DENVER – The No. 2 University of Denver hockey team has an early-season test this weekend as the Pioneers travel to New England for a pair of top-10 matchups.
 
Denver (2-0-0) opens the trip on Friday against No. 10 Providence College (2-1-0) at Schneider Arena before facing off with No. 3 Boston College (2-0-0) on Saturday at Conte Forum. Both games begin at 5 p.m. MT and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
 
The Pioneers are coming off a bye weekend following their season-opening sweep of Alaska Fairbanks on Oct. 7-8. Denver won 7-3 in the season opener before earning a 5-2 victory the next night. DU, which began the season at No. 4, climbed to No. 3 in the following polls before jumping up another spot this past Monday despite not playing any games.
 
Denver was led offensively in America's Last Frontier by juniors Jack Devine and Massimo Rizzo, with Devine combining for four goals and two assists in the series and Rizzo registering seven total assists on the weekend. Devine had four points (two goals, two assists) in the season opener to match a personal best while Rizzo had a career-high four helper on Oct. 8.
 
Eight DU freshmen made their collegiate debuts over the weekend, with Boston Buckberger, Zeev Buium and Kieran Cebrian also scoring their first career goals and Sam Harris picking up his first points with a pair of assists on Oct. 7. Goaltender Freddie Halyk guarded the pipes for the first time as he played the final minutes of the third period in the series finale.
 
Junior Matt Davis started both games in net, including making his first career opening-night start on Oct. 7.
 
The Pioneers will be playing their nearly annual trip to the northeast, as this is the third-straight season they've travel to Massachusetts or Rhode Island. DU has played at least one game in New England in nine of the last 10 full seasons (none in 2019-20 or COVID-shortened 2020-21 season), and the program made this exact same trip in October 2021—playing at Providence on Friday before making the hour drive to face BC on Saturday.
 
DU is 19-16-0 all-time versus the Boston College Eagles in a series that dates back to 1968, while owning a 9-10-3 mark against the PC Friars.
 
Denver hosted Providence at Magness Arena last season on this very weekend, winning 4-1 and 3-2 respectively, with Devine tallying the overtime-winning goal in the series finale to cap the Pios' 2022 Championship banner-raising night. DU's last game versus Boston College was on that 2021 trip, falling 5-1 in Chestnut Hill.
 
NEW ENGLAND CONNECTIONS: Denver Athletic Director Josh Berlo earned his undergraduate degree at UMass in 1999 … Aidan Thompson played prep school hockey at Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass., for two seasons from 2018-2020 … DU sports performance director Matt Shaw worked five years with athletic departments in the Boston area: four at Boston University and one at Harvard. He earned his bachelor's degree in 2010 and master's in 2011 from BU.
 
HISTORY VS. PROVIDENCE: The Pioneers are 9-10-3 all-time against the Friars and are 3-5-1 at Providence College. Denver is 3-2-2 in the last seven matchups against Providence. DU won both games against PC last season when it raised its 2022 National Championship banner to the rafters of Magness Arena, winning 4-1 and 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 21-22. Jack Devine scored the overtime-winning goal to complete the weekend sweep on Oct. 22.  Denver is set to play at Schneider Arena for first time since Oct. 22, 2021 when it last made this trip to New England to play PC and BC. The Friars won 6-5 in that last matchup at home, using five third-period goals to erase a 4-1 deficit after 40 minutes. DU and PC have squared off once before in the national tournament, with the Friars winning 4-1 in the 2015 regional final in what was a de facto home game with it being held in downtown Providence at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
 
SCOUTING THE FRIARS: Providence has played games in each of the first two weekends of the year and sports 2-1-0 record. The Friars began the season by winning 4-2 at No. 5 Michigan on Oct. 7. PC lost by one goal in the series finale in Ann Arbor on Oct. 8, falling 5-4, but the team responded with a 7-1 win against Stonehill in its home opener last Friday. Seven different Friars scored in the game against Stonehill and seven had multiple points, led by three assists from Luke Krys. Krys leads the team with five points (all assists), while Riley Duran, Jaroslav Chmelar and Bennett Schimek all have four points, with each recording two goals and two assists. Goaltender Philip Svedeback has started in all three games and sports a 2-1-0 record, 2.57 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.
 
