Epic Clash in Maine: Pioneers Prepare for Thrilling Top-10 Matchup!

ORONO, Maine – Ranked No. 6, the Denver Pioneers hockey squad resumes its league season this weekend in a top-10 clash against the No. 7 Maine Black Bears at Harold Alfond Sports Arena.

 

The match on Friday commences at 4 p.m. MT and will be broadcast nationwide on ESPNU, while Saturday’s game is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. MT. Both games will additionally be accessible on ESPN+.

 

As both teams conclude their non-conference schedules, this series bears considerable importance for the Pioneers regarding potential future seeding in the NCAA Tournament as it involves away, non-league matches against a top-10 rival in the Pairwise Rankings (Maine currently stands at No. 7).

 

This season, the Pioneers have remained unbeaten in non-conference games with a record of 10-0-0, including two road victories at Alaska Anchorage to kick off the year on Oct. 5-6 and a prior visit to the northeast on Nov. 1-2 at Yale.

 

Denver will be visiting Orono for the first time since Oct. 14-15, 2005, and they will be competing against the Black Bears for the first occasion since their 3-1 win on Oct. 8, 2022, at Magness Arena when they secured the season-opening Ice Breaker Tournament.

 

The last regular-season contests for DU were played on Dec. 13-14, facing off against then-No. 10 Colorado College to launch this year’s Gold Pan series. The Pioneers faced a 5-4 defeat in the first game in Colorado Springs before clinching a 2-1 victory at home in their final game before the Holiday Break.

 

After the mid-season break, the Pioneers returned to campus for a practice last Friday and concluded an exhibition match against UNLV with a 6-6 tie on Saturday at Magness Arena.

 

The overall record for Denver stands at 14-4-0, with a 4-4-0 mark in NCHC play as the season reaches its midpoint for 2024-25. Their .777 winning percentage matches their best performance at this stage since 2001-02 (a record also matched in 2022-23 and 2007-08).

 

Maine boasts a 12-3-2 overall record to date in 2024-15 and is presently leading Hockey East with 18 points and a 5-2-2 result in conference matches.

 

The Pioneers will be competing in the Black Bears’ sixth, seventh consecutive, and final non-league games. Maine secured five consecutive victories, tying their season high, before succumbing 4-2 to Bentley on Sunday in Portland, Maine. Prior to that loss, the Black Bears had recently won 5-2 and 4-2 at home against Stonehill on Dec. 7-8.

 

Denver has triumphed in the last three encounters with Maine and maintains a record of 5-5-0 in the most recent ten games of the rivalry, which includes their NCAA Championship win in 2004 in Boston. At that point, it was the program’s sixth national championship victory and initiated a series of five such titles for the Pios spanning two decades.

 

Historically, DU holds a 9-12-0 all-time record versus Maine and is 2-6-0 in Orono. The Pioneers have lost their last six contests in Maine and are seeking their first away win in the series since they achieved 5-2 and 4-3 victories on Dec. 11-12, 1985.

 

Additionally, this weekend marks the conclusion of a phase where Denver plays five-of-six and seven-of-ten games on the road. The Pioneers have attained a record of 7-2-0 in road games this year, with losses being narrow defeats by a single goal against then-No. 7 Western Michigan on Dec. 6 and CC on Dec. 13.

 

 

LAST TIME OUT (FOR REAL): Then-No. 4 Denver divided its top-10 series against No. 10 Colorado College as they initiated this year’s Gold Pan series on Dec. 13-14. Seniors Jack Devine and Carter King both netted a goal and an assist for the Pioneers during the home-and-home series that kicked off on Dec. 13 in Colorado Springs; however, the Tigers came back and won 5-4 by scoring four unanswered goals.

 

Denver equalized the weekend series on Dec. 14 at Magness Arena with a 2-1 win.  Aidan Thompson equalized midway through the second period, while defenseman Cale Ashcroft secured the game-winning goal in the third period. After achieving a season-high 34 saves in the opener, goaltender Matt Davis stopped 20-of-21 shots in the final game on Saturday.

