KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The No. 2 University of Denver hockey team rallied for a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday night to earn a series split against the No. 7 Western Michigan Broncos at Lawson Arena.
 
Junior Samu Salminen scored the game-tying goal with 1:06 remaining in the third period and senior captain Carter King tallied at 2:11 of the extra period to help the Pioneers (13-3-0, 3-3-0 NCHC) break a three-game losing streak. WMU won 3-2 in the series opener on Friday.
 
"A lot of desperation by our guys in the second and third period," said Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle. "I thought we started to push at the end of the second, but I really liked our second and third, put a lot of heat on them. Guys were sticking with it."
 
Sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium had a goal and an assist and fellow blueliner Boston Buckberger registered two helpers. Senior Jack Devine and freshman Jake Fisher also recorded an assist each in the win.
 
Senior goaltender Matt Davis made 19 saves for the Pioneers and stopped all 12 shots he faced in a scoreless first period.
 
Western Michigan (10-3-1, 6-1-1 NCHC) opened the scoring as Alex Bump tallied at 8:23 of the second period, but Buium knotted the contest 64 seconds later after the puck caromed off the end wall and landed on the blade of his stick at the top of the crease.
 
Grant Slukynsky put the Broncos back ahead at 2-1 midway through the third frame, but Salminen forced overtime by finding twine on a one-time snap-shot at the top of the right circle off a feed by Buckberger.
 
King ended the night with his second career overtime goal after winning a neutral-zone faceoff, regaining possession from Buium and then skating around the three Broncos players on the ice before depositing the puck five-hole on goaltender Hampton Slukynsky.
 
"It's mostly man-on-man that people are playing (in OT), so you get around your guy you are kind of home free," King said. "I felt his (the opposing player's) skate hit my skate and he ended up going down (to the ice). So I knew I was going to have space there and made a move and it went in. So it was a real cool feeling."
 
Denver outshot Western Michigan 34-21 overall, including by a 27-9 margin in the final two-plus periods. The Pioneers had the only shot on goal in the extra stanza.
 
UP NEXT: The Pioneers wrap up their season-long three game road swing on Friday at Colorado College before hosting the Tigers next Saturday, Dec. 14 at Magness Arena to wrap up the home-and-home set.
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Denver won in overtime in Kalamazoo for the second-straight season after Massimo Rizzo scored the OT-winner on Dec. 9, 2023.
• The Pioneers were playing their first overtime game of the season and first since defeating Boston University in the NCAA Frozen Four on April 11, 224.
• Carter King scored his second career overtime goal after also tallying the OT-winner on Dec. 2, 2023 vs. North Dakota.  Overall, it was his second game-winning marker of the season and seventh of his career.
• Samu Salminen registered his first career game-tying goal.
• Jack Devine stretched his assist/point streak to seven games (0g/9a).
• Devine now has 131 career points (45 goals, 86 assists) in 134 career games to take sole possession of 40th place on the school's all-time scoring list.
• Matt Davis started for the eighth-straight game, the longest streak of the season for a DU goaltender.
• The Pioneers went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and have been perfect with the man disadvantage in 12-of-16 games this season.
• Denver's senior class won its 106th game, take sole possession of second place for the most in program history.
• Denver is now 10-3-1 in the last 14 games vs. Western Michigan and is 9-11-0 all-time at Lawson Arena.
• DU and WMU were playing their final game of the season as Western Michigan and Minnesota Duluth are the only two NCHC squads that won't visit Magness Arena in 2024-25.

GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
No Scoring
 
2nd Period
8:23 WMU (0-1) – Alex Bump hit twine with a wrist shot from the right circle.
9:27 DU (1-1) – Boston Buckberger's shot went off the end wall and landed in the slot where Zeev Buium whacked the puck into the back of the cage.
 
3rd Period
9:06 WMU (1-2) – Grant Slukynsky tallied on a wrist shot during a rush up the ice.
18:54 DU (2-2) – Samu Salminen scored on a one-time snap-shot from the top of the right circle while DU had an extra attacker on the ice.
 
Overtime
2:11 DU (3-2) – Carter King skated past the three WMU players in the neutral zone and placed the puck five-hole past the Broncos goaltender during a breakaway.
 
 
QUOTABLES
Senior Forward Carter King
On the series helping DU later on in the season: "It's a tough place to play and we knew that going in. On those weekends, you come together as a team and it's got to be all four lines and all three D-pairings that come together and buy -n to playing as a team. It's hard hockey, it's tough hockey, and it's good for us to go through. I'm really proud of the effort here tonight."
 
On the penalty kill's recent performance: "Our special teams has been good this year. For the penalty kill in particular, I think it's been our puck pressure, forechecking hard and making sure the other team really feels pressure. We're not making it easy for them getting up the ice and getting entries. We're making it hard, and I think that's been working for us."
 
On if Friday's game helped with Saturday's comeback win: "I think no matter what we're used to these situations. We've been in a few of them. We're not going to give up, we're not going to back down at all. We know we still have a chance no matter what. It's good to see when we're in those situations like tonight that we can get a successful result out of it."
 
Junior Forward Samu Salminen
On his goal to tie the game: "It was pretty clear, just get the puck on the net. Bucky (Boston Buckbeger) gave me a good pass, so it was pretty clear. Just have a one-timer there and have guys go to the net. Lucky it went in."
 
On scoring after missing on a chance earlier in the game: "Those opportunities come and go, so when you finally get it in the net, it boosts your confidence. I'm pretty happy that I was able to get my second one in."
 
On the series with WMU: "After last two games and getting swept, it was time to clean up with some stuff. We had a bye week and a good week or practice, and it was playoff-type hockey this weekend and a top-10 matchup. That is what it takes to win big games; we stuck with the process, so we're ready for these games later in the year when it will be like this every 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.