our room, we knew we weren't the eighth place team from day one. And to have the success to backup that confidence and to show our hockey community what we're all about and that we're ready to compete with anyone in the country at the very highest level, I think is tremendous. And to be able to host playoff hockey, we took it very seriously the responsibility to show that this is a great hockey market when we lost the National Hockey League and to give this hockey community something to cheer for, something to get excited for, something to really get behind, a passionate group of players and a passionate group of people to represent here in the desert, and we've done that."
- Sun Devil Hockey head coach Greg Powers
ASU NOTABLES
- Before Saturday's overtime win over UMD to secure the series sweep and advance to the Frozen Faceoff, the last overtime win for the Sun Devils was against then-No. 6 Denver, 6-5, at Mullett Arena on Feb. 8, 2025
- The DU OT win was also the last time that ASU scored six goals in a game before the victory over UMD last weekend. Before the NCHC Quarterfinals, the last time the Sun Devils had a home sweep was versus the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in December. ASU went on to sweep UMD in two-straight games in the best-of-3 NCHC Quarterfinals series
- ASU's 23 shots on goal on Friday night is the fewest SOG in a game for the Sun Devils this season
- EARLY OFFENSE: In 12 of the past 13 games, ASU notched at least a goal in the first period. In that span, the only game in which they did not light the lamp in the opening frame was versus No. 7-seed UMD in game two of the NCHC quarterfinals in which the Bulldogs led 3-0 at the end of the first. ASU came back to score three goals in the second period and ultimately win, 6-5, in overtime.
PLAYER NOTABLES
- Artem Shlaine tallied a multigoal game on Saturday night – notching the team's first and fourth goals. Before the NCHC quarterfinals, he last tallied a multigoal game, also versus Minnesota Duluth just one month earlier in Duluth. His teams are 5-1-1 this season when he tallied at least two goals in a game.
- Ty Jackson boasts 97 career points (33G, 64A). He tallied his fourth multipoint game on Saturday – in his career, his teams are 21-1-0 when he collects a multipoint game (4-0-0 in 2024-25)
- Sillinger reached 160 career points – 28G, 79A at ASU; 51G, 109A total. Tied for the team lead in points, Sillinger has only one three-point game this season – and 12 two-point games. Through 34 games played, he has only 10 games in which he did not tally a point. Since the last time that ASU played Denver on Feb. 7-8, Sillinger has tallied 13 points in 10 games, scoring at least a point in all but one of those games.
- Dylan Jackson's goal on Saturday night vs. the Bulldogs was his first since missing six games due to injury. His last goal scored was 14 games prior vs. then-No. 19 Colorado College
- Anthony Dowd opened conference play with a goal vs. Omaha in ASU's NCHC home opener in November. The sophomore defenseman went 25 games without scoring a goal – until he tallied Friday's game-winning goal vs. Minnesota Duluth to give ASU the 1-0 edge in the best-of-three series
NCHC INDIVIDUAL AWARD FINALISTS
Three members of Sun Devil Hockey were named as one of three finalists for five different NCHC year-end individual awards. Graduate center Artem Shlaine is a finalist for Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, and the Three Stars Award. Ty Murchison is a finalist for the Defensive Defenseman Award and Greg Powers is a finalist for the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year.
For eight of the awards, finalists were determined based on voting by the conference's nine head coaches and one media member covering each of the NCHC's nine programs, with the top three vote-getters (plus ties) for each award being named finalists. Athletic Directors at each NCHC institution had a vote on Herb Brooks Coach of the Year, as well, along with the coaches and media.
