DENVER – The No. 6 University of Denver hockey team scored three power-play goals on Saturday night in a 4-4 tie against the No. 14 St. Cloud State Huskies at Magness Arena. SCSU earned the extra point in the conference standings by winning the shootout 2-1, but the contest officially goes down as a tie.
 
Despite the result, the Pioneers (15-5-2, 6-3-1 NCHC) still extended their season-long unbeaten streak to five games (4-0-1). DU won 5-1 on Friday in the series opener against SCSU (11-6-3, 7-2-1 NCHC).
 
Freshman Miko Matikka scored and added an assist for Denver, which also got markers from junior Jack Devine, sophomore Aidan Thompson and junior Carter King. Brothers Shai Buium and Zeev Buium each contributed two assists apiece.
 
Junior goaltender Matt Davis made 30-of-34 saves through overtime, including stopping 18 shots in the third period. Davis' 30 saves tie a career high, and the 18 stops in the third marked the most in a period this season by a DU netminder.
 
The Huskies scored on both of their shootout opportunities to earn the extra point and keep hold of the top spot in the NCHC standings. DU went 1-for-3 in the tiebreaker, with Tristan Broz scoring in Round 1 before Devine and Rizzo were both denied in their ensuing attempts.
 
St. Cloud State tallied twice in a matter of 28 seconds in the final minute of the first period to take a 2-1 lead and had a 4-2 edge on the scoreboard after back-to-back goals midway through the second.
 
The Pioneers evened the contest at 4-4 with a pair of power-play markers from a major infraction in the final minutes of the middle stanza. SCSU's Zach Okabe was given a five-minute penalty for direct contact to the head of Matikka with 4:11 left in the period, and DU took advantage. Thompson got the Pios within one at 17:38, and King tied the game 1:22 later.
 
St. Cloud State had a chance at the go-ahead goal late in regulation as the team was on a power play for much of the final four minutes, which also included 28 seconds worth of a 5-on-3.
 
Overall, the Pioneers outshot the Huskies 37-24, including by a 15-5 margin the in the second period. St. Cloud goaltender Isak Posch finished with 33 saves.
 
DU's three power-play goals were a season high for a game, and the team finished the weekend with five total scores on the man advantage.
 
UP NEXT: The Pioneers now head onto the road for four straight, beginning next Friday and Saturday at the Omaha Mavericks. DU will play at rival North Dakota on Jan. 26-27.
 

POSTGAME NOTES

• DU is now 10-1-1 in the last 12 games against St. Cloud State at home.
• The Pioneers go to 2-1-2 on the season in games that go beyond regulation.
• Denver is now 0-2 in shootouts this season and suffered its first shootout defeat conference play since Jan. 18, 2014 against Minnesota Duluth, ending a nine-game winning streak in the NCHC tiebreaker. The Pioneers are now 10-3 all-time in shootouts.
• Miko Matikka scored his 14th goal for the season, tied for the most by a freshman in the nation. All of his 14 goals have come in the last 14 games, with him also recording at least a point in each of those contests except for one.
• The Pioneers' three power-plays were a season high and their most since March 1-0, 2024 vs. Miami in Game 1 of the NCHC Quarterfinals (3-for-5).
• Carter King appeared in his 100th career game and scored to extend his point streak to nine games (6g/5a), tying a career long that he set previously this year on Oct. 21-Nov. 19.
• Matt Davis' 30 saves matched a career best while his 34 shots faced were a personal high. His previous marks came when made 30-of-32 saves on March 10, 2023 against Miami.
• St. Cloud's 18 shots in the third period were the most DU has allowed in a stanza this season.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
12:40 DU (1-0) – Shai Buium got past a St. Cloud defender, attacked toward the front of the net before sending the puck in front to Jack Devine for a tap-in score.
19:28 SCSU (1-1) – Josh Luedtke scored on a one-timer from the blueline off a pass from Dylan Anhorn.
19:56 SCSU (1-2) – Zach Okabe chipped in Jack Peart's centering pass in front.
 
2nd Period
6:19 DU (2-2) – PPG, Miko Matikka buried a one-time slap shot at the left circle from a pass by Zeev Buium just seconds after a DU 5-on-3 man advantage expired.
8:05 SCSU (2-3) – Ethan AuCoin buried a shot from a pass by Tyson Grows while all alone in front of the net following a Denver failed clear.
13:42 SCSU (2-4) – Verner Miettinen hit twine on a slap shot from the high slot.
17:38 DU (3-4) – PPG, Aidan Thompson knocked in Shai Buium's pass at the top of the crease
19:00 DU (4-4) – PPG, Carter King backhanded a loose puck in the slot after Tristan Broz sent it toward the front.
 
3rd Period
No Scoring
 
Overtime
No Scoring
 
Shootout (2-1 SCSU)
R1 – DU Tristan Broz, score
R1 – SCSU Veeti Miettinen, score
R2 – DU Jack Devine, missed
R2 – SCSU Kyler Kupka, score
R3 – DU Massimo Rizzo, missed
 
 
QUOTABLES
Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle
On the Pioneers' special teams: "Very good. The power play gets us tied up (in the second period). The PK gets us into overtime. On the weekend, we score five power-play goals, a shorty, we don't give one up (on the power play), so lots to like on the special teams this weekend."
 
On St. Cloud scoring two goals late in the second period: "We had a great start, first 17 minutes. The last three minutes was a challenge. They pushed, give them credit. There were some turnovers by us, some poor net-front coverage by us, and in this league you get pushed. We blinked in that moment. A lot of times it is just a staring contest. We can't give anything easy or for free, and I thought in that last three minutes we played into what they wanted to do. We blinked and we go into the room and instead of 1-0 or even [2-0] because we had some other really good looks, we go down 2-1 which is disappointing."
 
On the Buium Brothers: "Usually one of them is on the ice with three D-pairs and them being split up (on separate combinations). At least two-thirds of the game, one of them is on the ice. So they're a big factor in what happens out there. They've been very good for us all year long."
 
Junior Defenseman Shai Buium
On penalty kills in the third period: "Yeah, we just had to stay connected there in the third. When they have a little push, we just have to stay connected. When we stayed connected, we played well. Obviously on the power play we were successful and that was huge for us."
 
On his assists: "The plays just developed and you put your head up and you see a guy open and you're just like, 'is that the play I should make?' So it kind of just happened."
 
On the takeaway from playing an older team like St. Cloud State: "Just how hard it is to come back from mistakes. Little mistakes happen quick and can end up in the back of your net. So just growing as a team and maturing and sticking to the little details will help us a lot."


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