No. 5 Penn State defeats No. 14 Arizona State 6-3 in a back and forth season opener

TEMPE, Ariz – No. 14 Arizona State took on No. 5 Penn State in its season opener. With a thrilling night full of constant lead changes, a sold out stadium, the top NHL prospect making his NCAA debut, and the jersey retirement of former ASU hockey goaltender, Joey Daccord, the game was even steamed on NHL network.

With this big of a game being the season opener, the pressure was on both teams to make a stand, and Penn State came out victorious, 6-3. Here is what we can take away from the game. 

Gavin McKenna is the real deal

Penn State’s very own freshman forward Gavin McKenna faced off against ASU for the first time tonight. Not only was it his first time against ASU, but it was his NCAA debut.

Going into the game, all eyes were on McKenna as he is the top NHL prospect going into the 2026 NHL draft. He recorded two assists, and four shots to collect his first career points in college.

The ASU student section would react in a chant of boos when Mckenna would get the puck, but that didn’t seem to bother the young stud.

“I heard the boos whenever I got to touch the puck,” McKenna said. “Yeah, it was fun getting to play in a crowd like that.”

McKenna showed up and showed out in his collegiate debut, looking every bit the part as the favorite to be the top pick in the 2026 draft.

ASU struggled with shooting the puck

Throughout the game, ASU recorded 36 shots, and three goals against Penn State. Although, during crucial moments, like power plays, ASU couldn’t find a way to get shots on goal.

This made the offense look messy and very unorganized. Specifically, in the middle of the third period when ASU had a power play, the Sun Devils had a tough time getting shots off and ran out a lot of clock.

This will be a huge issue if it continues in upcoming games as far as getting pucks in the back of the net. 

ASU’s offense has potential 

Late into the second period, it was visible to any viewer that the offense was starting to feel a rhythm. ASU proved this by scoring back-to-back goals late in the second period.

Junior center Sean McGurn scored and junior defenseman Anthony Dowd and sophomore forward Cullen Potter picked up the assist.

You could see the mood change within the team after McGurn’s goal. Just seconds later ASU skated their way down the ice for sophomore forward Logan Morrell to pick up a second goal against Penn State. Sophomore forward Ty Nash and freshman forward Sam Alfano picked up the assists.

When ASU can connect like this on the ice, it has the potential to be a very good team in 2025.

ASU legend Joey Daccord gets his jersey retired 

ASU goaltender from 2016-2019, Joey Daccord, is the first ASU hockey player to get his jersey retired. Daccord has changed the game of hockey for the Sun Devils, not just on a game aspect, but on a personal level.

“Looking at what’s been built here and the success that the program has had. I feel like I had an impact and it means everything.”

He’s brought pride, passion, and love to the facility, and he’ll always be remembered at ASU.

Now, the Sun Devils’ legend is the Seattle Kraken’s goalkeeper and has spent time on team Team USA representing his country. You could see the emotions within Daccord and the ASU crowd, resembling just how special the night was.

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