LAST TIME VS. DENVER - Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8 at Mullett Arena
Friday recap - L, 4-5 (OT): The Sun Devils were down 3-1 halfway through the game before an offensive push with goals by Ty Jackson and Lukas Sillinger that brought November's rematch within one score. Early in the third period, DU retook the lead, 4-3, before Bennett Schimek tallied the game-tying goal with only 48 seconds remaining in regulation. Despite the Sun Devils relentless chase of the Pioneers, ASU ultimately fell, 5-4, in the final moments of the five-minute 3-on-3 overtime in front of a sold out crowd. Luke Pavicich made his 16th start of the season and tallied 29 saves, the most he's had to make in the past four appearances. His record moved to 10-6-0 and it's his first loss since the second game against North Dakota on Jan. 11, 2025.
Saturday recap - W, 6-5 (OT): In the same gritty fashion that's catapulted the Sun Devils into showstopping victories all season, the No. 12 Arizona State ice hockey muscled a 6-5 overtime win over No. 6 Denver on Saturday night. The win gave ASU the edge in the four-game home-and-home series with DU after the Sun Devils already secured the road sweep of the Pioneers at Magness Arena in November. Hobey Baker nominee Bennett Schimek netted the game-winning goal in overtime to complete the win. Schimek continued his hot streak this weekend, tallying two goals on Saturday night to reach seven points in the past four games.
HISTORY VS. THE PIONEERS (5-10-1)
L, 1-5 - Jan. 6, 2017 - Magness Arena
L, 1-6 - Jan. 7, 2017 - Magness Arena
W, 4-1 - Dec. 6, 2019 - Oceanside Ice Arena
T, 2-2 - Dec. 7, 2019 - Gila River Arena (Coyotes Arena)
L, 3-8 - Oct. 8, 2021 - Magness Arena
L, 3-4 - Oct. 9, 2021 - Magness Arena
L, 2-6 - Dec. 3, 2021 - Oceanside Ice Arena
L, 1-7 - Dec. 4, 2021 - Oceanside Ice Arena
L, 2-3 - Dec. 2, 2022 - Magness Arena
L, 2-5 - Dec. 3, 2022 - Magness Arena
W, 6-5 (OT) - Nov. 10, 2023 - Mullett Arena
L, 4-8 (EN) - Nov. 11, 2023 - Mullett Arena
W, 3-2 - Nov. 22, 2024 - Magness Arena
W, 5-2 - Nov. 23, 2024 - Magness Arena
L, 4-5 (OT) - Feb. 7, 2025 - Mullett Arena
W, 6-5 (OT) - Feb. 8, 2025 - Mullett Arena
ROAD WARRIORS
ASU won seven of the last 10 games on the road, including a program best six consecutive away victories from Nov. 22-Feb. 1. The streak started at then-No. 1 Denver who was on a 21-game winning streak dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament and its national championship run. The Sun Devils collected the series sweep at Magness Arena - it was the first sweep of the Pioneers at home since pre-COVID February 2020. In the four years since then, Denver won two national championships (2022 and 2024). ASU's road dawg record continued at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State on Jan. 17-18 with 11 goals over the weekend pushing the Sun Devils to 6-3 and 5-3 victories. The streak lasted through ASU's dominant weekend at Miami which included 7-1 and 4-1 wins over the RedHawks.
DEVILS GOT DEPTH
Down the second half stretch, the Sun Devils have put their full roster depth on display with goals scored by skaters up and down the lineup. In the last 10 games since the Sun Devils last competed against the Pioneers, ASU's goals have been scored by skaters from three different lines, totaling 39 goals in that span. In the same span of the past 10 games, ASU tallied six goals against No. 6 Denver from five different skaters. Bennett Schimek was the only skater in that game to tally two goals. The Sun Devils accomplished the same feat - six goals from five different skaters - in the 6-5 overtime victory over No. 7-seed Minnesota Duluth last weekend to advance to the Frozen Faceoff. In Saturday's game, Shattuck-St. Mary's own Artem Shlaine was the sole player of the game to tally two goals.
