DENVER – Senior captain Carter King recorded two goals in a 3-1 win for the No. 6 University of Denver hockey team against the St. Cloud State Huskies on Friday night at Magness Arena.
 
"I thought we were moving our feet with the puck, patient with the puck, possessive with the puck," said Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle. "That allowed us to draw the six penalties on the night. I think our speed was evident, and they were pretty detailed without the puck as well. So I just thought throughout the lineup the mental focus of the group was there all night. Only taking two penalties, get six power plays, that's a great recipe."
 
The win moved the Pioneers (24-8-1, 13-7-1 NCHC) to third place in the NCHC standings with 39 points, one more than fourth-place Omaha (38) and two up on North Dakota in fifth (37).
 
Denver and St. Cloud State (12-18-1, 5-15-1 NCHC) wrap up their two-game weekend and season series on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT at DU. The game will be broadcast on NCHC.tv; limited tickets are available.
 
Senior goaltender Matt Davis secured the win for the Pioneers, saving 20-of-21 shots sent his way. Only the first shot he faced got past him, as Davis had a clean sheet for the remaining 50 minutes. 
 
Sophomore defenseman Boston Buckberger and junior Aidan Thompson both had two assists, and senior Jack Devine also had a multi-point night with a goal and a helper.
 
King opened the scoring with a power-play marker just 4:34 into the contest, but St. Cloud State's Nick Portz equalized the score at 9:28 of the first period. King answered back with a tip-in off Buckberger's shot at 4:20 of the second frame for his fifth career multi-point game and third of the season.
 
Devine increased DU's lead to 3-1 on a similar redirection off a Buckberger shot to earn his 10th goal of the season and 153rd career point. 
 
St. Cloud goaltender Isak Posch saved 38-of-41 shots that Denver sent his way. He stopped 19-of-20 shots on Denver's six power plays in the game as the Huskies totaled 14 penalty minutes.
 
The DU penalty kill didn't allow for SCSU to capitalize on its two man advantages in the contest.
 
UP NEXT: The Pioneers continue their three-game homestand on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT against St. Cloud State. DU then hosts Colorado College next Friday, March 7 to begin a home-and-home series that concludes with the regular season finale versus the Tigers on March 8 in Colorado Springs.
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• The Pioneers are now 5-0-1 in their last six games against the SCSU Huskies. DU improved to 61-52-7 in the all-time series and 35-25-3 at home.
• Carter King tallied twice for his fifth multi-point game of his career and third of the season. He last scored twice in a game on Nov. 25 vs. Arizona State.
• King also scored his fourth game-winning goal of the season and ninth of his career.
• Aidan Thompson stretched his point streak to eight games (4g/9a).
• Carter King is now on a six-game point streak (5g/3a).
• Boston Buckberger recorded his 50th career point with Denver, also extending his assist streak to three games.
• Jack Devine (2g/4a) and Zeev Buium (1g/3a) are also on three-game point streaks.
• Cale Ashcroft appeared in his 70th game with the Pios on Friday night. 
• Denver outshot St. Cloud 19-6 in the first period, tying a season high for the most in a period this season (Oct. 6 at Alaska Anchorage, first period).
• Radio broadcaster Jay Stickney called his 1,000th DU hockey game on Friday night. He is in his 25th year broadcasting Pioneer contests and has called each of Denver's five national championships this century. 
• This weekend marks the only time this season that Denver and St. Cloud State will play each other, as the Pioneers won't visit the Huskies or Omaha Mavericks during the 2024-25 regular season. 
• Friday marked the first matchup between Denver and St. Cloud State since the Pioneers beat the Huskies in overtime in the 2024 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Semifinals. 

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
4:34 DU (1-0) – PPG, Carter King knocked the puck out of midair and into the back of the net off a rebound from Zeev Buium's outside shot.
9:28 SCSU (1-1) – Nick Portz went top shelf and far-side with a wrist shot from the right circle during a rush up the ice.
 
2nd Period
4:20 DU (2-1) – Carter King redirected in Boston Buckberger's shot from the high slot while stationed in front of the net.
8:56 DU (3-1) – Jack Devine deflected Boston Buckberger's shot into the back of the net.
 
3rd Period
No Scoring
 

QUOTABLES
Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle
On the power play: "A lot of zone time. We had a lot of good puck movement, chances to make finishing plays. Obviously 20 shots on the power play and only one goes in—kind of bat it in midair, kind of an odd one. The great hand-eye by Carter [King] to knock it twice out of the air. Loved it outside of finishing a couple of more times; I think we have proven our ability to do that. If we move it like that, most nights good things will happen."
 
On defenseman Boston Buckberger's play: "I think that he is getting himself into a really good spots. Puck on his hip, getting his eyes up, getting more pucks through. He does have a heavy shot. It was great to see him get those through. We had great net-front presence on them as well, which was critical against—you all saw how good Isak Posch is, and how much they have missed him through their stretch in the second half. So it is really important to make sure that we have good net-fronts on him his as well."
 
Sophomore defenseman Boston Buckberger 
On his recent offensive streak and how it fuels him: "I think this doesn't start with me. It's my teammates, just making good plays. And when you get some puck luck, and the hockey gods are on your side of it, I think things start dropping and obviously, it feels really good. At the end of the day, I just want to help the team produce and score. If we keep our goal total up every game, we'll be put in a good spot, especially when Matt [Davis] and Freddie [Halyk] are playing so well."
 
On him playing good at home: "It's just fun playing here and obviously our team feeds off the energy that the crowd gives us. When we get some momentum, we can take it and run with it. Also, just be really good harping on teams down low in their zone can lead to goals and chances." 
 
Junior forward Aidan Thompson
On preparing for tomorrow's game: "They're a good team. They'll probably make a few adjustments, and we'll have to learn from it. We did good on the power play, and we were good 5-on-5. So I think just stay out of the box. Keep moving our feet, keep doing the things we like to do, play fast."
 
On Carter King's impact tonight: "He was huge for us. He's obviously our leader. He wears the C on his jersey. He brings it every night, which is huge for us. We all look up to him, so that was great. Definitely helped a lot in a 3-1 game. So yeah, great to have him score a couple goals, and he's always there for us so we count on him a lot."


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