DENVER – The No. 14 University of Denver hockey team opens a season-long, four-game homestand this weekend with a pair of games against the No. 9 Western Michigan Broncos at Magness Arena.
Friday's game is at 7 p.m. MT and also serves as the Pioneers' Military Appreciation Night.
Discounted military and veteran tickets are available for only $10. Saturday's game is at 6 p.m. MT, where DU will also be honoring the life of Joy Burns.
Denver (4-4-0, 0-2-0 NCHC) returns home after playing four straight and five of six on the road. The Pioneers are 3-0-0 at home this year and are 10-2-0 in their last 12 games on campus.
The Pios dropped both games last weekend at No. 8 North Dakota, falling 3-1 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday. Denver was able to cut its deficit to one goal in the third period in both contests but weren't able to score the equalizer.
Western Michigan (6-2-0, 1-1-0 NCHC) split last weekend's series at home versus No. 4/3 Minnesota Duluth. The Broncos won 4-3 on Friday before losing 3-0 on Saturday. WMU is 4-0-0 on the road this year, which included a 5-2 victory at then-No. 1 Michigan on Oct. 22.
Denver has won the last three matchups and is 19-10-2 against Western Michigan in the all-time series. The teams only met twice last season, doing so in the NCHC Pod in Omaha, Nebraska, on Dec. 15 and Dec. 19. The schools last faced off in the Mile High City on Nov. 22-23, 2019, with both squads picking up a win in the set.
DU closes its homestand on Parents Weekend on Nov. 19-20 versus Miami.
RIZZO NAMED ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Massimo Rizzo was named the NCHC's Rookie of the Month for October after leading all conference freshmen with five goals and tying for first among first-year players in scoring with eight points (5g/3a). This is the 11th time and 10th different Denver player to earn the conference honor, with
Carter Savoie last doing so in December 2020.
Bobby Brink won the award twice in 2019-20.
Rizzo's eight points are the most by a DU freshmen in the month of October since Emilio Pettersen also recorded eight points in October 2018 (two goals, six assists in four games). Henrik Borgstrom registered nine points (four goals, five assists) in eight games in October 2016.
PRO PIPELINE
Denver has 12 NHL drafted players on its roster, tied for the second most in the nation behind Boston University (14).
AROUND THE WORLD
The Pioneers are represented by four countries on their roster, the second-most in the NCHC behind St. Cloud State (five). DU has 13 Canadians, 11 Americans and one player each from Finland (
Antti Tuomisto) and Sweden (
Magnus Chrona).
St. Cloud State is represented by players from the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland and Slovakia.
TICKETS: Single-game tickets for the 2021-22 campaign are on sale now and can be purchased here.
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