This season, Minnesota-Duluth is a flawless 10-0 in the first game of a two-game series, including a 3-1 win over Arizona State on Friday, Dec. 12.

However, the Bulldogs went into the second game of this weekend’s series against the Sun Devils boasting a 4-5 mark in the latter game of the series.

Ultimately, Minnesota-Duluth’s struggles continued on Saturday, Dec. 13, as ASU split the series, winning 6-3 at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, despite being outshot 40-30.

Senior forward Bennett Schimek went off in the win, pulling off his first hat trick of the season and adding on two assists for ASU.

The visit to Duluth was a homecoming trip for Schimek, who grew up in Mendota Heights, just outside of Minneapolis.

Schimek, who hadn’t had a multi-goal game all season before Saturday, finished off the hat trick at the last possible moment, burying an empty-netter with just three seconds remaining in regulation.

The senior Schimek also opened up the scoring for the Sun Devils, tying up the game in the middle of the first period after Minnesota-Duluth junior forward Braden Fischer gave the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead.

Shortly after assisting on the Schimek score, sophomore forward Cullen Potter put the Sun Devils out in front for good on a power-play goal late in the first period, assisted by Schimek and junior center Sean McGurn.

Schimek picked up his second goal late in the second period, the lone tally for either side in the middle frame. The goal came off an assist from senior forward Cruz Lucius.

Lucius quickly got back on the board out of the second intermission, scoring an unassisted goal just 2:32 into the final period of play. It was his 11th score of the season, good for the ASU team lead.

Then, Schimek notched his fourth point of the contest on an assist to freshman defenseman Justin Kipkie, who scored his first goal of the campaign to push the score to 5-2 in favor of the Sun Devils with under 13 minutes to play.

Yet the Bulldogs didn’t go down quietly. Minnesota-Duluth scored two goals in the third period off the sticks of sophomore forward Max Plante and freshman forward Daniel Shlaine.

Both Plante and Shlaine scored a goal in both games of the series, and Plante’s season total of 16 goals is second in the nation, only trailing Michigan sophomore forward Will Horcoff’s 19

Between the pipes, freshman goalie Samuel Urban racked up 37 saves on 40 shots, his second-best mark of the season. It was Urban’s first win since ASU took down Notre Dame 5-3 at Mullett Arena on Nov. 10.

With the win, the Sun Devils split an NCHC series for the fourth time this season. ASU has not surrendered a sweep since Oct. 17-18 at Augustana.

However, the Sun Devils have a tall task ahead of them, as they travel to take on Dartmouth on the road on Dec. 27-28.

The Big Green are a perfect 11-0 so far this season, with eight of these victories coming at their home rink in Hanover, NH.

As for the Bulldogs, they don’t return to action until the new year, as their next game is an international tussle with the University of Manitoba on Jan. 2, 2026.