158 days.
For some of us, the countdown has already been ongoing, but now the real countdown can begin on Schedule Release Day.
Twenty home games. Two weekend tournaments. A Thanksgiving weekend doubleheader with the Territorial Cup football game. All leading to the NCHC and NCAA tournaments in the spring. All familiar opponents for the Devils this season, as they look to build on last year's success and take the next step to a national tournament appearance.
PENN STATE (OCTOBER 3-4)
All-time record: 1-7-0
Last meeting: 12/13/2020 (L 4-5 (OT) at Penn State)
Fresh off the first Frozen Four appearance in program history, the Nittany Lions will make their first trip to the desert since the 2017-18 season, which saw the Devils get swept in a weekend series at Gila River Arena in Glendale. These two teams were fighting back and forth on the bubble for the 2025 NCAA tournament, and with the addition of Mac Gadowsky, Penn State will be a formidable season opening opponent.
ICE BREAKER TOURNAMENT (OCTOBER 10-11)
October 10: vs. Notre Dame
October 11: vs. Alaska-Fairbanks/Quinnipiac
Record vs. Notre Dame: 2-4-0
Last meeting: 1/10/2021 (W 5-3 at Notre Dame)
The symbolic opening of the NCAA hockey season, the Ice Breaker Tournament sponsored by the Hockey Commissioners Association comes to Tempe for the first time ever. This tournament carries an exemption to the annual schedule, allowing the Sun Devils to play 36 games instead of the standard 34.
The order of the games has not been officially determined yet, but we know that Quinnipiac and Alaska-Fairbanks will be one of the Friday matchups, with Arizona State and Notre Dame being the other. Saturday's games will feature the two losing teams playing the consolation game, followed by the championship game between the two winners.
AUGUSTANA (OCTOBER 17-18)
All-time record: 1-1-0
Last meeting: 1/20/2024 (W 3-2 at Mullet Arena)
The Devils travel to South Dakota for the first time ever to take on the newest program in college hockey in the Augustana Vikings. Fellow former independents, these two teams have only faced off in one weekend series, splitting two games at Mullett in the 2023-24 season.
Now a member of the CCHA, the Vikings stayed competitive throughout the 2024-25 season, finishing in second place in the conference playing an abridged conference schedule before falling to Bemidji State in the conference quarterfinal series.
MIAMI (AWAY OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 1, HOME JANUARY 9-10)
All-time record: 2-1-1
Last meeting: 2/1/2025 (W 4-1 at Miami)
The 2025-26 season will see four games against the bottom-dwelling RedHawks, one of four home-and-home series that the Sun Devils will play this season. Conference play will open on the road for the second straight season when the Devils travel to Goggin Ice Center on Halloween weekend, before Miami makes their first ever visit to the desert January 9th-10th. Things can't get much worse for Anthony Noreen's sophomore season behind the bench in Oxford, as the RedHawks could be playing spoiler for the Sun Devils tournament hopes.
COLORADO COLLEGE (HOME NOVEMBER 7-8, AWAY JANUARY 30-31)
All-time record: 7-5-2
Last meeting: 1/25/2025 (L 4-5 at Mullett Arena)
The final season of "pod scheduling" before St. Thomas joins the NCHC in 2026, the Devils will enjoy home-and-home scheduling with their geographic neighbors from Colorado Springs this season. The Devils came out on the wrong end of a 1-3-0 season record against the Tigers in 2024-25, including a brutal collapse in the most recent meeting that saw Colorado College score five times in the final 20 minutes to avoid getting swept. January's road series kicks off a stretch of six of the final ten games on the road for the Devils leading into the conference quarterfinals.
NORTH DAKOTA (AWAY NOVEMBER 14-15, HOME JANUARY 23-24)
All-time record: 2-1-0
Last meeting: 1/11/2025 (L 3-4 (OT) at Mullett Arena)
Another year, another matchup against a former Sun Devil goaltender. This time, it will be Gibson Homer facing off against his former team after he carved the newest path in the Tempe to Grand Forks pipeline.
This season marks the first trip to the hallowed Ralph Englestad Arena for the Sun Devils, the largest arena in the NCHC and third largest in all of NCAA hockey. Prior to last season's series, the only other time the Devils and Fighting Hawks had faced off was in the 2022 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, a 3-2 win over then-Top 10 ranked North Dakota.
DENVER (HOME NOVEMBER 21-22, AWAY FEBRUARY 27-28)
All-time record: 5-11-1
Last meeting: 3/21/2025 (L 2-4, NCHC Semifinal at Xcel Energy Center)
The budding rivalry between the Devils and Pioneers added a new chapter in St. Paul just last month, and revenge will be on the Devils minds as they look to erase the disappointing end to the season in the Frozen Faceoff semifinal.
The 17 previous meetings between the two are tied for the most games Arizona State has played against any one program. After going 1-8-1 in the first eight seasons at Division 1, the tide is starting to turn in the Devils favor, going 4-3-0 against the Pioneers since the start of the 2023-24 season.
