TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 12 Denver Pioneers hockey teams return to action following its second bye week of the season and head to the desert for a two-game set at the Arizona State Sun Devils on Friday and Saturday night at Oceanside Ice Arena.
 
Both games begin at 7 p.m. MT and will be streamed live on Pac-12.com.
 
Denver is coming off back-to-back weekend sweeps during a four-game homestand against the Western Michigan Broncos and Miami RedHawks. The Pioneers won 7-1 versus Miami in their most recent outing on Nov. 20.
 
The Pios will be facing the Sun Devils for the third and fourth time this season after winning 8-3 and 4-3, respectively, in their season-opening set on Oct. 8-9 at Magness Arena. This is the first time that DU is facing a non-conference opponent more than twice in a season since playing three contests versus St. Cloud State in 1988-89. The last school that the Pioneers played four non-conference games with was U.S. International University (San Diego, California) in 1983-84.
 
Denver has a 4-1-1 all-time record against ASU, which began NCAA division-I hockey in 2015-16. DU is 0-1-1 all-time in Arizona, with the team last traveling to the desert on Dec. 6-7, 2019. In that series, the Sun Devils won 4-1 on the first night at Oceanside Ice Arena in Tempe before the teams ska­ted to a 2-2 tie the next day at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, home of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
 
Arizona State has a 7-7-0 mark on the season after splitting last week's home series vs. then-No. 20 Bemidji State. The Sun Devils lost 4-3 on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, Nov. 26, before winning 6-4 two days later on Black Friday, ending a three-game losing streak. ASU, which owns a 6-2-0 mark at home this year, has the eighth-best offense in the country (3.79 goals per game) and received goals from six different players in the victory. 
 
Denver-native Matthew Kopperud leads the Sun Devils with 10 goals and 22 points this season, ranking tied of fourth in the nation in scoring. Josh Doan leads all NCAA freshman with 18 points (five goals and 13 assists) in 14 games.
 
This weekend is the start of a four-game road trip for the Pioneers, tied for their longest of the season. Denver also had a four-game trip with contests at Providence (Oct. 22), Boston College (Oct. 23) and North Dakota (Nov. 5-6).  DU will play at Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 10-11 in its final series before the holiday break.
 
CONNECTIONS: DU Head Athletic Trainer Aaron Leu worked at the Sports Medicine Institute Physical Therapy Clinic and Arizona Boys Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona, from 1996-1999 … ASU sophomore forward Matthew Kopperud was born and grew up in Denver; he appeared eight games with Denver East High School in 2016-17 but played the majority of that season in Junior-A in Canada … Sean Behrens has family in Arizona … Behrens and Jack Devine were teammates with the Sun Devils' Ty Murchison for two seasons at the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2019-2021 … Cameron Wright and Tim Theocharidis spent three years together as teammates at Bowling Green (2018-2021) … Brett Stapley was a teammate with Josh Sandhu and Jack Judson with the BCHL's Vernon Vipers in 2017-18 … Matt Davis and Tanner Hickey played together on the AJHL's Spruce Grove Saints in 2018-19 … Conor Caponi and Ethan Szmagaj were teammates on the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks from 2018-2020 … McKade Webster and Ryan O'Reilly played together on the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers from 2019-2020, and Justin Lee and O'Reilly were teammates briefly with the Fargo Force in 2018-19 … Cole Guttman was teammates with Jacob Semik (2017-18) and Colin Theisen (2016-17) with the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints … Carter Mazur and Benji Eckerle played together with the USHL's Tri-City Storm in 2019-20 … Massimo Rizzo was on the BCHL's Penticton Vees with Carson Kosobud in 2018-19.
 
STREAKING

• Carter Mazur is on a four-game goal/point streak (5g/2a)
• Carter Savoie is on a four-game point streak (5g/2a)
• Massimo Rizzo is on a career-high, four-game point streak (2g/5a)
• Cole Guttman is on a season-high, four-game assist/point streak (0g/4a)
• Mike Benning's three-game assist streak is a new career high while his three-game point streak ties a career long set earlier this season (1g/5a)
• Bobby Brink is on a season-high, four-game assist/point streak (2g/5a)
• Shia Buium has four assists in the last four games

THE SHORT STORY: McKade Webster (6:10, 2nd) and Connor Caponi (18:59, 3rd) each tallied short-handed goals vs. Miami on Nov. 20.  It was the Pioneers' first goals shorthanded this season and the team's first since Antti Tuomisto did it on Jan. 23, 2021 vs. Omaha. The last time that Denver scored twice in a game with the man-disadvantage was on Oct. 22, 2011 vs. Minnesota State (W 10-2), with markers from Shawn Ostrow (6:52, 2nd) and Joey LaLeggia (2:15, 3rd).
 
SEVENTH HEAVEN: The Pioneers have scored seven or more goals in now three games this season. The 2011-12 campaign was the last time that DU had three games of seven-plus goals scored (10/22/2011 vs. Minnesota State, W 10-2; 11/18/2011 vs. Omaha, W 7-3; 12/31/2011 at Air Force, W 7-1).
 
IMPROVED PK: The Pios have gone 19-for-24 on the penalty kill (79.2%) in the past seven games (since Oct. 23 at Boston College).  Opponents scored 10 power-play goals in the first five contests of the year (14/24, 58.3%).
 
A-MAZUR-ING ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Freshman Carter Mazur was named the NCHC Rookie of the Month for November after leading all conference freshmen with five goals and seven points (5g/2a). It was his first monthly honor and second from the NCHC after being named the Rookie of the Week for Nov. 8-14. Massimo Rizzo was named the NCHC Rookie of the Month for October, marking the first time that Denver won the award in consecutive months.
 
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Carter Mazur has scored the Pioneer's first goal in each of the past three contests.  Carter Savoie was the last DU player to do that when he scored in three games from Dec. 2-5, 2020 in the NCHC Pod in Omaha, Nebraska.  The last time a Denver player tallied first in four-straight games was Drew Shore from Oct. 30-Nov. 12, 2010.
 
FRESHMEN GOAL SCORERS: Carter Mazur and Massimo Rizzo both have seven goals this season, which is tied for the most in the nation by a freshman (five-way tie).  Denver is the only team in the NCAA with multiple freshmen with seven goals.  Rizzo ranks second in the nation in freshman scoring.
 

TICKETS: Single-game tickets for the 2021-22 campaign are on sale now and can be purchased here.
 
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Masks are required at all indoor athletic events. For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.

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