 

NOTABLES:

• Denver and Colorado College have now battled in a total of 343 matches, tying them with Michigan and Michigan State for the most-contested rivalry in college hockey history.
• The Pioneers have improved to 15-3-0 in their last 18 matches against Colorado College, winning 11 straight games in Denver and 10 consecutive contests at Magness Arena (Jan. 27, 2023 at Ball Arena).
• This season, the Pioneers have a 3-1-0 record while wearing their 75th Anniversary jerseys.
• Cale Ashcroft achieved his second goal of the season on Dec. 14, with both goals serving as game-winners, marking the first of his career.
• Aidan Thompson matched his career high by scoring his 11th goal of the season on Dec. 14.
• Jack Devine and Zeev Buium both saw their assist streaks conclude on Dec. 14. Buium had an ongoing five-game streak (0g/7a), while Devine’s eight-game streak (1g/10a) matched his career high.
• Eric Pohlkamp participated in his 50th career match on Dec. 14.
• Matt Davis made a season-best 34 saves on Dec. 13, and his 15 saves in the second period also represented the highest total in a single frame this year. He also logged his first point of the season in that game with his fourth career assist.
• Boston Buckberger tied a career high with four shots on goal (fifth time) and set a new record with four penalty minutes on Dec. 13.
• DU completed a three-game road trip on Dec. 13 (1-2-0) and is experiencing a phase where they are contending in five-of-six matches away from home. The Dec. 14 game marked Denver’s only home regular-season contest in a six-week span as the Pioneers are in a stretch of five-of-six contests on the road.
• Denver has competed in four consecutive one-goal matches and recorded their first 2-1 victory of the season on Dec. 14.

 
HALFWAY THERE: At the midpoint of the season, Denver holds a 14-4-0 record, with their .777 winning percentage tied for the best in the program’s history at the halfway mark over the last 20 years. Both the 2022-23 and 2007-08 teams also stood at 14-4-0 midway through their 36-game regular seasons.
 
Only the 2001-02 squad achieved a superior winning percentage since the beginning of the century, achieving an .888 mark and a 16-2-0 overall record at the midpoint of their 36-game season.
 
PIONEERS AT THE WORLD JUNIORS: The Denver hockey team is once again prominently featured on Team USA for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, with head coach David Carle at the helm of the Americans for the second consecutive year, accompanied by sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium serving as an alternate captain for this year’s roster.
 
Theunder-20 tournament will take place from Dec. 26, 2024, to Jan. 5, 2025, in Ottawa, Ontario. The USA finds itself in Group A alongside host Canada, Finland, Germany, and Latvia.

Carle and Buium are accompanied on the United States squad by Denver’s director of hockey operations/video coach Travis Culhane and equipment manager Nick Meldrum, who both return to Team USA after holding the same positions in 2024. Also part of Carle’s coaching staff are former Pioneer assistants Steve Miller (Minnesota) and David Lassonde (USA Hockey).

The United States aims to capture back-to-back gold medals for the first time in the nation’s history after defeating host Sweden in the final last year in Gothenburg, securing their sixth championship. The 2024 tournament was the first time that Carle coached a USA roster in his career, joining Marshall Johnston (1977) as the only Denver coaches to lead a U.S. World Junior team. Overall, Carle became the third NCHC head coach to guide the U.S. to gold at the WJC, following former St. Cloud coach Bob Motzko (2017) and North Dakota and Omaha coach Dean Blais (2010 w/Omaha).

ASSISTANT COACHING EXPERIENCE: DU assistant coaches Tavis MacMillan and Dallas Ferguson hold an 8-0-0 regular-season record while running the bench in David Carle‘s absence (due to family commitments, illness, and world juniors). Both MacMillan and Ferguson have served as head coaches at Alaska Fairbanks.

The Pioneers outscored their opponents 23-8 in four games last year while Carle was away for the arrival of his second son, Callum (Oct. 7-8, 2023), and during his coaching stint at the 2024 World Junior Championship (Jan. 5-6, 2024).

MILESTONE MEN: Junior forward Rieger Lorenz is anticipated to play in his 100th career game during the upcoming regular-season match on Jan. 3 at Maine. He will be the first Pioneer to achieve this milestone this season, while fellow classmates Jared Wright (four games away) and Aidan Thompson (seven games away) are also within 10 games of 100 in their Denver careers.

Graduate student Connor Caponi and senior Jack Devine each participated in a milestone game on Nov. 1 at Yale, as Caponi became the 70th player in program history to reach 150 games played, while Devine participated in his 125th career game that same night. Senior Carter King also appeared in his 125th game on Nov. 9 against Lindenwood.

Caponi was the first DU player to hit the 150-game milestone since Kyle Mayhew on March 10, 2023, against Miami, and he is nine games away from tying former teammate Ryan Barrow’s school record of 168 games played from 2017-2022. Barrow achieved that milestone in the 2022 NCAA National Championship Game, where he scored the game-tying goal that propelled DU to a 5-1 victory over Minnesota State.

