DENVER – The No. 6 University of Denver hockey team returns to the Mile High City this weekend as the Pioneers defend Magness Arena against the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage. The teams will compete in a two-game series this Friday and Saturday as part of DU's homecoming weekend.
 
Friday's game is at 7 p.m. MT and the puck is set to drop at 6 p.m. MT on Saturday. Both games will be available on NCHC.tv while Friday's contest will also be televised regionally on Altitude 2 and in Canada on TSN+. Tickets are still available for both homecoming games.
 
The Pios stand with a 3-2-1 overall record after splitting their two games in Boston last weekend. Denver conquered Boston College with a final mark of 7-3 last Friday, as seven different skaters tallied. Goaltender Quentin Miller made 31 saves in the win, while Boston Buckberger, Hagen Burrows, Kieran Cebrian and Rieger Lorenz all registered two-point outings.
 
The following night, Denver fell just short against Northeastern, losing 1-0. The Pioneers outshot the Huskies 35-14 overall on Saturday night at Matthews Arena, with Lorenz and Clarke Caswell each recording a game-high five shots on net apiece. 
 
Denver has been on the road for the previous two weekends and has only played once this season at Magness Arena: a 6-0 victory against Bentley on Oct. 11.
 
Alaska Anchorage is 0-4-0 on the campaign after falling at St. Cloud State in a two-game series last weekend. Friday's game ended with an outcome of 5-2, while Saturday afternoon's chance for redemption ended 5-1 in favor of the Huskies.
 
The Pios hold the advantage in the all-time series at 50-16-7, including a mark of 27-7-2 in Denver.
 
Last season, Denver traveled to Anchorage and beat the Seawolves on back-to-back nights to open the 2024-25 campaign. The Pioneers defeated the Seawolves 6-2 on Oct. 4, 2024 after Sam Harris hit the back of the net twice. The following afternoon, four different players scored in a 4-1 victory.
 
Alaska's last visit to Denver was in March 2013 when the squads were conference foes in the WCHA. The first game took place on March 8, 20213, where the Pios overpowered the Seawolves 7-1 on the scoreboard and by a 52-17 margin in shots on goal. Two days later DU claimed victory once again in a 6-1 score.
 
This is the Pioneers' only home games in a four-week span, as they head back on the road for the start of NCHC play and a rematch from the 2025 NCAA Frozen Four at No. 3 Western Michigan on Nov. 7-8.
 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Denver split its weekend trip in Boston, winning 7-3 at Boston College in a top-10 matchup on Friday and falling 1-0 at Northeastern on Saturday.
 
DU, which was ranked seventh in the nation in last week's polls, had seven different goal scorers and 13 players registered at least a point in the victory at then-No. 9 BC.  Boston Buckberger, Hagen Burrows and Kieran Cebrian all had multi-point nights with two assists each. Tied 2-2 at the first intermission, the Pioneers scored three times in the second period and added two more markers in the third while goaltender Quentin Miller made a season-high 31 saves.
 
Miller stopped 13-of-14 shots on Saturday but Amine Hajibi tallied the lone goal of the game for Northeastern 2:17 into the second frame.  The Pios outshot the Huskies 35-14 overall and had a 68-32 edge in total shot attempts.
 
NOTABLES

• DU's seven goals scored on Friday were a season high, while the 10 combined goals were also the most in a game this season for the squad.
• The Pioneers improved to 23-16-0 all-time against BC and 7-5-0 at Conte Forum. Denver is now 7-1-0 in the past eight matchups against Boston College.
• Quentin Miller recorded career highs with 31 saves on 34 shots faced on Friday at BC. His 12 stops in the first period were also a season best for the freshman.
• Denver was playing its final game on Saturday at Matthew Arena, as the world's oldest multi-purpose arena is closing its doors after Dec. 13 due to foundation issues.  The Pioneers' previous visit to Matthews was on Oct. 16, 2004.
• DU finished 9-4-0 all-time at Matthews Arena and 6-4-0 vs. Northeastern in the building.  The Pioneers won the 1960 National Championship over Michigan Tech at the rink when it was then known as Boston Arena
• The Pioneers' nine-game winning streak over the Huskies dating back to Nov. 25, 1994 came to an end.  DU now has a 17-6-0 overall record versus NU.
• Denver was shutout for the first time on Saturday since losing 2-0 vs. Cornell on March 23, 2023 in the NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinals in Manchester, New Hampshire.
• DU won 34-of-59 faceoffs at NU, with its 57.6-percent win rate at the circle being its highest of the year.
• Northeastern's 14 total shots on goal and just two in the first period were both the fewest against DU this season.
• James Reeder was playing in his 50th career game on Saturday to become the first member of Denver's sophomore class to reach the half-century mark.
• Denver is now 16-3-1 in its last 20 non-conference outings and is 10-3-0 versus Hockey East opponents since the start of the 2023-24 season. 

SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS: Denver ranks second in the country in shots per game by averaging 40.2 through six outings.  DU had a 35-14 edge in shots on goal at Northeastern on Saturday and was up 68-32 in total shot attempts.  The Pioneers only allowed two shots on goal in the first period, the fewest in a stanza since also allowing just two shots on goal in the second on Oct. 5, 2024 at Alaska Anchorage.
 
DU outshot Lindenwood 49-19 on Oct. 18, which included by a 19-4 margin in the second period on Saturday.  The plus-15 shot differential was the highest in a single period this season.  The four shots against in the period at the time were the fewest in a contest this year until Saturday's first period at Northeastern.
 
The Pioneers began the season on Oct. 10 by outshooting the Air Force Falcons 59-24, the team's most shots on goal since firing 66 against Lake Superior State on Oct. 20, 2017.  Denver's plus-35 shot differential was its highest since having a plus-36 differential on Dec. 2, 2022 vs. ASU (56-20), and the 22 shots on goal in the third were its most in a single frame since having 23 in the second period on Nov 3, 2023 vs. Colorado College.
 
Denver's season high for shots on goal last season were 46 on Nov. 8, 2024 vs. Lindenwood, and the previous time the Pios had 50 or more shots on net was when they had 56 on Dec. 2, 2022 vs. Arizona State.
 
MILLER TIME: Freshman goaltender Quentin Miller began his collegiate career with a three-game unbeaten streak, going 2-0-1 in games on Oct. 10 at Air Force (1-1 tie), Oct. 18 at Lindenwood (4-0 win) and Oct. 24 at Boston College (7-3 win) and registering an overall shutout streak of 117:17.  Magnus Chrona was the last DU netminder to go unbeaten in his first three career starts, as he won his first seven outings to begin the 2019-20 campaign.
 
Miller's first career victory came in a 19-save shutout and a 4-0 victory at Lindenwood on Oct. 18.  Posting a shutout for your first NCAA win hasn't been an uncommon occurrence in recent years for the Pioneers, as Matt Davis recorded a clean sheet in his first career start on Oct. 16, 2021 vs. Air Force (25 saves) and Freddie Halyk did the same in his win against Air Force on Oct. 28, 2023 (24 saves).
 
BURROWS BURIES IT: Sophomore Hagen Burrows recorded multiple points in three straight games from Oct. 17-24, registering two goals and four assists in that time and marking the first time he's compiled multiple points in consecutive outings.  Overall, Burrows went on a four-game point streak (2g/5a) from Oct. 11-24, a career long.
 
The Orono, Minnesota, native produced his first two-goal outing of his collegiate tenure on Oct. 17 at Lindenwood and owns five career multi-point contests.
 
The forward has already doubled his goal total and is close to matching his points from a season ago. He had nine points on one goal and eight assists in 39 outings as a freshman in 2024-25, with him not scoring his first marker until March 15 in Game 2 of the NCHC Quarterfinals against Colorado College.
 
CASWELL CONNECTING: Freshman Clarke Caswell began his collegiate career with points in each of the first five games and ranks third on the team with six points (2g/4a).  
 
Caswell scored his first NCAA tally in the season opener on Oct. 10 at Air Force and recorded his first career multi-point game with two assists on Oct. 11 vs. Bentley.
 
END OF THE RUNS: In addition to Clarke Caswell's season-opening five-game point streak ending on Saturday in the 1-0 loss at Northeastern, several other players had their career-long stretches wrap up as well.
 
Hagen Burrows (2g/5a) and Jake Fisher (2g/2a) were each on personal-long four-game runs, while defenseman Garrett Brown recorded assists/points in three straight outings for the first time in his career (0g/3a).  Additionally, Samu Salminen was on a four-game point streak (2g/2a) and Sam Harris had scored in three consecutive contests (3g/1a)
 
PENALTY KILL DELIVERING: Denver has not allowed a power-play goal against this season and is 13-for-13 on the penalty kill in 2025-26.  The Pioneers were only down a man on the ice once in each game last weekend at Boston College on Friday and Northeastern on Saturday.  DU is the only school in the country to not allow a power-play goal.
 
