TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 2 University of Denver hockey team continues a three-game road swing with a trip to the desert for a two-game series against the No. 16 Arizona State Sun Devils at Mullett Arena.
 
The Pioneers and Sun Devils square off on Friday at 7 p.m. MT and Saturday at 5 p.m. MT. Both games will be streamed free on the ASU athletics website.
 
Denver (6-1-1, 2-0-0 NCHC) has won three games in a row and is on five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) after sweeping last week's home-and-home set against in-state rival Colorado College. The Pios beat the Tigers 6-1 on Friday at Magness Arena before earning a 5-1 victory on Saturday in Colorado Springs.
 
Arizona State is also off to a 6-1-1 start to the season and won each of its first four contests before going 0-1-1 at Miami on Oct. 27-28. The Devils are undefeated at home this year at 6-0-0 and swept their series last weekend against Stonehill, winning 5-4 in overtime on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday.
 
DU is making its third-ever trip to Arizona and the first since Dec. 3-4, 2021, when it won both outings at ASU's old home, Oceanside Arena. The Pioneers are set to play in new Mullett Arena for the first time since the building opened in 2022 and aim to continue their six-game winning streak against the Sun Devils. Denver won by scores of 5-2 and 3-2 in last season's matchups at home and has outscored Arizona State by a 33-13 margin during its winning streak.
 
The Pioneers are 8-1-1 all-time against the Sun Devils, as the teams are meeting for the third consecutive season and the fourth in the last five years (did not play in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign). DU and has a 2-1-1 mark all-time in Arizona after making its first trip to the Valley of the Sun in December 2019.
 
Denver and Arizona State will be seeing a lot of each other in the coming years, as the Sun Devils are joining the NCHC as a full member next season in 2024-25 and will be in a pod with DU and Colorado College. That means the Pios are guaranteed to play two home and two road games every season against their fellow western foes.
 
This weekend ends a stretch where the Pioneers have spent the majority of the first six weeks of the regular season at home, with them playing seven of their first 10 games away from Magness Arena. After this week, DU opens a season-long six-game homestand and a stretch where it will play 10-of-12 regular season games in its friendly confines.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The No. 2 Pioneers earned their second series sweep of the season and retained the Gold Pan trophy against the Colorado College Tigers. Denver won 6-1 on Friday at home before winning 5-1 on Saturday in Colorado Springs.
 
DU tallied the game's final six goals on Friday after CC opened the scoring, which included two goals from Jack Devine in a matter of 2:31 in the third period. On Saturday, Miko Matikka and Sam Harris scored their first career goals in a span of 1:43 of the second period to break open a 1-1 tie at that point. Goaltender Freddie Halyk made 19 saves on Friday and stopped 20 shots on Saturday.
 
GOLD PAN STAYS IN DENVER: Denver retained the Gold Pan trophy over Colorado College for the fifth consecutive season and 18th time overall after winning both games against the Tigers on Nov. 3-4.
 
In circulation since 1993-94, the Gold Pan is given to the team that wins the season series between the in-state rivals.  Since the Pioneers previously held the trophy, they only needed a series split to retain it while the Tigers had to win the four-game series outright.
 
NOTABLES

• Denver and Colorado College were playing their 338th and 339th all-time meeting, overtaking Michigan-Michigan State for the most-played rivalry in college hockey history.
• The Pioneers have won 13 consecutive regular-season games vs. the CC Tigers and nine straight as the home team (eight in a row at Magness Arena.
• Last Friday wrapped up a stretch of DU playing six games against six different opponents.
• Denver's win on Saturday improved its all-time record at Ed Robson Arena to 5-0-0.
• Carter King scored his second career short-handed goal on Friday.
• Miko Matikka recorded the first two points of his career last weekend, registering an assist on Friday before scoring his first career goal on Saturday, which was the game-winner.
• Sam Harris scored his first career goal on Saturday at CC.
• Rieger Lorenz had is career-long four-game point streak end on Saturday (2g/2a). 

HALYK NAMED ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Freshman goaltender Freddie Halyk has won each of his first three career starts, including sweeping Colorado College last weekend to earn NCHC Rookie of the Week honors. He allowed just one goal each in the two outings against the CC Tigers and didn't allow one in the second and third periods. Magnus Chrona was the last DU goalie to win each of his first three career starts to begin the 2019-20 campaign.
 
Halyk posted a shutout in his first career start on Oct. 28 vs. Air Force, stopping all 24 shots to be the first Pioneer netminder to post a clean sheet in his first career start since Matt Davis on Oct. 16, 2021 vs. the AFA Falcons (25 saves). Halyk, who made his NCAA debut by playing the final 3:29 on Oct. 8 at Alaska Fairbanks, also picked up his first career point in the outing against the Academy by registering a secondary assist on Massimo Rizzo's insurance goal in the third period.
 
