DENVER – The No. 3 Denver Pioneers hockey team gets set to host the No. 2 North Dakota Fighting Hawks this weekend in a pair of top-three games at Magness Arena.
Friday's series opener begins at 7 p.m. MT and Saturday's weekend finale is at 6 p.m. MT. Both contests will be broadcasted on NCHC.tv and Friday's outing will be televised regionally on Altitude 2. Limited tickets are available.
North Dakota will be Denver's second top-three opponent of the season after earning a 4-3 win at No. 3 Boston College on Oct. 21 while ranked No. 2 in the country at the time. DU and UND last met in a top-three matchup on Nov. 17-18, 2017 when then-No. 1 Denver split the home series against No. 3 North Dakota, falling 5-4 and winning 4-1.
DU is 7-2-1 mark in its last 10 matchups that features both teams ranked in the top three.
The Pioneers are coming off a weekend shutout against Yale University, winning 5-0 on Friday and 9-0 on Saturday to improve to 10-3-1 on the season. The series finale against the Bulldogs marked DU's most goals scored in a game since 2011 and its largest margin of victory since 1995.
Denver won all four contests last season against North Dakota, marking the first time since 2009-10 that the squad swept a four-game regular-season series against its rival from the north. This weekend will be the 307th and 308th all-time meeting between the programs, with UND being DU second-most common opponent in its history behind Colorado College. Denver is 134-156-16 all-time against North Dakota, but the Pios own a 79-56-6 record at home in a series that dates back to Feb. 1, 1950.
The Fighting Hawks were the No. 1-ranked team in the country last week but dropped in the national polls despite winning 3-2 in overtime and 5-0 at home against Bemidji State. UND is on a seven-game winning streak and owns an overall record of 11-2-1 on the year.
This weekend marks the final two contests of Denver's season-long, six-game homestand and the halfway point of the Pioneers' 36-game regular-season schedule. DU and UND will face off again on Jan. 26-27 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, to wrap up their four-game series.
TOP-RANKED MATCHUP: No. 2 North Dakota will serve as No. 3 Denver's second top-three opponent of the season following its 4-3 win at then-No. 3 Boston College on Oct. 21 while ranked No. 2 in the nation.
The last time the Pios and Hawks played a top-three matchup against one another was Nov. 17-18, 2017 when No. 1 DU split the home series vs. No. 3 UND, falling 5-4 and winning 4-1. Overall, the Pioneers are 18-9-2 in their last 29 top-three matchups since the 1999-2000 season and own a 7-2-1 mark in the previous 10 such meetings.
DU's game at Boston College marked its first top-three game since facing both No. 2 Michigan and No. 1 Minnesota State in the 2022 Frozen Four in Boston, and it was its first regular-season top-three meeting since Feb. 23-24, 2018 when then-No. 3 Denver played at No. 1 St. Cloud State (DU went 0-1-1). The Pioneers' win at BC was their first in a top-three game since its victory on Nov. 18, 2017 against NoDak, and it was the team's first such regular-season win on the road in a top-ranked matchup since its 4-2 defeat of then-No. 1 Boston College on Oct. 14, 2011.
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers posted a weekend shutout of the Yale Bulldogs, winning 5-0 on Friday and 9-0 on Saturday at Magness Arena. Forwards
Jack Devine and
McKade Webster had three-point performances both nights and finished with three goals and three assists each in the series. Their linemate
Massimo Rizzo finished the two games with five total points (1g/4a).
Goaltender
Freddie Halyk guarded the pipes in both contests and now owns one of the longest shutout streaks in schools, and fellow freshmen
Zeev Buium and
Miko Matikka extended their respective streaks as well. More below.
EIGHT AND MORE: The Pioneers scored a season-high nine goals in its shutout victory on Saturday against Yale. It was the program's most goals scored in a game since winning 10-2 in a WCHA regular-season outing against Minnesota State on Oct. 22, 2011, and the 9-0 win was the school's largest margin of victory since defeating Air Force 11-1 on Dec. 27, 1995.
Denver has now scored at least eight goals in a game three times this season—its most in a campaign since also having three such contests in 2021-22. The Pioneers recorded consecutive 8-4 wins on Nov. 11 at Arizona State and Nov. 17 vs. Omaha, which was the first time they tallied eight goals in back-to-back games since in 1989-90 when they did it three contests in a row (12-5 and 8-1 wins on Nov. 3-4, 1989 at Alaska Fairbanks; 8-6 win on Nov. 10, 1989 at Michigan Tech).