The Pioneers finished with an 81.7-percent success rate on the kill last season and went 7-for-9 on man disadvantages during the 2025 NCAA Tournament.  DU killed off 17 straight penalties across five games last year from Oct. 5-25, 2024.
 
HISTORY VS. UAA: The Pioneers and Seawolves will face off for the second straight season after DU traveled to Anchorage to start the 2023-24 campaign a year ago.  Denver swept that series with wins of 6-2 and 4-1.  That matchup was the first time that David Carle led the bench as the head coach in his hometown and marked the first meeting between the former WCHA foes in more than a decade.  The teams had previously met on Oct. 19, 2013, a 3-2 overtime loss by the Pioneers to the Seawolves in the Goal Rush Tournament in Fairbanks, Alaska, and DU was making its first trip to Anchorage since Jan. 27-28, 2012.  Denver has a 50-16-7 all-time record over UAA and went 42-13-7 in conference play in the WCHA.  The Pios sport a 27-7-2 mark at home in the series and were 23-8-5 in Anchorage.  Denver is 8-1-0 in the past nine matchups with Alaska Anchorage and is 13-2-2 in the past 17 meetings dating back to March 13, 2009.  The Seawolves will be visiting Magness Arena for the first time since March 8-10, 2013, when the Pios won by 7-1 and 6-1 scores.  Since the series first began on Jan. 29-30, 1993, Denver's 50 all-time wins over Alaska Anchorage is its ninth-most against a single opponent in program history.
 
PREVIOUS MEETING (OCT. 6, 2024): The No. 1 Denver Pioneers defeated the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves 4-1 on Sunday night to sweep the season-opening series at Avis Alaska Sports Complex in Anchorage. Freshman James Reeder scored his first collegiate goal on his birthday and also added an assist in his second career game.  Junior forward Samu Salminen tallied his first marker with the Pioneers as well.  Senior captain Carter King potted his first of the campaign, and junior Aidan Thompson buried his third goal of the weekend.  Senior Jack Devine recorded multiple assists for the second-straight night with a pair.  Goaltender Matt Davis was busier than he was the previous night, stopping 24-of-25 pucks to improve to 2-0 on the campaign. He only faced 12 shots on goal in the series opener that DU won 6-2. Denver went 1-for-4 on the power play, with King burying a wrist shot from the slot 1:25 into the second period. The Pioneers tallied four times on the man advantage on Saturday on opening night.
 
CONNECTIONS: Head coach David Carle was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, and grew up going to Seawolves games ... Assistant coaches Dallas Ferguson and Tavis MacMillan played and graduated from UAA's rival Alaska Fairbanks, and they both later served as assistant and head coaches of the program … MacMillan led UAF as the head coach from 2004-2007 while Ferguson was the bench boss from 2008-2017 … DU's Eric Pohlkamp and UAA's Logan Acheson were teammates at Bemidji State during the 2023-24 season … Alec Whipple played two seasons on the BCHL Trail Smoke Eaters with Judah Makway, Adam Parsons and Ethan Warrener from 2022-2024 … Denver's Kent Anderson, Eric Jamieson and Rieger Lorenz and Anchorage's Ryan Johnson and Ethan Warrener are all from Calgary, Alberta … Boston Buckberger and Karter McNarland are both from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan … Luke Helgeson played two seasons with NAHL Colorado Grit in Greeley from 2023-2025 … The Pioneers' Sam Harris (San Diego) and the Seawolves' Dylan Contreras (Yorba Linda) and Tyler Krivtsov (Santa Clarita) are all from Southern California … DU's Quentin Miller and UAA's Isaac Menard (Trois-Revieres) are both from the Canadian province of Quebec … Tanyon Bajzer's used to in the NCHC with Miami (2023-2025).
 
SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES: Alaska Anchorage is 0-4-0 on the season as an NCAA independent squad.  The Seawolves have started the new campaign against a pair of Minnesota squads in Bemidji State and St. Cloud State.  UAA opened its season at home on Oct. 3-4 against Bemidji and dropped both games, losing 9-2 and 5-0.  The Seawolves kicked off a 10-game road swing at St. Cloud State, which also features stops in Denver and in the U.S. northeast at Bentley, Stonehill, Brown and Holy Cross.  The Seawolves fell 5-2 on Friday and 5-1 n Saturday at the SCSU Huskies.  Alaska Anchorage is on a two-week road trip as the team will stay out on the road and traveled to Denver this week after playing at St. Cloud.  UAA has had five different goal scorers and Karter McNarland leads the team with three assists/points.  Three goaltenders have seen action and started a game this season, Bryant Marks making two of the four starts.
 