MAGNESS MADNESS: Denver had a sold-out crowd of 7,021 for its home game vs. Colorado College on Nov. 3 in what was the highest attended hockey game at Magness Arena in program history. The previous high was 6,683 on Jan. 19, 2019 vs. CC
 
The Pioneers averaged 5,788 fans at Magness Arena in 2022-23 (23 games), the second-highest for the team since the building first opened for the 1999-2000 season.  Only 2006-07 saw larger crowds on the hilltop since the turn of the century, as the Pios averaged 6,022 over the course of 24 games that season.
 
Overall, 133,117 people watched the Pioneers at Magness Arena in 2022-23, the second-highest attended season in the rink's history.  If the 17,952 that witnessed Denver defeat Colorado College at Ball Arena on Jan. 27 are included in the data (it officially counted as a DU home game), then 151,069 people have watched Pioneer home games this year—the highest total attendance for the team since 1999.
 
RIZZO ON EDGE OF CENTURY CLUB: Junior forward Massimo Rizzo has recorded 34 goals and 65 assists in 85 career games and his next point will be the 100th of his career. Rizzo will be the 102nd Pioneer to reach the century mark and the first to do so since Cole Guttman on Jan. 22, 2022 vs. Colorado College. If Rizzo gets a point on Friday vs. Arizona State, it will be the quickest a Denver skater has reached 100 career points since Dylan Gambrell also did it in his 86th career game on Nov. 4, 2017 at Western Michigan.
 
Rizzo, who leads the nation with 17 points (5g/12a), has recorded points in each of the first eight games this season, the longest season-opening point streak by a DU player since Jarid Lukosevicius had points in each of his first nine contests in 2018-19. The Burnaby, B.C., native had a four-game goal streak from Oct. 20-28 (5g/2a), matching his career long.
 
CAPTAIN SET TO PLAY GAME 100: Senior forward McKade Webster is expected to appear in his 100th career game on Friday at Arizona State, becoming the second Pioneer this season to reach the mark (Connor Caponi, Oct. 7 at Alaska Fairbanks). The Denver captain has 43 points in his career with 16 goals and 27 assists.
 
DEVINE PERFORMANCES: Junior Jack Devine ranks tied for second in the nation in both goals (eight) and points (16). He recorded his third multi-goal and sixth multi-point outing of the season last Friday vs. Colorado College.
 
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 linemate Massimo Rizzo 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.
 
STREAKING:

• Sean Behrens is on a seven-game assist/point streak (0g/10a), tying his career high in assists and one shy of matching his personal long in points (eight games, 2g/10a, Jan. 15-Feb. 5, 2022)
• Freshman Boston Buckberger is on a personal-best, six-game point streak (2g/5a).
• Carter King is on a three-game goal streak (3g/2a) and five-game point streak (4g/3a), both career longs.
• Tristan Broz (1g/1a), Zeev Buium (0g/2a), Miko Matikka (1g/1a) and Jared Wright (2g/0a) have points in each of the last two contests. 

MONTHY HONORS: Defenseman Boston Buckberger was selected as the NCHC Rookie of the Month for October, while forward Massimo Rizzo was named both the NCHC Player of the Month and the National Co-Player of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners Association. Rizzo led the NCHC and tied for third in the country in scoring in the month with 14 points (5g/9a).
 
Rizzo's two honors are the first of his career.  He last picked up a NCHC monthly honor as a freshman at the top rookie of October 2021.  Mike Benning was the last Pioneer to be awarded NCHC Player of the Month in February 2023, and Benning was also the last DU player to be selected as the National Player of the Month in March/April 2022.  Rizzo shared the monthly honor with Michigan's Rutger McGroarty, who had one more point than Rizzo but also played in two more games (8).
 
Buckberger led all NCHC freshmen with seven points (2g/5a) in six games and tied for sixth nationally among all rookies in scoring.  Buckberger is the first DU player to be named Rookie of the Month since Carter Mazur in March/April 2022, and he is the first defenseman in program history to be recognized with the honor.  In NCHC history, he is just the fourth different blueliner and fifth overall to win Rookie of the Month, joining Minnesota Duluth's Scott Perunovich (March/April 2018, November 2017) and North Dakota's Tanner Poolman (March/April 2015) and Paul Ladue (February 2014).
 
HISTORY VS. ASU: Denver takes on Arizona State for the third consecutive season, as the Pioneers make their first trip to Tempe since Dec. 3-4, 2021. DU will be playing its first games at the ASU's new Mullett Arena, which opened in fall 2022. The Pioneers own an 8-1-1 all-time record against the Sun Devils and have won six consecutive games in the series and is unbeaten in the last seven (6-0-1). DU won by scores of 6-2 and 7-1 the last trip to ASU, which was played at Oceanside Arena. Denver won 3-2 and 5-2 in its two game set last season on Dec. 2-3, 2022. DU played ASU four times during the 2021-22 campaign, marking the most in a single campaign against a non-conference opponent since also playing four contests against U.S. International University (San Diego, California) in 1983-84. Denver and Arizona State will be future conference foes in the NCHC and will play four games every season beginning next season, 2024-25.
 