CARLE CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Head coach
David Carle (126-56-14) picked up his 126th career win on Saturday against Yale, surpassing his predecessor, Jim Montgomery, for sole possession of fourth place on the school's all-time wins list. Carle earned his 125th career victory in 13 fewer games than Montgomery.
Carle current .679 winning percentage is presently the best in program history (Murray Armstrong, 1956-1977, .674; Jim Montgomery, 2013-2018, .663). The Anchorage, Alaska, native is also four games away from being the fifth head coach at DU to manage the bench in 200 career contests.
GENERATION Z-EEV: Freshman defenseman
Zeev Buium recorded a career-high four assists on Saturday against Yale and stretched his personal-best point streak to eight games (3g/11a). The four assists were tied for the most in a game this season by a Pioneer (
Massimo Rizzo on Oct. 8 at Alaska Fairbanks) and marked the fifth time this year that a DU player had tallied four points in a contest.
Buium's four assists were tied for the third-most in a game in program history by a defenseman (12th time), with then-fifth-year senior
Kyle Mayhew the last to accomplish the feat on March 11, 2023 against Miami in the NCHC Quarterfinals. Courtesy of College Hockey News, his four helpers were also the most by a DU freshman blueliner since 2002 and marked just the third instance since 2016 by a rookie D-man in college hockey (Boston University's Lane Hutson, Feb. 3, 2023 vs. Maine; Minnesota's Brock Faber, 5, March 27, 2021 vs. Omaha).
The San Diego, California, native's eight-game point streak is also the longest in recent years by a Denver freshman defenseman, surpassing
Sean Behrens' seven-game from Jan. 15-Feb. 5, 2022 (2g/9a).
Mike Benning was the last DU rear guard to have a point streak of at least eight games, as he went on a nine-game run last season from Nov. 26, 2022-Jan. 7, 2023 (5g/10a).
Buium recorded a then-career-high three points on Nov. 17 vs. Omaha, with his one goal and two assists all coming in the second period. That performance was tied for the most points in a single frame this season with
Massimo Rizzo's second period on Oct. 8 at Alaska Fairbanks (0g/3a).
AUTO-MATIKKA: Freshman forward
Miko Matikka is on an eight-game point streak (7g/3a) and was on the longest goal streak by a Pioneer in more than seven years. Matikka found the back of the net in six consecutive games from Nov. 4-24, which was the longest stretch since Dylan Gambrell went on a seven-game run with a goal from Feb. 13-March 5, 2016 (8g/14a).
The Helsinki, Finland, native picked up consecutive NCHC Rookie of the Week awards on Nov. 13 and 20, becoming the first DU player to repeat as a weekly conference winner since
Magnus Chrona did it with Goaltender of the Week on Jan. 17 and 24, 2022. Matikka was named the NCHC Rookie of the Month for November after leading all conference freshmen with seven goals and his 10 points ranking second among rookies behind teammate
Zeev Buium (14).
BIG FRED SHUTS THE DOOR: Goaltender
Freddie Halyk posted a weekend shutout against Yale, stopping 13 shots on Friday and 28 on Saturday.
Magnus Chrona on Jan. 13-14, 2023 against Miami was the last goaltender to post consecutive clean sheets.
The freshman presently owns a 140:02 shutout streak dating back to Nov. 19 against Omaha—the 10th longest by a Pioneer netminder in school history. Halyk has three shutouts on the season, which is the most by a DU freshman goalie since Filip Larsson in 2018-19 (4).
Halyk posted a shutout in his first career start on Oct. 28 vs. Air Force (24 saves) to be the first Denver netminder to record a clean sheet in his first start since
Matt Davis on Oct. 16, 2021 vs. the AFA Falcons (25 saves). He allowed just two total goals the following weekend in a sweep of Colorado College, becoming the first Pioneer keeper to win each of his first three career games since Chrona in 2019-20.
MORE WEEKEND NOTABLES
- Massimo Rizzo tied a career high with four points on Saturday (1g/3a).
- Jack Devine and McKade Webster both put together consecutive three-point games vs. Yale.
- Webster's three points were career highs, and he tallied his first multi-goal performance on Saturday.
- Devine has five of team's 10 individual multi-goal games of the season.
- Carter King won a career-best and DU season-high 17 faceoffs on Friday.
- Rieger Lorenz played in his 50th career game on Friday.
- Tristan Broz and McKade Webster both recorded their 50th career points on Saturday.
