TEMPE – The No. 2-seed Arizona State ice hockey team (20-13-2, 15-9-1 NCHC) defeated No. 7-seed Minnesota Duluth (13-19-3, 9-14-2 NCHC) 4-3, in the first game of the NCHC quarterfinal series on Friday night at Mullett Arena. It was the first postseason contest in Tempe and the Sun Devils have a chance to clinch a spot in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff with a win on Saturday night.
In a back-and-forth battle, ASU took an early 2-0 lead before UMD responded with two goals of its own. The two teams then traded goals before Anthony Dowd notched the game-winner with over 14 minutes left in the third period.