CONNECTIONS WITH PROVIDENCE: Cale Ashcroft and Taige Harding are both from St. Albert, Alberta … Boston Buckberger and Providence's Hudson Malinoski are both from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan … Sam Harris was teammates with Clint Levens (2021-2023) and Austen Mays (2021-22) with the Sioux Falls Stampede … Philip Svedeback played on the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints in 2021-22 with Denver's Tristan Lemyre and Lucas Olvestad … Kieran Cebrian played with Guillaume Richard in 2020-21 and was teammates with Tanner Adams and Graham Gammache for two seasons from 2021-2023 with the Tri-City Storm … Shai Buium played on the USHL Sioux City Musketeers in 2020-21 with Bennett Schimek … Miko Matikka and Jaroslav Chmelar both played together with Jokerit's U18 and U20 junior squads in Finland from 2020-2022 … Denver's Sean Behrens, Jack Devine, Zeev Buium and Alex Weiermair and Providence's Chase Yoder and Brett Berard are products of the U.S. National Team Development Program … Massimo Rizzo (Burnaby) and Nick Poisson (Vancouver) are both from the greater Vancouver area in British Columbia … Tristan Lemyre (Mirabel) and PC's Guilluame Richard (Cap-Sante) are both from Quebec … PC goalie Philip Svedeback (Vaxjo) and skaters Marcus Brannman (Bromma) and Liam Valente (Marsta) and Denver defenseman Lucas Olvestad (Stockholm) are all from Sweden.
 
LAST TIME VS. PROVIDENCE (OCT. 22, 2022): Jack Devine scored 86 seconds into overtime to lift the No. 4 Pioneers to a 3-2 win over the No. 11 Providence College Friars on a night when the Pioneers also lifted their 2022 national championship banner to the rafters of Magness Arena. Providence forced the extra session after Taige Harding tallied with 2:56 remaining in regulation, but Devine sent the homecoming crowd of 6,324 to the exits in a better mood after taking a pass from Rieger Lorenz in the slot and scoring with a wrister that beat Friars goalie Philip Svedback glove-side.
 
HISTORY VS. BOSTON COLLEGE: Denver and Boston College are set to meet for the first time since the Pioneers' last trip to Chestnut Hill early in the 2021-22 campaign. The Eagles picked up a 5-1 win over the Pios in that outing on Oct. 23, 2021, stopping a three-game winning streak by DU at that time. Denver is 5-3 in the last eight meetings against Boston College and owns an all-time record of 19-16-0 against the Beantown program in a series that dates back to 1968. Denver is 5-5 all-time on the road against BC and 11-10 as the home team. The schools have met four times at neutral sites, with DU owning a 3-1 mark and is 2-1 in matchups in the national tournament.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES: Boston College has played single games in each of the last two weeks, winning both meetings. BC hosts RPI on Friday night before taking on Denver on Saturday. The Eagles began the year by spoiling Quinnipiac's 2023 national championship banner-raising ceremony by winning 2-1 in overtime, with Cutter Gauthier scoring the game-winner with less than 10 seconds remaining in the extra period. BC won 4-2 against Long Island in its home opener last Friday as 11 different Eagles recorded at least a point, led by a goal and an assist by Andre Gasseau—who leads the team in scoring with three points on the season (2g/1a). Goaltender Jacob Fowler has started both outings this year and has a 1.45 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.
 
CONNECTIONS WITH BOSTON COLLEGE: Lucas Olvestad and Boston College's Jacob Bengtsson are both from Stockholm, while BC's Oskar Jellvik (Taby) is also from Sweden … Alex Weiermair (Los Angeles) and the Eagles' Andre Gasseau (Garden Grove) and Adam Hreschuk (Long Beach) are all from the L.A. area … DU's Sean Behrens (Barrington) and Jack Devine (Glencoe) and BC's Gabe Perreault (Hinsdale) are all from the Chicago area … Boston College has 11 players from the U.S. National Team Development Program on its team, with Denver's Sean Behrens and Jack Devine playing two years at the NTDP with BC's Aidan Hreschuk and Andre Gasseau, while Zeev Buium and Alex Weiermair were teammates with Drew Fortescue, Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, Aram Minnetian and Will Vote at the program last season.
 
