GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The No. 1 Denver Pioneers hockey team scored two goals in the second period and held off the No. 9 North Dakota Fighting Hawks for the rest of the game on Saturday night to win 3-2 and sweep the weekend series at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
 
Denver (12-0-0, 2-0-0 NCHC) extended its school-record, season-opening win streak to 12 games and picked up its first sweep at North Dakota (5-6-0, 2-2-0 NCHC) since the 2022-23 campaign. The Pioneers won 5-2 in the series opener on Friday.
 
"This should give us a lot of confidence that we can draw from as we go throughout the season," said Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle. "It's a really hard place to sweep. I thought North Dakota came out much more desperate than they were a night ago, certainly more of a playoff-type feel to it with the physicality, after the whistle stuff, the tight-checking, not a lot of open ice for either team and a game that could have gone either way. Our first one-goal game of the year, our first 3-2 game of the year, and we feel fortunate to come out on the right side and come out of here with six points."
 
Junior forward Aidan Thompson, sophomore defenseman Boston Buckberger and freshman James Reeder all scored for the Pios. Senior goaltender Matt Davis finished with 21 saves on 23 shots faced in the win.
 
North Dakota held a 2-1 lead early in the second period following a short-handed goal by Dylan James, but Thompson buried a power-play marker at 11:36 of frame and Buckberger was able to tap in a loose puck with 2:39 left before the intermission to give Denver its first and only lead of the night.
 
Thompson now has points in each of the 12 games this year, the longest season-opening point streak by a DU player in the last 10 years.
 
The Pioneers finished 3-for-4 on the penalty kill, including a key kill while holding a one-goal lead with 9:34 left in the third period. DU went 1-for-2 on the power play.
 
Denver also blocked a season-high 18 shots in the game, with Kent Anderson's block during that third period PK being one of the biggest of the evening.
 
Sacha Boisvert opened the scoring for UND with a power-play marker with 5:48 left in the opening period, but Reeder evened the score for Denver with a mid-air tip off a feed from Samu Salminen—helping both players extend career-long point streaks.
 
The Pioneers were outshot 23-22, with Fighting Hawks goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter making 19 saves in the loss.
 
UP NEXT: Denver heads back home for its first NCHC games at Magness Arena next week as Arizona State visits for the first time as a conference foe. Friday's contest starts at 7 p.m. MT and Saturday's game begins at 6 p.m. MT and will be televised regionally on Altitude 2. Both outings will also be broadcast on NCHC.tv.
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Denver picks up its first two-game sweep in Grand Forks since Nov. 11-12, 2022.
• DU is now 7-3-0 in the last 10 meetings versus UND.
• The Pioneers have now won 21 straight games dating back to March 9 versus Colorado College, one shy of tying the school record of 22 consecutive wins that wrapped up the championship-winning 1967-68 campaign.
• DU's three goals scored were its fewest of the season, but they team continued its run of allowing two or fewer goals against in each game this year.
• The Pioneers' 18 blocked shots were a season high.
• Denver picked up its fourth comeback victory of the season.
• Aidan Thompson scored to push his career-long and season-opening point streak to 12 games (9g/11a).
• Sam Harris had an assist and pushed his personal-best point streak to nine games (8g/5a) and now has points in 10 of the 11 games he's played this year.
• Samu Salminen is now on a career-best, five-game assist/point streak (0g/5a).
• Freshman James Reeder now has points in each of the last eight contests (3g/5a).
• Denver scored on the power play in its ninth-straight game. The last time they accomplished the feat was from Feb. 11-March 11, 2023.
• Tory Pitner recorded his first collegiate point with an assist on James Reeder's goal.
• DU had killed off 14 straight penalties before Sacha Boisvert scored on the power play with 5:48 left in the first period.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
14:12 UND (0-1) – PPG, Sacha Boisvert scored on a one-time snap shot from the right circle off a cross pass by Dylan James.
16:29 DU (1-1) – James Reeder tipped Samu Salminen's leading pass in the slot during a rush up the ice.
 
2nd Period
5:27 UND (1-2) – SHG, Dylan Jame's shot got through Matt Davis' pads while the goaltender was screened by a Pioneer player.
11:36 DU (2-2) – PPG, Aidan Thompson scored on a one-time snap shot off a pass from Jack Devine just 13 seconds into the man advantage.
17:21 DU (3-2) – The Pioneers created a scoring chance on a rush up the ice, and Boston Buckberger tapped in a loose puck in the low slot during the ensuing scramble.
 
3rd Period
No Scoring

 
QUOTABLES
Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle
On battling back in the game: "Really proud of our team for finding a way through the game. We get down 1-0, find a way to get it tied. Go down 2-1—give up a shorty. Power play comes back and gets one, and then to get the go-ahead at the end of the second period by [Boston] Buckberger was great. Probably what I'm most proud of is two third periods (at North Dakota), up 4-2 a night ago, up 3-2 tonight, only give up 10 shots in the two periods combined. Don't give up a goal, have to kill two penalties—one each period, one Friday and one Saturday—and held them off the (score) sheet there as well. I thought we had a lot of commitment to blocking shots—Kent Anderson's block in the third period stands out—but we had a lot of guys putting their bodies on the line for the team."
 
On the reversed Denver goal in the third period that was overturned due to a UND coach's challenge: "I thought the crowd didn't have much going on in the third, especially after we killed that penalty. To get the goal, you could tell it kind of took the air out of the building a little bit, and then they are all waiting on pins and needles … I thought we got right back to work and made life hard on them, didn't give a lot of easy entries and to come out in the third and only giving up six shots—and three came on the power play—so only three 5-on-5 shots in the third total, including the 6-on-5 time, I think is a real testament to closing a game out and maturity that our group has right now."
 
On the penalty kill during the weekend: "The kill was good. They obviously changed things up from last night to tonight, and I thought that opened some things. We made an error on one kill in the first period and it ended up in the back of our net, but to hold them to one power play is a really good job by our penalty kill."
 
On facing Arizona State for the first time as conference opponents: "Looking forward to getting back to Magness Arena against Arizona State next weekend. A team that has played really well but hasn't got rewarded; has outshot Omaha and CC 2-to-1 in their last four games … A hungry team, a new NCHC member—obviously we've played them lots—but they're coming into our building for the first time in the NCHC. Expecting a great competitive series and look forward to seeing our great fans back at Magness Arena next Friday night."
 

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