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: The Pioneers own a 13-0-1 mark at home in non-conference games since Jan. 7, 2023 vs. Alaska Fairbanks, and Denver is 29-5-2 overall against non-NCHC opponents since the start of 2023-24.
 
DU went 13-1-0 versus non-NCHC opponents during the 2024-25 season and 5-1-0 against teams from the Hockey East Association.  Denver defeated Providence and Boston College in the 2025 NCAA Tournament owns a 10-3-0 record in their contests vs. Hockey East since 2023-24.
 
The Pioneers will play 11 total non-conference games this season, with the team making trips to Boston, St. Louis and down to the Colorado Springs area.  Bentley, Alaska Anchorage and Maine will visit Magness Arena during the year, and DU will host Minnesota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Ball Arena in downtown Denver on Nov. 29.
 
Denver began the campaign on the road at Air Force on Oct. 10 before hosting Bentley the next night on Oct. 11 in the home opener.  DU was on the road for back-to-back weekends, facing Lindenwood on Oct. 17-18 before playing Boston College and Northeastern on Oct. 24-25 in its final non-league road games of the year.
 
After visiting Alaska Anchorage and Maine last season, Denver welcomes both the Seawolves and Black Bears to Colorado in 2025-26.  DU hosts UAA for Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 before taking on Maine after the New Year on Jan. 2-3.
 
PIONEERS IN THE POLLS: Denver moved up to No. 6 in this week's USCHO.com poll and stayed at No. 7 in the latest USA Hockey poll after both rankings were released on Monday. The Pioneers began the year at No. 4 on each preseason list.
 
The NCHC leads all conferences with four teams ranked in the top 10 in the USCHO.com poll, and its five total ranked squads are third-most in the nation.  The conference is tied with the Big Ten and Hockey East with three each in the top 10 in the USA Hockey rankings.  Joining the Pioneers in the polls are fellow league members Western Michigan at No. 3/3,  North Dakota at No. 8/8, Minnesota Duluth at No. 10/11 and Colorado College at No. 15/16. Arizona State, Miami, Omaha and St. Cloud State also received votes among each electorate.
 
MONTH BY MONTH: Denver owns a 3-2-1 mark so far this season and has guaranteed itself its 30th consecutive full month with at least a .500 record or better dating back to January 2021.
 
ROAD WARRIORS: Denver is playing 10 of its first 14 games on the road and wrapped up a season-long, four-game road swing from Oct. 17-26 at Lindenwood, Boston College and Northeastern.  DU played five of its first six outings and will play 12 of its first 19 contests away from Magness Arena going into the Holiday Break in December.
 
The Pioneers open 2026 with two, season-long, four-game homestands in the month of January and will host at Magness for nine-of-12 contests from Jan. 2-Feb. 7.
 
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Senior Kent Anderson was named the 96th team captain in program history prior to the season on Oct. 3.  This is his first time serving as a team captain; he was an alternate captain with the Drumheller Dragons of the USHL in 2020-21.
 
Senior forwards Rieger Lorenz and Samu Salminen and junior defenseman Boston Buckberger were all chosen as alternate captains.
 
Salminen was captain of Jokerit's U20 squad in 2021-22 after being an alternate the previous year, and he served as captain of Team Finland at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship.  Buckberger was previously an alternate in 2022-23 with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL.
 
BALL ARENA SHOWDOWN COMING IN NOVEMBER: The University of Denver will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers at NHL's Ball Arena on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. MT in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game.  The initial announcement of the Pioneers hosting was on April 15, 2024 and the exact date was finalized on July 16, 2025 following the release of the Colorado Avalanche NHL schedule.
 
The DU hockey program will serve as the host of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game for the third time in its history and will be playing in the contest for the fourth time.  DU previously hosted the games at Magness Arena on Oct. 11, 2008 vs. Notre Dame (5-2 win) and Dec. 29, 2012 vs. Boston University (6-0 win).  The Pioneers previously played Minnesota in the USHHOF Game on Oct. 9, 2004 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. (5-2 loss).
 
Denver will be playing its second-ever game at Ball Arena since the building first opened in 1999.  The Pioneers defeated in-state rival Colorado College 2-0 in their first regular-season game at the arena on Jan. 27, 2023 in front of a crowd of 17,952—the highest attended indoor hockey game in the state of Colorado in DU history.
 
It will be a double-header of hockey at Ball Arena on Nov. 29 as the Avalanche hosts the Montreal Canadiens earlier that day at 1 p.m. MT.
 

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