DENVER – The Denver Pioneers hockey team secured a spot in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff with a 7-2 victory over the Miami RedHawks in Game 2 of the conference quarterfinals on Saturday night at Magness Arena.
 
Denver swept the best-of-three series to start the playoffs and picks up its 30th win of the season, the eighth time in school history the has reached the threshold. DU, which won 31 games last year, has posted consecutive 30-win seasons for the first time in the program existence.
 
The Pioneers are the No. 1 seed in the NCHC Tournament and will face in-state rival Colorado College in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals on Friday, March 17 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The No. 7 CC Tigers defeated No. 2 Western Michigan 3-2 in overtime on Saturday to sweep their series in Kalamazoo.
 
Denver scored three goals in the first 3:24 on Friday versus Miami, led 4-1 after the first period and added three more tallies en route to the five-goal victory. The Pioneers won 6-2 on Friday in the series opener.
 
"I thought our puck support, like we broke their pressure really well in the first period, and certainly in the first five minutes," said Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle. "I think that led to some of those rush opportunities, so that was really nice to see. We executed at a really high level. The shot total wasn't super high, but we were efficient, and we executed well on our chances."
 
Fifth-year senior Kyle Mayhew led the team in scoring with a career-high four points—all of which were assists—in his final game at Magness Arena.
 
"Just happy to be going out on top. Getting pretty emotional right now just a lot of things being said in the room," said the defenseman. "Just a special night, couldn't be any happier."
 
Sophomore Owen Ozar and freshman Lucas Olvestad both scored their first career goals in the contest, and rookie forward Tyler Haskins picked up his first collegiate point with an assist.
 
Overall, six Pioneers had multi-point performances, as Aidan Thompson, Shai Buium, Casey Dornbach and Tristan Lemyre all had a goal and an assist, and Carter King recorded two helpers.
 
Jack Devine, coming off a four-goal night on Friday, scored the Pios' seventh goal with 1:02 remaining in regulation.
 
Making his fourth consecutive start, goaltender Matt Davis made 19 saves on 21 shots. Jack Caruso played the final 4:30 in goal and stopped two pucks in his fourth game of action of the campaign.
 
Ryan Savage tallied at 6:11 of the first period for Miami to end DU's early three-goal run, and Artur Turansky scored with 3:54 left in the middle frame to cut the Pioneers' lead to 6-2.
 
The RedHawks split their goaltender, as Ludvig Persson played the first 28:16 and stopping 10 shots and Logan Nelson finishing the contest with 12 saves.
 
The Pioneers outshot the RedHawks 29-23 in the contest.
 

POSTGAME NOTES

• Denver and Miami were meeting for the second straight season in the NCHC Quarterfinals, and the Pioneers have now won 12 straight games over the RedHawks dating back to the start of last season.
• DU has advanced to the Frozen Faceoff in each of its nine instances.
• Kyle Mayhew's four assists were the most in a game this season and tied for the most points by a Pioneer in a game (six times previously).
• It was the first four-assist game by a Denver player since bobby Brink on Feb. 4, 2022 vs. St. Cloud State.
• Carter Mazur is now on a career-long 10-game point streak (5g/9a).
• Tristan Lemyre has recorded consecutive multi-point performances and is on a three-game goal streak and four-game point streak (3g/3a).
• Junior defenseman Mike Benning played in his 100th career game.
• Casey Dornbach's goal 36 seconds into the first period was the fastest goal to begin a game by the Pioneers this season.
• Denver only other game against Colorado College in the Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center was a third-place game that DU won 6-1 on March 23, 2019. The last time that the schools faced off in a conference semifinal/final was in the 2005 WCHA Final Five when the Pioneers won the championship game 1-0 (both teams went on to advance to the NCAA Frozen Four that year).

GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
0:36 DU (1-0) – Casey Dornbach scored far-side with a wrister during a 2-on-1 rush.
2:37 DU (2-0) – Aidan Thompson patiently skated through the offensive zone and tallied after getting the goalie out of position.
3:24 DU (3-0) – Own Ozar knocked in a loose puck in the crease.
6:11 MU (3-1) – PPG, Ryan Savage scored off a rebound as a Miami power play was set to expire.
18:24 DU (4-1) – PPG, Shai Buium found the back of the net on a one-timer at the right circle off a pass from Kyle Mayhew.
 
2nd Period
4:49 DU (5-1) – PPG, Tristan Lemyre buried a shot from the left side after tic-tack passing by Carter King and Kyle Mayhew
8:16 DU (6-1) – Lucas Olvestad took a leading pass from Tristan Lemyre and tallied on a breakaway.
16:06 MU (6-2) – Artur Turansky buried a wrist shot from the slot.
 
3rd Period
18:58 DU (7-1) – Jack Devine received pas in the neutral zone from Kyle Mayhew, stickhandled around a defender and scored with a wrister.
 
 
QUOTABLES
Richard and Kitzia Goodman Head Coach David Carle
On Kyle Mayhem and freshmen performances: "It was great. Oz (Owen Ozar) first goal, [Lucas] Olvestad first goal, [Tyler] Haskins first assist. Yeah, Kyle has been through a lot here; 150 games last night. So, it was good to be able to honor him a little bit after the game as well. It was a full effort from every healthy body that was available."
 
On next week's game against Colorado College: "We know them really well. We spent three weeks preparing for them because of the two single games and then this last weekend, so we know them exceptionally well. To go to Western (Michigan) and sweep them, we know what kind of a feat that is, so they are coming in with a lot of confidence. I am sure they are going to want to stick it back to us for the regular-season performances. We will need to be at our best. Hopefully, we can get some health back, but at the end of the day its playoff hockey against our local rival, which hasn't happened. I don't know how long that's been that we have met in St. Paul for the (WCHA) Final Five or the (NCHC) Frozen Faceoff. We've played in a consolation game a few years back, but when we were both in the semis, it's been a number of years."
 
On the line of Aidan Thompson, Carter Mazur and Casey Dornbach: "They were good. Just building chemistry. Thompson continues to improve on faceoffs. Just the puck possession game is what allows them to break people down and wear lines down, and then ultimately create chances. They were actually very good tonight."
 
Senior defenseman Kyle Mayhew
On playing in his 150th game on Friday: "I feel like just for my hockey career, I feel like it all came into fruition—it's a special week. I am just glad I get to share it with my teammates."
 
On the team's mindset for Frozen Faceoff: "We just got to get healthy, there is a lot of banged up bodies. Just doing what we always do in practice. Making sure we are working hard, dialing in our habits, just sticking to what's made us good."
 
On CC rivalry: "I am sure the rivalry will be the same, but that game will be amped up, for sure. It's going to have a whole another level to it for so many different reasons. They will be fighting for their season, so it's going to be a heck of a tournament."
 
On the team's current winning streak vs. CC: "It's hard to beat a team that many times in a row, no matter who it is, no matter what level. So it is a testament to us. It's going to be a huge test for us, especially going into playoff time. They've always increased their level of intensity, every single game. I got a little bit better from them. Every game they've made great improvement, so again it is going to be a great matchup."
 
 
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Hockey on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Hockey on Twitter
Follow @DenverPioneers and @DU_Hockey on Instagram