SILLINGER STAYS RED HOT
Graduate winger and alternate captain Lukas Sillinger has gone on a heater in conference play, stealing the lead for assists (22) and assists per game (1.00) in the NCHC's regular season. He's in the top-five for overall season assists (30), assists per game (.88), points (38) and points per game (1.32). Sillinger went on a nine-game point scoring streak which included 15 points. The streak ties the longest consecutive scoring streak set by Josh Doan during the 2022-23 season at nine games with 16 points. In January, he set a new program record for career assists with 69. The fifth-year forward's career includes two seasons at Bemidji State and three at ASU. His combined career stats spanning 170 NCAA games includes 51 goals and 109 assists. Seventy-nine of his career assists occurred at ASU. In the series at Minnesota Duluth in February 2025, Sillinger reached 150 career points combined in five years between Bemidji State and Arizona State. His 107 points at ASU is tied second in the program's all-time career points with Brinson Pasichnuk. The record is set at 123 career points by Johnny Walker (2017-22). Most impressively, both Walker and Pasichnuk accumulated their career points in four years solely at ASU. Sillinger has racked up 107 career points at ASU in only three seasons (2022-25) after transferring from Bemidji State.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALIST
Artem Shlaine is finalist for three NCHC individual awards: Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, and Three Stars Award. Through his 24 games played in the conference regular season this year, Shlaine is a top performer. The graduate center boasts 31 points and 14 goals (in regular season conference play) - both marks are in the top-five. His 14 goals is only one shy of the lead set by Alex Bump (WMU). His 31 points ranked second, only one shy of the lead set by Jack Devine (DU). He ranks in the top-10 of goals, goals per game, assists, assists per game, points, points per game, shot percentage, faceoff wins, faceoff percentage, and shorthanded goals in conference play. With the most time on ice out of ASU's forward, Shlaine's kept a clean penalty sheet with only 14 penalty minutes through 28 games played (10 of those minutes were assessed at the end of the game at Omaha).
Shlaine led the NCHC in points through the month of January with 18. His season total rests at 34 at the end of the regular season. His career season high for points is 32 which he recorded in his first season at Northern Michigan (2022-23).
With four points on Friday night at Miami, Shlaine extended a point scoring streak to seven games, which tied for the second-longest point scoring streak in program history. The streak was only disrupted because Shlaine was injured and stretchered off the ice within the first three minutes of Saturday's game at Miami. He boasted 16 points during the streak which is the most points in seven consecutive games by a Sun Devil in program history:
- Artem Shlaine: 16 points - Jan. 10 - 31, 2025
- Robert Mastrosimone: 13 points - Feb. 17 - March 11, 2023
- James Sanchez: 12 points - Oct. 18 - Nov. 29, 2019
- Tim Lovell: 8 points - Jan. 13 - Feb. 10, 2024
The point streak record is held by Josh Doan with nine goals and 16 points from Feb. 4-March 11, 2023. This record is now tied by Lukas Sillinger who has the opportunity to extend the active streak going into the series at Omaha.
Shlaine continued his special teams success in January with one power play goal and two shorthanded. He scored his second shorthanded goal of the year at Miami to close out the month of January. Both of his lamplighters on Saturday vs. North Dakota were scored on special teams - one on the power play and one shorthanded. There are only four skaters in ASU history who have tallied a shorthanded goal and a power play goal in the same game (two occurred in 2024-25):
--- Artem Shlaine, vs. No. 14 North Dakota on Jan. 11, 2025 (L, 4-3 OT)
--- Bennett Schimek, vs. Air Force on Oct. 4, 2024 (W, 8-3)
--- Robert Mastrosimone, vs. Michigan Tech on Jan. 6, 2023 (L, 4-2)
--- Josh Maniscalso, vs. Alaska Fairbanks on Nov. 9, 2019 (W, 4-0)
Shlaine recorded his fifth multi-goal game of the season and seventh of his career in Saturday's game vs. Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC Quarterfinals. He set a single game career high on Saturday night at St. Cloud State with four points from one goal and three assists. Three games later, he reached the feat again with a four-point night at Miami (1G, 3A).
