COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Junior Samu Salminen scored two short-handed goals in the first period on Friday night for the No. 4 University of Denver hockey team, but the Pioneers lost 5-4 against the No. 10 Colorado College Tigers in the Gold Pan series opener at Ed Robson Arena.
 
"Possessing pucks was a challenge, extending possession was a challenge," said Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle. "We needed the special team to be good. Obviously, the kill gets two shorties in the first, which you don't count on that, but the power play had a slow start, similar to Western … Give them credit—I thought they played well. They obviously didn't get down and out."
 
Denver (13-4-0, 3-4-0 NCHC) and Colorado College (10-4-1, 4-2-1) wrap up the home-and-home set on Saturday at Magness Arena. Game time is at 7 p.m. MT and will be broadcast regionally on Altitude 2 and online at NCHC.tv. Limited tickets are available.
 
Both teams had two power-play opportunities in the first stanza, and Salminen scored on each of CC's extra-man chances to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead at the intermission. He tallied twice within three minutes late in the period to become the first DU player to score two short-handed goals in the same period since Tyler Bozak on Nov. 4, 2007 at Minnesota.
 
Seniors Jack Devine and Carter King both had a goal and an assist for the Pioneers. Senior goaltender Matt Davis finished with 34 saves and registered his first point of the season on his fourth career assist.
 
Colorado College rallied from a three-goal deficit after King's goal at 11:49 of the second period. Gavin Lindberg tallied at 15:38 of the frame and then Ryan Koering added another tally two minutes later to make it a 3-2 score going into the second intermission.
 
Four minutes into the last stanza, Owen Beckner tied the game with a power-play goal and Chase McLane scored with nine minutes left to give CC the lead for the first time in the matchup. Drew Montgomery also found the back of the net in the period.
 
With Davis out of the net for the extra attacker, Devine managed to score with less than four minutes left in the final period to cut the deficit to 5-4 but Denver wasn't able to tie the game and force overtime.
 
Tigers' netminder Kaidan Mbereko saved 25-of-29 of Denver's shots in the win.
 
Friday marked the first of four regular-season games between the in-state rivals for the Gold Pan. The Pioneers currently hold the trophy while the Tigers need to win the season series outright to take it.
 
UP NEXT: The Pioneers reach their halfway point of their season on Saturday at home against the CC Tigers at Magness Arena. It will be the only home regular-season outing in a six-game stretch for DU. The Pios then head out for their two-week Holiday Break before hosting UNLV in an exhibition on Saturday, Dec. 28.
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Samu Salminen scored the first short-handed goals of the season by the Pioneers late in the first period. Rieger Lorenz tallied the previous man-disadvantage goal by a DU player on Jan. 12, 2024 vs. St. Cloud State.
• Salminen becomes the sixth DU player to score two short-handed goals in the same game in program history and the fourth to do so in the same period as Tyler Bozak was the last to do so on Nov. 4, 2007 at Minnesota.
• Denver scored two short-handed goals in a game for the first time since Nov. 10, 2023 at Arizona State (both by Carter King) and tallied twice with the man disadvantage for the first time since the second period of Feb. 22, 2008 vs. Alaska Anchorage (Chris Butler, 11:06; Tyler Bozak, 18:40).
• Jack Devine pushed his assist/point streak to eight games (1g/10a), tying his career long set earlier this year from Oct. 5-Nov. 2 (1g/15a).
• Devine's goal came while DU had an extra attacker on the ice, marking the squad's second pulled-goalie goal in as many games.
• Zeev Buium picked up an assist and is on a season-long five-game assist/point streak (1g/6a)
• Goaltender Matt Davis recorded his first point of the season with his fourth career assist.
• Denver is now 14-3-0 in the last 17 games against Colorado College and is 5-2-0 all-time at Ed Robson Arena.
• The Pioneers are now 2-1-0 in their 75th Anniversary sweaters this season. Both teams wore throwback uniforms and will wear the same combination in Saturday's game.
• DU wrapped up a three-game road swing (1-2-0) and is in a stretch where it is playing five-of-six contests away from home.
• Friday's sold-out attendance of 3,952 was an Ed Robson Arena record.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
16:37 DU (1-0) – SHG, Samu Salminen forced a turnover in the offensive zone and scored five-hole during a Tigers power play
19:13 DU (2-0) – SHG, Samu Salminen shot the puck from behind the net and in went off the CC goaltender's body and the knob of his stick and just crossed the goal line.
 
2nd Period
11:49 DU (3-0) – Jack Devine did a no-look pass from the left-wing boards to Carter King in the slot, who flicked a backhand shot top shelf.
15:38 CC (3-1) – Gavin Lindberg scored on a rebound from the left side of Stanley Cooley shot.
17:46 CC (3-2) – Ryan Koering scored from the left circle after a scramble in the crease led to goaltender Matt Davis being out of position.
 
3rd Period
4:13 CC (3-3) – PPG, Owen Beckner found the back of the net on a one-time snap shot in the slot.
9:33 CC (3-4) – Chase McLane fired a wrist shot into the came on a 2-on-1.
14:51 CC (3-5) – Drew Montgomery's shot got through the Denver goalie and slipped across the goal line.
16:03 DU (4-5) – Jack Devine scored while the Pioneers had an extra attacker on the ice.
 

QUOTABLES
Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle
On the turning point late in the second period: "The end of the second period there was disappointing. Give up two goals in the last five minutes when you have 3-0 led. Going to the room 3-0 versus up 3-2 was a big difference, and fortunately, our penalty-kill has been solid. They found a way to crack that through that bumper play, and then it just felt like we started to get off script and get away from what we talked about more defensively, which ended up with goals four and five (for them) back-to-back. So, lot to learn and a lot of growing up to continue to do. We'll continue to teach and work through this."
 
On the wall battles: "They won more of the wall battles, which then they won races off the wall, which was disappointing. We talked about living in the battle and unfortunately, they won more tonight. They found a way to extend their offensive possessions, we didn't. When we did errors, I didn't think we read their transitions a little too easy. So there was a lot to not like in the game to be honest. We'll watch the film, and we'll be better for tomorrow night. 


TICKETS: Limited amount of tickets for Denver hockey's 75th anniversary in 2024-25 are available. Click here to purchase and for more information.