DENVER – The No. 8 University of Denver hockey team heads out on its first road trip of the season this weekend as the Pioneers face No. 12 Providence College on Friday and No. 10 Boston College on Saturday. Both games begin at 5 p.m. MT.
Denver sports an undefeated 4-0-0 record on the campaign after defeating the Air Force Academy 4-1 in Colorado Springs last Friday and then 8-0 at home on Saturday. The team's latest win was its largest margin of victory since beating Minnesota State 10-2 on Oct. 22, 2011.
The Pioneers are set to play Providence for the first time since a 4-4 tie at home on Nov. 24, 2018. This will be the squads' first matchup in Rhode Island since 2016-17, when Denver tied 2-2 on Dec. 30 and lost 3-1 on Dec. 31. The Pios are 7-9-3 all-time against the Friars.
DU will be playing its first game at Boston College since winning 6-1 on Oct. 28, 2017. Denver is 19-15-0 in the all-time series versus the Eagles and has won each of the last three games, including by a 6-4 score in the previous matchup on Oct. 19, 2019 at Magness Arena. Denver last played in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2018-19 when it squared off against Merrimack and UMass Lowell on Dec. 28-29, winning both games.
The Pioneers are in a stretch where they play five of six and four in a row on the road, as their next home series at Magness Arena isn't until Nov. 12-13 versus Western Michigan.
THREE THINGS
Offensive Output: Denver is the highest scoring offense in the country after its first two weekends of play, averaging 6.0 goals per game. DU has scored a goal in all 12 periods this season and is outshooting its opponents by an average of 46-21.75 following four contests.
Skate For Eight: The Pioneers already have two games this year where they have scored eight goals: an 8-3 win in the season opener vs. Arizona State on Oct. 8 and an 8-0 victory vs. Air Force last Saturday. Entering this season, the last time DU had tallied eight times in a game was Nov. 13, 2014 when it defeated Colorado College 8-1. The 2004-05 was the last season that Denver scored eight goals in two or more games (Jan. 1, 2005 vs. AFA, 9-4; Jan. 28 vs. UAA, 8-4), while the 1992-93 campaign marked the previous time that the Pios scored eight goals twice in the first four outings of a season (Oct. 24, 1992 vs. UMD, 8-4; Oct. 31, 1992 vs. SCSU, 8-2).
Scoring Savoie: Carter Savoie recorded three goals and three assists on Saturday for a career-high six points, recording each on the team's first six tallies. It was Savoie's first collegiate hat trick and the first by a Denver player since Tyler Ward on Feb. 21, 2020 vs. Miami. The six points set an NCHC record for the most by a player in a game and was tied for the ninth most in a contest in program history (record is eight). Savoie, who was named the NCHC Forward of the Week on Monday, has points in each of the first four games of the season and ranks second in the nation in scoring with 11 points (five goals, six assists). He leads the country with 2.75 points per game.
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