The No. 4 Denver Pioneers hockey team (9-3-2, 1-3-2-1) returns from its bye week and resumes non-conference play with its first series in program history at No. 20 Arizona State (7-4-1). Friday's puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. MT from Oceanside Ice Arena. Saturday's puck drop is set for 4:30 p.m. MT from Gila River Arena, home of the Arizona Coyotes.
 
DENVER: LAST SERIES
WMU 2, DU 1 | DU 6, WMU 1 (Nov. 22-23, 2019 – Denver, Colo.)
• Game 1: With goals at 2:21 and 10:57 of the first period, the Broncos controlled the early portion of the game and built a lead they never relinquished. Jaakko Heikkinen's goal midway through the second cut the Pioneers' deficit to 2-1, but Brandon Bussi's 35 save-performance helped preserve the Broncos' lead
• Game 2: Each member of Denver's newly-formed top line (Tyler Ward-Jaakko Heikkinen-Bobby Brink) had multi-point games as Denver trounced Western Michigan
• Jaakko Heikkinen, Bobby Brink and Tyler Ward had four-point weekends
• Denver went 3/9 on the power play and 4/4 on the penalty kill
 
DENVER: SNAPSHOT
• Before entering its second bye week of the season, Denver snapped a five-game winless streak and earned its first conference win of the season with a 6-1 victory against Western Michigan on Nov. 23  
• Ian Mitchell and Emilio Pettersen lead the Pioneers with 12 points each, while Bobby Brink and Liam Finlay are tied for second in team scoring with 11 points each
• The Pioneers' penalty kill ranks 6^th in the NCAA, going 49/54 (90.7%). Denver has scored three shorthanded goals, T- 4^th in the NCAA
• Magnus Chrona is 7-3-2 with a 2.15 GAA, 3^rd among NCAA freshmen, a .920 SV%, 3^rd among NCAA freshmen, and two shutouts, 2^nd among NCAA freshmen
• Denver ranks 4^th in the NCAA in shots on goal per game with an average of 34.57
 
DENVER: UP NEXT
Dec. 13-14 vs. Colorado College (Denver, Colo. & Colorado Springs, Colo.)
• The Pioneers and Tigers will return for the Battle for the Gold Pan. Denver leads the all-time series 177-120-20, going 2-2-1 last season and 1-2-1 in the regular season to lose the Gold Pan for the first time in five years. The all-time Battle for the Gold Pan series stands at 13-13
 
ARIZONA STATE: SNAPSHOT
• James Sanchez leads the Sun Devils with 17 points (4-13-17)
• The Sun Devils are 2-2 vs. ranked opponents, getting swept on the road at then-No. 3 Minnesota State (4-1 L, 5-0 L) and sweeping then-No. 9 Quinnipiac at home (5-3 W, 4-1 W)
• ASU has a +7 goal margin in the first period and is 6-1-1 when scoring the first goal of the game. The Sun Devils are 1-3-0 when allowing the first goal of the game and have not won a game in which they've trailed at the first or second intermission
 
ARIZONA STATE: UP NEXT
Dec. 14-15 at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.)
• The Sun Devils will travel to face the Spartans after sweeping Michigan State in a two-game series last season at Oceanside Ice Arena
 
DENVER VS. ARIZONA STATE
• The Pioneers are 2-0-0 all-time against ASU, sweeping the Sun Devils in a series at Magness Arena on Jan. 6-7, 2017 (5-1 W, 6-1 W)
• Henrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry, Dylan Gambrell and Jarid Lukosevicius combined for seven goals and ten assists in Denver's sweep of ASU
 
HEIKKINEN NAMED NCHC FORWARD OF THE WEEK
• Jaakko Heikkinen was named NCHC Forward of the Week on Nov. 25 for his two goals and two assists against Western Michigan on Nov. 22-23
• Heikkinen led all Pioneer skaters with seven shots and recorded a +2 plus/minus rating. He scored goals in both games of the series, adding a pair of assists in Saturday's win to record his second-career three-point game
 
SCORING STATS
• Denver is 8-0-1 when leading after the second period
• The Pioneers have a +18 goal margin, 10^th in the NCAA, and have a +16 margin in the second period
 
PIONEERS IN ARIZONA
• In its 70-year history, Denver has had three alumni play for the Arizona Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets: Tom Martin (1984-1987), Ryan Caldwell (2007-2008) and Dakota Mermis (2017-2019)
• Alum Beau Bennett currently plays for the Tucson Roadrunners, the Coyotes' AHL affiliate
 
NON-CONFERENCE STREAK
• The Pioneers are undefeated in 19 straight non-conference games with a 17-0-2 mark in that stretch
• Denver is 22-2-4 against non-conference opponents since the 2017-18 season
 
MITCHELL'S POINT
• Since last season, Denver is 20-2-4 when Ian Mitchell scores a point and 13-13-3 when he does not
• This season, the Pioneers are 8-0-0 when Ian Mitchell scores a point and 1-3-2 when he does not
 
HOME COOKIN'
• Denver is 30-10-8 at home since the 2017-18 season, posting a .625 winning percentage and taking points from 79% of its games
 
70TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
• The Pioneers are playing in their 70th Anniversary Season. Since its inaugural season in 1949, Denver has made 30 appearances in the NCAA tournament, 17 appearances in the Frozen Four and won eight National Championships, tied for the second-most titles among any college hockey program
 
UP NEXT: Denver men's hockey presented by Centura Health travels to face Arizona State in a non-conference matchup on Dec. 6-7

DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the hockey program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.  
 
SHOP PIONEERS: Get dressed for Game Day! Get your Pioneers gear at ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.

-OUR JOURNEY, OUR TIME- 
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