No. 12 ASU hockey takes Game 1 of NCHC quarterfinals 4-3 over Minnesota Duluth

No. 12 Arizona State hockey opened up its first-ever postseason as a member of a conference with a win at Mullett Arena on Friday night. The Sun Devils defeated Minnesota Duluth 4-3 in Game 1 of the best-of-three games quarterfinal round of the NCHC Tournament.

Forwards Ryan Kirwan and Charlie Schoen opened up the scoring for ASU in the first period, helping the team jump out to a quick 2-0 lead and setting the pace early.

Duluth climbed back into the game in the second period, however, knotting things up at 2-2 before ASU's Bennett Schimek immediately regained the lead for the Sun Devils.

The Bulldogs would tie things up once more heading into the third period but Anthony Dowd found a clutch tuck early in the final frame to put ASU ahead once and for all in this contest.

Arizona State hockey is one win away from the NCHC semifinals

During the regular season, ASU and Minnesota Duluth needed overtime to decide a winner in three of the four matchups. The two split the series but the Sun Devils have snatched one of the games that now matters the most.

Taking Game 1 of the quarterfinal series is a crucial step towards advancing. The Sun Devils will have two opportunities on Saturday and Sunday to clinch the best-of-three series and advance to the NCHC semifinals.

ASU, the two-seed, would play the winner of the Denver-Colorado College quarterfinal series - in which the sixth-seeded Tigers snagged a 3-1 Game 1 win to put the three-seed Pioneers on their heels.

The NCHC semifinals and final, all single-elimination, will be played at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota from March 21-22.

ASU, despite being ranked No. 12 nationally, was considered a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament based on the all-important PairWise rankings (No. 15). The surest path to the 16-team field would be to win the NCHC outright and claim its auto-bid. The Sun Devils are off to a good start in that quest.