Dave Hakstol had barely been at Arizona State for 48 hours before he had his first win.
After leaving the Colorado Avalanche to take over as the Sun Devils’ head coach, Hakstol arrived in Lowell on Thursday and watched his new team deliver a 5-4 victory over UMass Lowell on Friday night, giving him a winning start to an already whirlwind week.
“I’m coming from an organization where I’m so thankful for the opportunity in Colorado,” Hakstol said Thursday. “The people that were there, Joe Sakic, Bedsy, all of these people are such high-level, first-class people, and I really enjoyed my time there.”
The Sun Devils wasted little time giving their new coach something to celebrate, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals from Daniel Shlaine, Landon Hafele and Jack O’Brien.
UMass Lowell responded with a pair of goals just 49 seconds apart late in the period. Tobias Pitka scored first, followed by Jacob MacDonald, cutting Arizona State’s lead to 3-2 heading into the first intermission.
Jack Beck restored the Sun Devils’ two-goal cushion with a power-play goal at 17:51 of the second period, but Lowell continued to push. Jak Vaarwerk scored early in the third to pull the River Hawks within one, keeping the pressure on Arizona State down the stretch.
With the game still in the balance, Lukas Sawchyn scored at 17:37 of the third to give the Sun Devils some breathing room. The goal proved decisive when Kuzma Voronin scored with the extra attacker and 44 seconds remaining, bringing Lowell within one for the final time.
Arizona State held on to secure the 5-4 victory, giving Hakstol his first win behind the Sun Devils’ bench just one day after arriving in Lowell.
Samuel Urban made 33 saves for Arizona State, while Austin Elliott stopped 32 shots for the River Hawks.
Hakstol brings a wealth of head coaching experience to Arizona State. He spent 11 seasons leading North Dakota, compiling a 289-143-43 record and guiding the program to seven Frozen Four appearances before making the jump to the NHL. He went on to coach the Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken, leading Seattle to its first playoff appearance in 2023, before serving as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs and lastly, the Avalanche. Now, he returns to the college ranks with an extensive résumé at both the collegiate and professional levels.
His transition to Arizona State has come quickly, with little time to get acquainted with his new surroundings before stepping behind the bench. After reflecting Thursday on the people and relationships he valued in Colorado, Hakstol had a new team to lead Friday — and a first victory to show for it.