Dave Hakstol wins first game as Arizona State men’s hockey head coach

The newly named head coach won his first game behind the Sun Devils bench on Friday in a 5-4 decision over UMass-Lowell.

Hakstol, who began the season as an assistant with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, was hired by Arizona State on Thursday as the school investigates an outdoor workout that left player Matthew Mayich on life support.

The team and previous head coach Greg Powers, who had been placed on administrative leave, "mutually agreed" to part when Hakstol was hired.

The victory for the 58-year-old Hakstol marked his first at the collegiate level since 2015, when he finished an 11-season run at North Dakota that included seven Frozen Four appearances.

However, his most recent win did not come easy. The Sun Devils raced to a 3-0 lead in the first period, but gave two back late to go into the locker rooms clinging to a one-goal lead.

After the Sun Devils added one more goal in the second, UMass-Lowell pulled things back within one early in the third, only for Arizona State's Lukas Sawchyn to seal things with a late marker.

Hakstol's Sun Devils will be back in action quickly on the second half of a back-to-back against UMass-Lowell on Saturday.