OHIO STATE (NOVEMBER 28-29)
All-time record: 2-4-2
Last meeting: 3/5/2021 (W 5-0 at Ohio State)
A midseason non-conference matchup brings another 2025 NCAA tournament team to the desert for a marquee holiday weekend series. Like the rest of the teams in the Big Ten, the Devils racked up games against the Buckeyes during the all-road 2020-21 season, and will welcome the Buckeyes back to Arizona for the first time since the magical 2018-19 season.
Friday's game will present a full calendar for Sun Devil fans, as it falls on Territorial Cup Day for football. Who needs to spend all day shopping on Black Friday when you can spend the day with Sun Devil Athletics instead?
MINNESOTA-DULUTH (DECEMBER 12-13)
All-time record: 4-3-1
Last meeting: 3/15/2025 (W 6-5 (OT), NCHC Quarterfinal at Mullett Arena)
After six meetings and a 4-1-1 record in 2024-25, only two games show on the schedule between the Devils and Bulldogs, this season being a road only series at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth. One of two NCHC arenas where the Devils are winless (0-3-1), so there will be extra symbolic incentive to cross this arena off of the list.
DARTMOUTH (DECEMBER 27-28)
All-time record: 0-0-2
Last meeting: 12/9/2023 (T 1-1)
The return of the annual holiday east coast road trip for the Sun Devils, this time making the first trip in program history to Thompson Arena in Hanover, NH. The only games between the Devils and Big Green came in the 2023-24 season, both games being played to ties and giving Sun Devil fans their first meaningful glimpse at Gibson Homer in the series finale. Typically the weekend of the Ledyard Classic, this is scheduled to be the first season that the Classic has not been played since 2007.
DESERT HOCKEY CLASSIC (JANUARY 2-3)
Opponents: Air Force, Alaska-Anchorage, Michigan Tech
The Desert Hockey Classic will return just after New Year's to open the 2026 side of the schedule, and while the matchups are not yet determined, the Sun Devils hold a .500 record or better against all three teams.
Michigan Tech (3-3-0) makes their third appearance in the Classic, Air Force (5-4-0) will be participating for the second time, while Alaska Anchorage (8-3-0) will make their debut appearance. Winners in two straight years, the Devils will look to make it a hat trick and clinch their third straight championship.
ST. CLOUD STATE (FEBRUARY 6-7)
All-time record: 2-3-0
Last meeting: 1/18/2025 (W 5-3 at St. Cloud)
The Huskies will become the final NCHC team to make their first trip to Tempe, though this is not their first matchup with the Devils in Arizona. These two faced off in the third place game of the 2016 Desert Hockey Classic in Prescott Valley, with St. Cloud winning that matchup 4-2. After losing the first three head to head matchups, the Devils swept the Huskies last season on the road, and will aim to take the upper hand in the all-time series this season.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (FEBRUARY 13-14)
All-time record: 1-2-1
Last meeting: 2/22/2025 (L 3-4 at Mullett Arena)
The second-to-last road trip of the season takes the Devils to Kalamazoo against the defending national champions in the farewell season to Lawson Arena. The opportunity to play the defending national champions always adds some extra intrigue to the schedule, and being able to spoil the final season celebrations is something that makes it more fun from the fans perspective.
The Devils played the Broncos incredibly tough in their two matchups last season, dealing the Broncos their only regulation loss in conference play. This series could prove to be another battle for the Penrose Cup down the stretch.
OMAHA (FEBRUARY 20-21)
All-time record: 6-8-1
Last meeting: 3/1/2025 (L 2-4 at Omaha)
The future "travel partner" for the Sun Devils will wrap up the home schedule for the 2025-26 season. Beginning next season, the Devils and Mavericks will be a guaranteed home-and-home series when St. Thomas joins in 2026, and based on the last five matchups, this somewhat forced rivalry is already taking on some life. Neither team holds any affection for the other, and this should be a hard fought series that could have some heavy seeding implications for the NCHC tournament.
POSTSEASON
Speaking of the conference tournament, the 2025-26 season will be the first season that all rounds are played at campus sites. The final season of the nine-team conference lineup will put the top eight teams into the tournament, with quarterfinal games to be hosted by the top four seeds March 6-8.
Semifinal games will be played the following weekend on March 14th with the two highest remaining seeds hosting, and the championship will be played on March 21st at the highest remaining seed. The postseason tournament champion will get the conference autobid to the NCAA tournament. NCAA regionals will be played March 26-29, and the Frozen Four will be hosted in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena April 9th-11th.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The Devils are no longer flying under the radar in the NCHC. Last season's second place finish put a target on their backs, and the non-conference schedule that Coach Powers has pulled together says to the college hockey world "We're here, come get us."
Four teams that made the NCAA tournament in 2025 will visit Mullett Arena throughout the season, giving fans strong competition to look forward to week in and week out. It may still only be April, but mentally I'm getting ready to settle into my seat in Section 106 on Friday, October 3rd for another exciting season of Sun Devil Hockey. Until then, Forks Up and Be The Tradition!