- Lucas Olvestad recorded his first career multi-point game with two assists on Saturday.
- The Pioneers earned their first home sweep against a single opponent since Feb. 10-11, 2023 vs. North Dakota (5-3 and 5-2 wins).
- DU picked up its fifth win of the season on Saturday when scoring six or more goals.
- The Pioneers scored the fastest six goals of the season on Saturday, accomplishing the feat in 23:30.
- Denver has recorded a season-low six penalty minutes in each of the last four games (since Nov. 17 vs. Omaha).
- The Pioneers outshot Yale 34-13 on Friday for the fewest shots allowed in a game this season. Denver held an 8-1 margin in shots in the first period, tied for the fewest shots allowed in a frame this year as DU also allowed just one shot in the previous period (third) on Nov. 19 vs. Omaha.
- Denver improved 7-2-1 in non-conference games this season and 8-1-0 all-time against Yale.
DEVINE PERFORMANCES: Junior
Jack Devine leads the nation with 13 goals this season and ranks second behind teammate
Massimo Rizzo for first in overall scoring with 24 points. He has registered multiple goals in five games this year and has picked up multiple points in nine of 14 outings.
The Glencoe, Illinois, native began the season with a career-long, five-game point streak (6g/7a), which also included posting multiple points in each outing. It was the longest multi-point streak by a Pioneer since
Massimo Rizzo also had a five-game stretch from Oct. 21-Nov. 4, 2022 (4g/9a). He also started this year on a personal-best, three-game goal streak (5g/2a) from Oct. 7-21, 2023.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Three Pioneers picked up weekly NCHC honors on Monday with
McKade Webster as Forward of the Week,
Zeev Buium as Defenseman of the Week and
Freddie Halyk as Goaltender of the Week. It was Webster and Buium's first career weekly honors and Halyk's first top goalie award as he was previously named Rookie of the Week on Nov. 27.
Webster recorded a career-high three points in each game (3g/3a total), Buium combined for five points (1g/4a) and had four assists on Saturday and Halyk posted shutouts in each contest.
ROOKIES EARN NOVEMBER HARDWARE: Pioneers were recognized for the second consecutive month as the NCHC Player and Rookie of the Month as
Zeev Buium was named Player of the Month and
Miko Matikka was selected as Rookie of the Month for November.
Massimo Rizzo was selected as Player of the Month of October while
Boston Buckberger took home top rookie honors last month.
Buium led all conference players as a freshman defenseman with 14 points, 11 assists and a plus-13 rating. He had points in each of the eight games and is the first rookie to be named the NCHC Player of the Month since North Dakota's Brock Boeser in March/April 2016.
Matikka also had points in all eight games in November and led all freshmen with seven goals after going on a six-game goal streak from Nov. 4-24.
STREAKING
- Zeev Buium is on a personal-best eight-game point streak (3g/11a).
- Miko Matikka is on an eight-game point streak (7g/3a) after having the team's season-best six-game goal streak end on Saturday.
- Tristan Broz is on a four-game point streak and has assists in each contest (1g/5a), a new career long for helpers. He also has 10 points (2g/8a) in the last eight games.
OTHER HOT STRETCHES
PIONEERS IN THE POLLS: Denver moved up from No. 4 to No. 3 in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live national polls on Monday. The Pioneers, who received one first-place vote in the USCHO.com list, have been ranked in the top five all season.
Boston College reclaimed sole possession of the No. 1 team in the country as North Dakota dropped down to No. 2 in each poll. The NCHC has five total teams ranked with Western Michigan at No. 14/15, St. Cloud State at No. 17/17 and Omaha at No. 20/RV. Colorado College also received votes in the USCHO.com ranking.
GEISEL JOINS THE PIONEERS: Denver added goaltender
Paxton Geisel to its roster last Friday and the incoming freshman is eligible to play immediately for the team. He served as a backup netminder for each game last week against Yale.
A dual American-Canadian citizen from Estevan, Saskatchewan, Geisel spent the previous two seasons with the USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints and was a teammate with DU's
Lucas Olvestad and
Tristan Lemyre in 2021-22. Geisel began this season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks after being traded in the offseason.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: With the addition of goaltender
Paxton Geisel on Nov. 24, Denver's 27-man roster features 11 freshmen to form one of the largest incoming classes in recent years. The last time DU had 11 freshmen on its roster was 2017-18 (DU had 10 freshmen in 2018-19). The Pioneers' 11 freshmen tie the program with five other schools for the second-most in the NCAA this season, with only Robert Morris having more (16).
