In ASU's first-ever NCHC conference series, Colorado College swept the Sun Devils. On Friday night in Tempe, the Tigers encountered a much different ASU team. This team has won ten of its last eleven games and needed a win to stay atop what is arguably the toughest college hockey conference in the country.

The No. 11 Sun Devils (14-8-1, 9-4 NCHC) started the game slowly, with little action in the first period, but they turned it around midway through the second period with three goals in the final 10 minutes of the period. This outburst proved to be the difference as they beat the No. 19 Tigers (11-11-1, 5-7-1 NCHC) 4-1. Even with the offense looking stagnant in the opening 20 minutes, their defense helped keep Colorado College off the scoreboard.

"We weren't generating a ton, but we weren't giving up anything," head coach Greg Powers said. "We were just patient and stuck to our game. We relied on the depth that we have, and it showed tonight to kind of take over. Your fourth line gives you a big goal to start, and then we just went downhill from there. Everybody chipped in, and it was a great team win."

Arizona State generated eight shots on goal in the first period but was limited in the offensive zone. When ASU would enter the zone with numbers, the Tigers quickly recovered and forced a turnover, or the Sun Devils would dump the puck and change lines. Even with the offense not finding its footing to begin the game, ASU stayed with it and let its offense find a flow, and inevitably, it did in the second.

The Sun Devils came into the weekend ranked 40th in the country in faceoff win percentage (48.7%, but tied the Tigers 19-19 in the circle at one point. Arizona State won just four faceoffs in the third, losing the battle in the circle 34-22. Teams in the NCHC showcase a plethora of physicality, and the Sun Devils have struggled to keep up at times.