TEMPE, Ariz. – Junior forward Aidan Thompson scored his second goal of the game in the last minute of overtime to lift the No. 6 Denver Pioneers hockey team to a 5-4 victory against the No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils on Friday night at Mullett Arena.
 
Thompson took a drop pass from defenseman Zeev Buium, streaked down the left wing side before unleashing a wrist shot that went far-side with 43 seconds left in the extra frame. It was DU's first shot of overtime after the squad spent most of the first four minutes killing off a penalty and defending the Sun Devils' puck possession in its own zone.
 
"Zeev dropped it to me and kind of picked it up with speed," Thompson said. "I had a 2-on-1 with Devo (Jack Devine). I thought he was open at the start, but then the D played well. So shot high-glove and it went in."
 
Denver (20-6-1, 9-5-1 NCHC) and Arizona State (16-10-1, 11-6-0 NCHC) conclude their season series on Saturday night in Tempe. The 5 p.m. MT game will be broadcast regionally in Colorado on Altitude 2.
 
Junior Jared Wright and sophomores Sam Harris and Boston Buckberger also scored. Rieger Lorenz recorded a pair of assists, and Harris also contributed a helper on Thompson's game-winner to finish with a multi-point night.
 
Pioneers goaltender Matt Davis finished with 23 saves, including three stops in OT.
 
"It was an entertaining game," said Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle. "I think the national TV audience got a really exciting hockey game. Obviously back-and-forth, lead changes, tie games, extra attackers, overtime, power plays; it had a little bit of everything—physicality as well. Entertaining game and proud of our guys for digging in and finding a way to get the win in overtime."
 
ASU struck first on its first power play of the evening just 1:43 into the game, but Wright tied the outing later on in the period with 6:59 remaining before the first break. Harris and Buckberger tallied in the first half of the second period to give DU a 3-1 lead before the Sun Devils scored twice in scrambles in front of the net to knot the game at 3-3 heading into the second intermission.
 
Thompson buried his first goal of the evening on a breakaway at 6:36 of the third period, but Bennett Schimek one-touched a tap-in tally with 48 seconds left in regulation while ASU had an extra attacker to force overtime.
 
A tripping penalty by Samu Salminen at the end of third period forced the Pioneers to start on the penalty kill in overtime, and while the Sun Devils had five shots attempted and three on goal in the extra period, Davis and the Denver defense didn't break and allowed Thompson to tally his third career overtime goal.
 
Arizona State finished 1-for-3 on the power play while DU didn't convert on its three man-advantage chances.
 
The Pioneers finished with a 34-27 edge in shots on goal.
 
UP NEXT: DU and ASU wrap up their top-15 weekend and season series on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed on NCHC.tv and will be broadcast in the Rocky Mountain region on Altitude 2. The Pioneers begin a stretch of playing five-of-seven games at home next weekend, Feb. 14-15, against the No. 16 North Dakota Fighting Hawks.
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• The Pioneers improved to 2-0-1 in overtime this season and are now unbeaten in their last 11 games that have gone past regulation (8-0-3).
• DU's senior class won its 113th career game, setting a school record for the most by a graduating class in the program's 75-year history.
• The Pioneers won their 20th game of the campaign, extending the program's Tenzer Streak of 20 or more wins to 23 straight seasons.
• Connor Caponi played in his 168th game in a Pioneer uniform on Friday to tie Ryan Barrow's (2017-2022) school record for the most in a career at DU.
• Aidan Thompson scored his fifth career game-winning goal and his third overtime game-winner—with each coming on the road.
• Thompson recorded his third multi-goal game of the season and fourth of his career.
• Sam Harris had two points (1g/1a) and is on a six-game point streak (4g/3a).
• Rieger Lorenz registered two assists and is on a three-game assist/point streak (2g/6a), tying his career long from Jan. 7-14, 2023. He has recorded multiple points in each of the three games, the longest multi-point stretch of his career.
• Jared Wright (2g/3a) and Boston Buckberger (2g/2a) both tallied and are each on a three-game point streaks.
• Garrett Brown recorded an assist in consecutive games, the third time in his career that he has recorded points in back-to-back contests and the first time this year.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
1:42 ASU (0-1) – PPG, Cruz Lucius scored on a one-timer at the low left circle.
12:01 DU (1-1) – Garrett Brown sent a stretch pass up the ice to Jared Wright, who split the defensemen before sending a wrist shot past the ASU goalie on a breakaway.
 
2nd Period
2:54 DU (2-1) – Sam Harris took a pass from Connor Caponi and drove to the net from the corner before unleashing a backhand shot top shelf.
7:42 DU (3-1) – Boston Buckberger fired a wrister that went off the iron and into the back of the net.
9:43 ASU (3-2) – Ty Jackson scored during a scramble in the crease.
12:44 ASU (3-3) – Lukas Sillinger wristed in a rebound puck near the crease.
 
3rd Period
13:24 DU (4-3) – Eric Pohlkamp broke up an ASU rush and joined Jack Devine in feeding passes up to Aidan Thompson, who went forehand-to-backhand and placed the puck between the netminder's pads on a breakaway.
19:12 ASU (4-4) – Bennett Schimek one-touched a tap-in tally while stationed at the left post following a cross pass by Artem Shlaine.
 
Overtime
4:17 DU (5-4) – Aidan Thompson fired a wrist shot far-side from the left circle after reloading in the neutral zone and streaking down the left wing.
 
 
QUOTABLES
Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle
On the style of game vs. ASU: "We want to play fast any time we can. I think for us, they're as dangerous of an offensive team in the country, and I think it was important for us to express ourselves offensively with our speed and our puck possession to make them defend a little bit because they don't need much. As you see, they can turn plays that don't look like much (into scoring chances), as can we. I think that is why it was such an entertaining game; you have to be disciplined and they have some real gamechangers on their side that I thought really showed themselves again tonight, similar to what they did in Denver."
 
On Aidan Thompson's goal and playoff race: "He's doing awesome. His game continues to grow, closing in on 100 career points. Obviously a huge goal in the third period. A bigger goal in overtime to get that extra point where we're in a real dog fight in our league for home ice and for the national picture as well. Nothing is really settled or guaranteed at this point. We got to continue to grind and earn points wherever we can."

Junior Forward Aidan Thompson
On the team's play: "I think we're just confident in every situation. We're just trying to play as good as we can. PK, 5-on-5, overtime, any time, and work as hard as we can, and hopefully things work out. Tonight it did."
 
On the Arizona State's penalty kill against DU's power play: "I think we were fine. I thought we had a lot of good chances. They made a few good saves and got a few sticks in lanes. I think we're not frustrated. Just keeping doing what we're doing and maybe critique a few things and find the back of the net."

 

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