Dave Hakstol’s Arizona State debut came fast, loud and just about as hectic as the week that led him there.
Barely 48 hours after leaving the Colorado Avalanche to take over as the Sun Devils’ head coach, Hakstol was in Lowell watching his new team grind out a 5-4 win over UMass Lowell on Friday night. It was a quick start to a new job and a first victory to match.
Hakstol said Thursday he was grateful for his time in Colorado. “I’m coming from an organization where I’m so thankful for the opportunity in Colorado,” Hakstol said. “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.”
Arizona State made sure the new coach had something to smile about early. The Sun Devils jumped to a 3-0 lead in the opening period, getting goals from Daniel Shlaine, Landon Hafele and Jack O’Brien.
UMass Lowell kept swinging back. Jack Beck pushed Arizona State’s lead back to two with a power-play goal at 17:51 of the second period, but the River Hawks didn’t go away. Jak Vaarwerk cut it to one early in the third, turning the final stretch into a tense finish.
The Sun Devils survived the push and closed out the 5-4 win, giving Hakstol a victory in his first game behind their bench.
Samuel Urban finished with 33 saves for Arizona State. Austin Elliott made 32 stops for the River Hawks.
Hakstol arrives with a deep coaching résumé behind him. He spent 11 seasons at North Dakota, going 289-143-43 and taking the program to seven Frozen Four appearances before moving to the NHL. He later coached the Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken, helping Seattle reach its first playoff appearance in 2023, then worked as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Avalanche.
For now, the college game has him back in a familiar place, only with a new team, a new bench and a win already in the books.
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