Denver's average 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.
HISTORY VS. NORTH DAKOTA: Denver has a 134-156-16 all-time record against North Dakota and won all four matchups last season. It was the first time that the Pioneers swept a four-game regular season series against their rival from the north since 2009-10. DU and North Dakota have played 306 in their all-time series, with the Hawks being DU's second-most common opponent behind Colorado College (338 games). Denver owns a 117-131-14 record in conference play vs. North Dakota and is 79-56-6 all-time in the series at home. The Pioneers are 9-3-2 in their last 14 outings against the Hawks at Magness Arena (since 2015-16). DU defeated UND to win the 2005 NCAA National Championship in Columbus, Ohio.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS: North Dakota was the No. 1-ranked team in the country last week, owning the top spot in the USCHO.com poll and shared the title with Boston College in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live ranking. The Hawks dropped to No. 2 in both lists on Monday. UND is 11-2-1 on the season and have won each of its last seven games since losing 3-2 at then-No. 8/9 Boston University on Nov. 3. The Fighting Hawks have played six ranked teams this year, going 4-2 in those games, including splitting a home series vs. then-No. 1 Minnesota on Oct. 20-21. UND won 3-2 in overtime against Bemidji State on Friday before earning a 5-0 shutout victory on Saturday. Black Jackson leads NoDak in scoring with 10 goals and 18 points this year, while Riese Gaber is second on the squad with 13 points (7g/6a). Owen McLaguhlin (3g/9a) and Garrett Pyke (1g/9a) are the top assist-getters with nine helpers apiece. Goaltender Ludvig Persson, who transferred in the offseason from Miami, has played all 14 games and 846:10 minutes season; he has posted an 11-2-1 record, 1.85 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and three shutouts.
CONNECTIONS: Dylan James and Louis Jamernik are from the same hometown (Calgary, Alberta) as Denver's
Kent Anderson, Matt Davis, Carter King and
Rieger Lorenz …
Lorenz played with James on the AJHL's Okotoks Oilers in 2020-21 …
Connor Caponi played with UND's Griffin Ness and Dane Montgomery in Waterloo in 2019-20 …
Davis was teammates with Fighting Hawks' Jake Schmaltz and Jackson Kunz in 2020-21 with the Green Bay Gamblers, while
McKade Webster was teammates with Schmaltz and Kunz in 2019-20 with the Gamblers … Nate Benoit started the 2021-22 season as a teammate of
Kieran Cebrian with the USHL Tri-City Storm before finishing the season with the Omaha Lancers and playing with
Jared Wright … Owen McLaughlin played briefly with
Sean Behrens and
Jack Devine at the U.S. National Team Development Program in 2020-21.
PREVIOUS MEETING VS. NORTH DAKOTA (FEB. 11, 2023): The No. 4 Denver Pioneers hockey team defeated the North Dakota Fighting Hawks 5-2 at Magness Arena to sweep the weekend set and four-game season series.
Massimo Rizzo had a goal and two assists for the Pioneers, while defenseman
Sean Behrens also had a multi-point performance with a pair of helpers.
Shai Buium scored the game-winner, and
Carter King,
Aidan Thompson and
Tristan Broz also found the back of the net.
Goaltender
Magnus Chrona made 21 saves on 23 shots in the victory, DU's fourth in a row and seventh in the last nine games.
SWEEPING NO-DAK IN 2022-23: Denver won all four games against North Dakota last season—the first time it had accomplished the feat since 2009-10, which also marked its last four-game winning streak against the team from Grand Forks.
The Pioneers ended a six-game losing stretch to UND earlier last season on Nov. 11-12, 2022, winning both games in a weekend set at North Dakota for the first time in the NCHC era and the first since Jan. 29-30, 2010 when both squads played in the old WCHA. DU won two NCHC overtime games in Grand Forks on Jan. 26-27, 2018, but both of those officially went down as ties as they came in the second OT, earning the extra point for the purposes of the NCHC standings only.
Prior to last season, DU's previous two-game sweep of North Dakota was March 15-16, 2019 during the NCHC Quarterfinals at Magness Arena, and the team's last wins during the regular season where it earned all six conference points in a series was Feb. 12-13, 2016 in Denver.
The Pioneers won all eight regular-season games last year against North Dakota and Colorado College, marking the first time they swept the four-game series against both rivals since 1960-61.
TICKETS: Single-game tickets, as well as 5-game packs and full and half-season ticket plans are all available to purchase
here.