LAST TIME VS. BC (OCT. 23, 2021): No. 8 Denver fell 5-1 at the No. 10 Boston College Eagles at Kelley Rink at Conte Forum. Senior Ryan Barrow scored for the Pioneers early in the third period to make it a 2-1 game, but the Eagles added three goals in the final six minutes of the contest to secure the win. Brett Stapley and McKade Webster garnered assists for DU, while goaltender Matt Davis made 23 saves on 27 shots. Drew Helleson had three points (1g/2a) for BC, as teammates Jack McBain (1g/1a), Colby Ambrosio (0g/2a) and Mark McLaughlin (0g/2a) also had multi-point nights. Eagles netminder Eric Dop stopped 26 shots.
 
NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS: DU will play 12 non-conference games against eight different opponents this season, with six of the matchups coming on the road (The Pioneers only played two road non-league games in 2022-23). After opening the season at Alaska Fairbanks on Oct. 7-8, Denver will make a trip to New England for single-game outings at Providence and Boston College on Oct. 20-21 and travel to the desert to face Arizona State on Nov. 10-11. NCAA newcomer Augustana (Oct. 27) and in-state foe Air Force (Oct. 28) visit Magness Arena for Homecoming Weekend, and the Pioneers will also host two-game sets vs. Yale (Nov. 24-25) and Niagara (Jan. 5-6) during the holidays.
 
IN THE POLLS: Denver moved up to No. 2 in the nation in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll following its bye week.  DU has risen each week as the Pios were at No. 3 the previous Monday after beginning the season at No. 4 in the USCHO.com ranking and No. 5 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll.
 
The NCHC has five teams ranked, tied for the most among all conferences with the Big Ten. The league is also tied the Big Ten and Hockey East with the most in the top 10 with three, as North Dakota is at No. 5/5 and Western Michigan is at No. 9/10 in the rankings.  Minnesota Duluth (14/14) and St. Cloud State (20/18) are also inside the top 20, while Omaha and Colorado College are both receiving votes.
 
LAST TIME OUT – SWEE IN ALASKA: The Pioneers opened the 2023-24 campaign with a weekend sweep in America's Last Frontier, winning 7-3 on Oct. 7 and 5-2 on Oct. 8 at Alaska Fairbanks. In the season opener, seven different Pioneers recorded multiple points, including Jack Devine registering two goals and two assists, Massimo Rizzo recording three helpers and Kent Anderson scoring twice.
 
DU completed the sweep on Sunday with Rizzo picking up four assists, Devine burying two power-play goals and Sean Behrens contributing three helpers as well.  Zeev Buium and Kieran Cebrian also scored. Goaltender Matt Davis started both games, making 20 and 24 saves, respectively.
 
DEVINE EARNS TOP FORWARD HONORS: Junior Jack Devine was named the NCHC Forward of the Week on Oct. 9 after combining for six points in the two games in Alaska. Devine tied a career high with four points on two goals and two assists on Oct. 7 before adding two more tallies on Oct. 8. Overall, he registered four power-play points (3g/1a) in the two games and tallied the game-winning goal in each outing.
 
This is Devine's second career Forward of the Week award as he also earned the honor last season on Feb. 20. Overall, the Glencoe, Illinois, native has now won four weekly awards from the conference in his DU tenure, as he was twice named Rookie of the Week as a freshman in 2021-22.
 
RIZZO'S HELPING HAND: Junior Massimo Rizzo finished the weekend in Alaska with seven combined assists, recording three helpers on Oct. 7 before setting career high with four on Oct. 8.
 
This is the most assists he's had in a two-game stretch in his career and ties his personal best for points in a weekend. His previous career high for assists came in back-to-back games last season on Oct. 28-29 at Miami, recording three apples in the opener before having a goal and three helpers the next night. That series also marked the only other time in Rizzo's career where he's combined for seven points.
 
WEEKEND OF FIRSTS: Several Pioneers picked up their first career goals and points in Alaska, as sophomore Kent Anderson and freshman Boston Buckberger both tallied on Oct. 7. Rookies Zeev Buium and Kieran Cebrian scored their first NCAA markers the next night on Oct. 8. Freshman Sam Harris picked up his first career points with two assists in the Saturday's opener.
 
Overall, eight different players made their collegiate debuts, with Cale Ashcroft, Garrett Brown, Buckberger, Zeev Buium, Cebrian, Harris and Miko Matikka skating in their first contests on Oct. 7. Freddie Halyk served as the backup goalie both nights and saw his first game action late in the third period on Oct. 8.
 