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS: Arizona State ranks No. 16 in the country after starting the season 6-1-1. The team began the season with wins in its first four contests before losing 5-4 and tying 1-1 against Miami on Oct. 27-28. ASU is undefeated at home this year at 6-0-0 and swept its series against Stonehill last weekend, winning 5-4 in overtime on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday. Denver native Matthew Kopperud is tied for Arizona State's lead in scoring with eight points and ranks first with five goals—with four game-winning goals. Brian Chambers also has eight points (1g/7a) and is first on the squad with seven assists. Goaltender TJ Semptimphelter started the first five outings for ASU and owns a 4-1-0 record, 1.96 goals-against average, .928 save percentage and one shutout. Gibson Homer has guarded the pipes in the Sun Devils' last three contests, posting a 2-0-1 mark, 2.23 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.
 
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 … Sean Behrens has family in Arizona … Miko Matikka is a 2022 NHL draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes … ASU 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 … Matthew's father, John Kopperud, led Denver East to the Tier-II High School National Championship in 2022 … ASU's Cole Gordon is from Windsor, Colorado … Alex Young and Denver's Matt Davis, Carter King and Rieger Lorenz are all from Calgary, Alberta … DU's Alex Weiermair (Los Angeles), Shai and Zeev Buium (San Diego) and Sam Harris (San Diego) and ASU's Jackson Niedermayer (Newport Beach), Ty Murchison (Corona) and are all from Southern California … Massimo Rizzo was on the BCHL's Penticton Vees with Jackson Niedermayer in 2018 and skated two seasons with Lukas Sillinger in Penticton from 2017-2019 … Sean 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 … McKade Webster and Ryan O'Reilly played together on the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers from 2019-2020 … Connor Caponi and Ethan Szmagaj were teammates on the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks from 2018-2020 … Tristan Broz played two seasons with Kyle Smolen with the USHL Fargo Force from 2019-2021 … Lucas Olvestad and Tristan Lemyre were teammates for half a season with Cole Helm with the USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints in 2021-22, and Lemyre played with Ryan Alexander in Dubuque in 2020-21 … Jared Wright played with Matthew Romer at USHL Omaha in 2021-22 … Garrett Brown was a teammate of Charlie Schoen with the USHL Sioux City Musketeers in 2021-22.
 
PREVIOUS MEETING VS. ARIZONA STATE (DEC. 3, 2023): The No. 1-ranked Denver Pioneers hockey team picked up a weekend sweep of the Arizona State Sun Devils with a 5-2 victory at Magness Arena. Sophomore defenseman Sean Behrens had three points (1g/2a) and freshman forward Jared Wright contributed two tallies for his second multi-goal game of the season. Sophomore Massimo Rizzo and senior Casey Dornbach also scored for the Pioneers, who improve to 6-2-0 against non-conference opponents this season. Denver goaltender Matt Davis made his first start since the second game of the season on Oct. 8 against Maine and stopped 18 shots in the victory.
 
The Pioneers led 4-0 after 40 minutes of play as each of their four goals coming in the final 3:03 of the first two periods, breaking open tightly-played stanzas to that point. Wright scored at 16:57 and Dornbach tallied at 17:45 of the first period, and Rizzo found twine at 18:18 and Wright netted his second of the night at 19:07 of the second frame. Behrens registered his first goal of the season 6:56 into the third period, as the puck went off his skate during a scramble in front of the net.
 
NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: 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 made a trip to New England for single-game outings at Providence and Boston College on Oct. 20-21.  DU's last road non-NCHC outings are Nov. 10-11 when it travels to the desert to face Arizona State.  NCAA newcomer Augustana (Oct. 27) and in-state foe Air Force (Oct. 28) visited Magness Arena for Homecoming Weekend, and the Pioneers will wrap-up their non-NCHC slate with two-game sets at home vs. Yale (Nov. 24-25) and Niagara (Jan. 5-6) during the holidays.
 
PIONEERS IN THE POLLS: Denver remained ranked No. 2 in the country in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live Polls for the fourth straight week.
 
The Pioneers led four NCHC-ranked teams in the polls, with North Dakota at No. 4/4, Western Michigan at No. 12/11 and Minnesota Duluth coming in at No. 18/18. The conference's other four teams received votes in at least one of the polls. Omaha, St. Cloud State and Colorado College also received votes in both rankings.
 
CAPTAINING THE SHIP: Senior forward McKade Webster was named the 94th captain in program history 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.
 
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 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.
 

TICKETS: Single-game tickets, as well as 5-game packs and full and half-season ticket plans are all available to purchase here.