TEMPE, Ariz. — With major postseason implications, and its season on life support, Arizona State (14-19-1, 7-14-1 NCHC) prevailed over the University of Omaha 6-3 (11-21-0, 7-15-0 NCHC) in the home finale of the 2025-26 season at Mullett Arena on Friday, Feb. 21, 2026. 

After a devastating 4-2 loss on Friday, the Sun Devils bounced back and put on a show one last time for the Inferno with a three-goal third period to close out the season at home.

“It was obviously a special night,” senior right wing and co-captain Bennett Schimek said. “Glad we came out on top and put on a show at the end there.”

The night started oddly similar to the last, with freshman defenseman Lincoln Kuehne opening up the scoring for the Sun Devils, his first goal and point of his career.

“He's a really talented freshman,” head coach Greg Powers said. “People forget how young he is. He has a lot of ups, a lot of downs, but his upside is tremendous, and I think that's a big confidence builder for a young kid like that. 

Unlike the Friday night loss, the Sun Devils controlled this matchup, leading the Mavericks from start to finish.

While ASU  saw six different goal scorers, the senior duo of Schimek and left wing Cruz Lucius stole the show, combining for seven points on the night, five of those points coming from Lucius on one goal and four assists.

“He's (Lucius) a special player,” Powers said. “I've said it from the minute he got here, how special he was, and he's just so skilled. Tonight, he was just a possessed kid. He was doing everything. He was forechecking, he was managing pucks, and he was making the right decisions.”

Alongside Schimek and Lucius, junior center Sean McGurn completes ASU’s top line and contributed three assists to the Sun Devil victory.

“I think our line was clicking a lot,” Lucius said. “I thought we had a lot of chances, and finishing our chances obviously was a big, big part of it too.”

With the Schimek-Lucius on-ice chemistry on full display, their bond goes beyond the ice.

“We’ve played together for a long time,” Schimek said. “We decided to come here together. Being out there for the last game together is really special and something we'll never forget.”

Both Schimek and Lucius transferred to ASU after their sophomore years, Schimek from Providence and Lucius from Wisconsin.

“It's hard to put into words what this program means to us,” Schimek said. “We kind of came here on a limb, we gave up a secure place, friends, school. It was kind of a leap to come here. 

“I think looking back on our time here at Mullett, I don't think we would hesitate to do it again, and we're just super grateful.”

Wedged between the success of the first and third, the second period proved to be the least productive for the Sun Devils, as penalties plagued this group, putting Omaha on the power play four times and giving up two goals with the Mavericks on the man advantage.

“The penalties have to stop,” Powers said. “They're all stick penalties. They were all good calls. I could feel the crowd getting frustrated, but they're all penalties. So I can't say anything other than our guys got to keep their feet moving, their sticks down, and we tell them that all the time. If we do that again next weekend, it'll cost us.”

The win over Omaha puts the Sun Devils back into NCHC tournament position, jumping Omaha in the standings, as they head to Colorado to face off against the University of Denver for the second and final time of the regular season.

“We've been on a little bit of a skid these last couple of weeks, so to get back on the right track, and now to be back in a position where we control our own destiny is huge,” Schimek said. “I think the guys understand how big of a weekend next weekend is, and going on the road to Denver is gonna be a tough challenge, but I think we're up for it. I think sky's the limit still for this team.”

Even through the rough patch, with the Sun Devils being 2-8 in their last 10 games before this weekend, there is one thing left to do.

“Just believe,” Powers said. “At this point, with some of the plays those guys made and the grit that it took to get this one tonight, because that team was obviously trying to put us away, our guys prevailed, and they showed that they can get through adversity, and I think that says a lot about them.”