Shlaine leads the Sun Devils in shot percentage with 20.8 percent. In 30 games played and 37 points this season, Shlaine is over a point per game skater at 1.23 points per game which ranks 14th in the NCAA.
At the dot, Shlaine is one of the top faceoff specialists in the NCHC. He is second in the NCHC in faceoff wins during conference play and sixth overall with 344 through 30 games played. He has the most wins in the fewest games among all NCHC skaters. His 54.7 percent success rate ranks 12th in the NCHC overall.
NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Kirwan was dominant in January, tying for the NCAA lead with 11 goals during the month. He tallied 17 points in nine games to start 2025, ranking second in the NCHC and third in the NCAA in January scoring. Kirwan recorded at least a point in eight of his nine January games, with five multi-point games, including a trio of three-point games. The Penn State transfer also scored a goal in six of his nine games, including four multi-goal games. He averaged 1.89 points per game in January, which was third in the NCHC, while his four power play goals led the league last month.
Kirwan opened January by being named MVP of the Desert Hockey Classic after leading ASU to the title with a four-goal, five-point weekend. That included a hat trick against Robert Morris on Jan. 3, which helped him earn the first of two NCHC Forward of the Week nods during the month. Kirwan helped the Sun Devils to a sweep at St. Cloud State on Jan. 17-18 with a three-goal, four-point weekend, including three points in the series opener and the game-winning goal in the finale. The Hobey Baker Award nominee picked up his second Forward of the Week award after five points against Colorado College, including a career-high-tying four points on Jan. 25 in a 5-4 loss. Kirwan stretched his point streak to five games with two power play goals on Jan. 31 in a win at Miami to close out the month.
Kirwan finished the month with a +9 plus/minus, which tied for third in the NCHC, and fired 35 shots on goal, which was second in the conference in January. His 31.4 shooting percentage was also second in the NCHC. Kirwan now leads the NCHC with 18 goals this season, while his 28 points tie for fourth in the conference.
KIRWAN DOWN THE STRETCH
Since ASU last played Denver, Kirwan tallied nine points in eight games. He is currently on a four-game point scoring streak - and a four-game goal-scoring streak - which includes seven points (5G, 2A). In that same span he boasts two game-winning goals (at Omaha on Feb. 28 and vs. UMD on March 15) and two power play goals. Both of his game-winning goals were tallied on even strength.
PUT THE SPECIAL IN SPECIAL TEAMS
ASU has tallied a power play goal in 16 of the 20 games since the start of the New Year. The 20 games include a total of 22 power play goals with a single game high of four PPG at then-No. 15 St. Cloud State on Jan. 18. The goals were tallied by Lukas Sillinger, Noah Beck, Ty Jackson, and Ryan Kirwan. ASU's power play ranks third in the NCAA with a 29.2 percent success rate, behind only Denver (29.5) and Quinnipiac (30.3). On the penalty kill, ASU boasted six-straight games and 19 opponent power play opportunities without allowing the opponent to score a power play goal (Jan. 18-Feb. 7, 2025). The PK units rank 11th in the NCAA with a 84.1 percent success rate.
TWO HEADED MONSTER
Gibson Homer and Luke Pavicich have created the two-headed monster ideal for the grueling schedule in the best conference in college hockey. Homer and Pavicich own a near identical save percentage set at .909 for Pavicich and .919 for Homer. Pavicich got the nod in both two starts in the last home series at Mullett Arena against then-No. 3 Western Michigan, saving a combined 76 saves throughout the series. Homer started in both away games at Omaha to round out the regular season, making 61 saves through the series split. In the NCHC quarterfinals vs. Minnesota Duluth, Pavicich started both games and after winning on Friday night, he gave up three goals in the first period of Saturday's tilt. Powers made the call to put Homer in as relief at the start of the second period. The junior netminder made 34 saves through two regulation periods and overtime on the way to his eighth win of the season that also advanced the Sun Devils to the Frozen Faceoff.