NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The No. 1 Denver Pioneers hockey team received goals from five different players and junior goaltender Matt Davis stopped all 22 shots he faced on Friday night in a 6-0 victory against the Yale Bulldogs at Ingalls Rink.
 
Sophomore defenseman Eric Pohlkamp had two goals and one assist for his first three-point game with the Pioneers and the second of his career. He joined the program in the offseason as a transfer.
 
Freshman forward Jake Fisher and sophomore defenseman Boston Buckberger each scored and added a helper in the contest, and sophomore Sam Harris recorded a multi-point night as well with a pair of assists. Overall, 12 different Pioneers registered points, with senior forward Carter King and junior forward Rieger Lorenz also tallying.
 
"I think they came out with a lot of jam. They are a physical team. It was a pretty physical hockey game all-in-all," said Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle. "For us, I think getting pucks off our sticks a little quicker in the O-zone; I thought our transition play was really good in the second period, made some plays off the rush and getting pucks north. I think quicker movement in the O-zone allowed us to win more races to those pucks."
 
Davis made eight of his saves in the third period, with most of them coming in the final five minutes during a scramble around the crease. It was Davis' fifth shutout of his career and first since stopping every shot in the 2024 NCAA Championship Game against Boston College on April 13.
 
Playing its season opener, Yale faced a scoreboard deficit just 5:13 into the game off a wrister from Lorenz. Denver added three goals in the middle frame, as Harris and Pohlkamp tallied in a matter 3:10 of one another early in the stanza and Buckberger found the back of the cage off a feed from Pohlkamp on a 4-on-4 with 1:27 left before the intermission.
 
King scored early in the third and Pohlkamp buried his second goal of the night and fourth of the season during a 5-on-3 power play with 54 seconds left in regulation
 
The game was primarily played at even strength as the first power play for either team didn't occur until the third period. The Pios' first man-up chance came the final 2:10 of the third, and the squad added another 43 seconds later for a two-man advantage—one in which they capitalized on with Pohlkamp.
 
DU outshot Yale 31-22 overall, as Bulldogs goalie Jack Stark finished with 25 saves.
 
The Pioneers were playing their first-ever games at the historic Ingalls Rink on the Yale campus and were making just second trip ever to New Haven, as they previously played in a holiday tournament at the former downtown rink in 1980.
 
UP NEXT: Denver and Yale conclude their two-game non-conference series on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Denver improved to 9-1-0 all-time against Yale and have won each of its last three games in the series. DU is 2-0 in games in New Haven, but the team was playing its first-ever contest at Ingalls Rink as their previous matchup in the city came at the now demolished New Haven Coliseum during the Colonial Bank Hockey Tournament on Jan. 4, 1980
• The Pioneers have sported shut outs in each of their last three games against the Yale Bulldogs dating back to their series last season at Magness Arena (180 minutes).
• Connor Caponi became the 70th player in program history to reach the 150-game milestone, while Jack Devine skated in his 125th career contest.
• Eric Pohlkamp recorded his first multi-point game at Denver and stretched his career-best point streak to six games (4g/4a). It was his second career two-goal and three-point contests, as he last tallied twice on March 9, 2024 vs. Ferris State and had a goal and two assists on March 8 vs. Ferris while with Bemidji State.
• Jack Devine (1g/14a), Carter King (6g/4a) and Aidan Thompson (4g/8a) extended their respective season-opening point streaks to seven games. Thompson pushed his personal-best assist streak to five games.
• Sam Harris recorded two assists and is now on a five-game point streak (4g/4a), tying a career long (Feb. 16-March 1, 2024). His four-game goal streak ended, which tied his career long.
• James Reeder had an assist for his first three-game assist/point streak of his career.
• Jake Fisher recorded his third multi-point game of the season and his second in as many games.
• The team's senior class recorded its 100th win in its tenure at Denver
• Denver has now won 16 consecutive games dating back to March 9 against Colorado College.
• DU's seven-game season-opening win streak is its longest since beginning the 2019-20 campaign with victories in each of its first eight contests.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
5:13 DU (1-0) – Rieger Lorenz knocked in the puck from the right side of the net after the Pioneers forced a turnover in the corner.
 
2nd Period
3:44 DU (2-0) – Sam Harris dumped the puck around the boards and James Reeder sent a pass to the middle of the slot where Jake Fisher scored on a wrist shot.
6:54 DU (3-0) – Eric Pohlkamp unleashed a one-time shot off a faceoff win by Jake Fisher and an assist from Boston Buckberger.
18:33 DU (4-0) – Boston Buckberger tallied from the slot from a pass by Eric Pohlkamp with 18 seconds left on a 4-on-4.
 
3rd Period
5:14 DU (5-0) – Carter King took a feed from behind the goal by Aidan Thompson and scored while at the top of the crease.
19:06 DU (6-0) – Jack Devine sent a cross-pass to the top of the right circle for Eric Pohlkamp, who hit twine with a wrist shot 32 seconds into a 5-on-3.
 
 
QUOTABLES
Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle
On goaltender Matt Davis' shutout performance: "I thought he was excellent. I know it only says 22 shots, but they threw everything they had at the paint and he was square. I thought he kept the shot count low because he got some whistles and pucks stuck to him. He was excellent today."
 
On Denver's penalty kill late in the third period: "Love our kill there at the end. Pohlkamp blocking shots in his face. Andy (Kent Anderson) ate some cross checks at the net front. I thought that was great and 5-0 game and putting our bodies on the line, shows a lot—their care for the team but their care for Matt Davis and trying to preserve the shutout as well."
 
"I think they came out with a lot of jam. They are a physical team. It was a pretty physical hockey game all-in-all. For us, I think getting pucks off our sticks a little quicker in the O-zone. I thought our tranisiotn play was really good in the second period, made some plays off the rush and getting pucks north. I think quicker movement in the O-zone allowed us to win more races to those pucks."
 
Junior Defenseman Eric Pohlkamp
On the team's defensive play: "I thought we came out a little slow, we got to fix up our D-zone a little bit and stop more pucks (before they get to the net). Yale is a pretty good team, but you don't want to make too many mistakes all the time. I think we need to clean up our game a little more. It was nice to get the 6-0 win, it was nice for Matty to get the shutout, but we need to have a way better start tomorrow."
 
On his two goals in the game: "I'm still trying to get my shot through and not getting it blocked and getting it through traffic. The guys know I like to shoot the puck, so if they can get it to me or I try and get as open as much as I can. The first goal I had, Sammy [Harris] made an unbelievable screen and it was lucky enough to go in, and that 5-on-3 goal was a nice pass by Devo (Jack Devine). Coming here and playing with these guys, it makes my job 10 times easier, and I'm lucky enough to get those two here tonight."
 

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