NOTABLES

• DU was playing regular-season games on college hockey's opening weekend for the first time since last visiting Fairbanks to play the Nanooks on Oct. 5-6, 2019.
• The Pioneers are now 12-3-2 all-time against Alaska Fairbanks and are 7-2-0 as the road team.
• Denver improved to 43-25-7 all-time in season openers, 13-3-1 in the last 17 first outings and 5-1-1 in the past seven opening-night contests.
• Denver's seven goals in the season opener was its most in the first game of the year since winning 8-3 against Arizona State on Oct. 8, 2021.
• Sophomore Kent Anderson and freshman Boston Buckberger scored their first career goals on Oct. 7. The last time that DU had two players scored their first career goals in the same game was last year when Aidan Thompson and Jared Wright did it on Nov. 11, 2022 at North Dakota. The last time a pair of Pioneers that tallied their first markers in the season opener was Massimo Rizzo and Carter Mazur on Oct. 8, 2021 vs. Arizona State.
• In addition to scoring his first goal on Oct. 7, Anderson also earned his first-ever multi-point outing by adding another tally later in the game.
• Senior forward Connor Caponi appeared in his 100th career game on Oct. 7.
• Sean Behrens matched a career high with three assists/points in a game on Oct. 8. It was the third time he's had that many helpers in a contest in his career and his fourth three-point game of his DU tenure.
• The Pioneers' game on Oct. 8 was their first Sunday game since facing Omaha in a rescheduled contest due to COVID-19 on Jan. 16, 2022. 

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: Denver is welcoming 10 freshmen to its roster this season, one of the largest incoming classes in recent years. The last time DU had 10 freshmen on its roster was in 2018-19, one season after having 11 freshmen in 2017-18. The Pioneers' 10 freshmen are tied for the seventh-most in the NCAA this season.
 
Denver's age at the start of the season is 20.9 years-old, tied with Harvard for the second-youngest in the country behind Boston College (20.6). Freshman defenseman Zeev Buium is the second-youngest player in the country, as he won't turn 18 years old until Dec. 7. Boston University's Macklin Celebrini is the youngest, turning 18 next summer on June 13, 2024.
 
CAPTAINING THE SHIP: Senior forward McKade Webster was named the 94th captain in program history earlier this week on Oct. 2 after serving as an alternate during the 2022-23 campaign.  Webster, who previously served as a team captain with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers in 2019-20, is joined on DU's leadership group by three alternates in senior Connor Caponi and juniors Carter King and Massimo Rizzo.
 
FAVORITES OF THE NCHC: The Pioneers were voted to win the NCHC regular season for the second straight season in the conference's annual preseason media poll. This is the third time that DU has been voted the preseason favorite, as it also earned the honor in 2017-18 and 2022-23 following its national championship victories.
 
PRESEASON HONORS: Junior defenseman Sean Behrens and forward Massimo Rizzo were both selected to the NCHC's 2023-24 Preseason All-Conference Team in a vote by the media.  Denver and North Dakota were the only teams to have two players on the six-man team, while Colorado College and St. Cloud State were both represented by one athlete each. Rizzo collected 24 of a possible 27 votes, while Behrens earned 19 votes.
 
PRE-SEASON MISCELLANEOUS

• Massimo Rizzo entered the season with 82 points, the 10th-most among active players in the nation; his 53 assists were tied for the fifth-most; and his +43 plus/minus rating was tied for the second-highest behind only Quinnipiac's Jacob Quillan.
• Sean Behrens' 44 assists heading into 2023-24 were the eighth-most among active defensemen in the country.
• The Pioneers were returning 92 goals (fifth-most in the NCAA) and were bringing back the fourth-most points with 256.
• Denver entered this season tied as the 10th-biggest team (190.2 pounds) and tied for the second-youngest with Harvard (20 years, nine months).
• Zeev Buium (Dec. 7, 2005) is the second-youngest player in college hockey behind Boston University's Macklin Celebrini (June 13, 2006).
• Denver's 10-member freshmen class is tied for the seventh-largest in the country, while its three seniors are tied for the 12th-fewest.
• Massimo Rizzo is one of six returning All-Americans from 2022-23 and is one of 14 players in the country coming back this year after being named to an all-conference first-team last season.
• Denver and St. Cloud State are the only teams in the nation to make the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last 10 years, and DU is one of seven teams to make it at least four times in the last five seasons.
• David Carle is the second-youngest coach in the NCAA, turning 34 on Nov. 9; only Long Island's Brett Riley is younger (turns 33 on Jan. 25).  He is one of 23 head coaches in the nation to be coaching at his alma mater.

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