HISTORY VS. MAINE: Denver is making its first visit to Orono since Dec. 14-15, 2005, when it lost 5-1 and 4-2. The Pioneers have secured wins in the last three encounters against the Black Bears, with the most recent showdown on Oct. 8, 2022, where DU emerged victorious 3-1, claiming the Ice Breaker Tournament title on home turf. Denver boasts a record of 3-2-0 over the last five clashes and 5-5-0 in their last 10 meetings in the series, which includes their victory for the 2004 National Championship against Maine in Boston (more below). The Pioneers carry a 9-12-0 all-time record against the Black Bears in a series that began on Jan. 4, 1985. DU has a 2-6-0 record in Orono, having lost their last six outings in Maine and is in search of their first road win of the series since victories of 5-2 and 4-3 on Dec. 11-12, 1985.

CONNECTIONS: Taylor Makar was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in 2021, is the younger sibling of Avs defenseman Cale Makar, and shares the same hometown with the Pioneers’ Kent Anderson, Matt Davis, Carter King, and Rieger Lorenz … Eric Pohlkamp spent two seasons with the USHL Cedar Rapids RoughRiders alongside Liam Lesakowski from 2021-2023 … Garrett Brown was teammates with Luke Antonacci during the 2021-22 season on the USHL Sioux City Musketeers … Brown and Harrison Scott hail from San Jose, California, while Maine’s Brian Morse originates from the Northern California area (Fresno) … Samu Salminen (Helsinki) and Oskar Komarov (Uusikaarlepyy) are both from Finland.

SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS: Maine carries a 12-3-2 overall record this season and currently leads Hockey East with 18 points, owning a 5-2-2 record in conference play. The Black Bears will also complete their non-conference schedule as DU will be their sixth and seventh consecutive non-league game. Maine had achieved five straight victories—tying their season record—before suffering a 4-2 loss to Bentley on Sunday in Portland, Maine. Prior to that match, the Black Bears’ previous games were on Dec. 7-8, where they enjoyed home wins of 5-2 and 4-2 against Stonehill. Maine stands at 3-2-1 against ranked teams this season, including a home sweep of then-No. 7 Quinnipiac on Oct. 18-19, as well as going 1-0-1 against No. 11 Boston University on Nov. 15-16. Maine is currently third in the nation in scoring (3.9 GF/GM) and tied for second in defense (1.8 GA/GM), with the squad ranking fourth in power play efficiency at 27.3%. Harrison Scott leads the team in both goals (12) and total points (22), whereas Charlie Russell tops the assists category with 13 and ranks second in points (17). Thomas Freel follows closely with eight goals this year. Goaltender Albin Boija has started 16 of the 17 games in 2024-25, boasting an 11-3-2 record, with a 1.63 goals-against average, .927 save percentage, and three shutouts—ranking him third in the NCAA.

PREVIOUS MEETING (OCT. 8, 2024): The No. 1 Denver Pioneers hockey team triumphed in the 2022 Ice Breaker Tournament championship with a 3-1 victory over the Maine Black Bears at Magness Arena. Carter Mazur led DU with two goals and one assist, Mike Benning also netted a goal, and goaltender Matt Davis made 24 saves against 25 shots in the victory. Casey Dornbach contributed two assists, registering a multi-point game while celebrating his 100th career match. Sean Behrens and Massimo Rizzo also provided assists. DU scored all three of its goals in the opening period, as the crimson and gold outshot the Bears 17-6 in that frame. The Pioneers outshot the Black Bears 36-25 overall in the contest.

2004 CHAMPIONSHIP REWIND – APRIL 10, 2004: BOSTON (AP) – Adam Berkhoel gazed out at the ice, feeling as though he was isolated on an island. With less than a minute remaining and the Denver goaltender’s team holding onto a slim lead, the Maine blue and white jerseys outnumbered the red and gold of his Pioneers teammates by a two-to-one ratio. Nevertheless, Berkhoel delivered two of his 24 crucial saves when the Black Bears enjoyed a 6-on-3 power play, leading Denver to its first national championship since 1969.

Matt Laatsch was penalized for hooking with 2:09 left to play. Shortly after, Gabe Gauthier, who netted the game’s sole goal, was sent off with 1:34 remaining for closing his hand on the puck. When Jimmy Howard vacated the Maine net with 1:13 to go, the Black Bears (33-8-3) found themselves with a three-man advantage for more than a minute.

Berkhoel, named MVP of the Frozen Four, denied two fierce slap shots from Maine’s top scorer, Colin Shields. Gauthier scored the game’s lone goal during a power play at 12:26 in the first period, while Connor James effectively won the puck.in the corner and passed the puck to an unmarked Gauthier, who executed a one-timer that found its way through Howard’s pads.
 
ROAD TRIPPIN’: Denver is poised to travel roughly 10,349 miles this season for road matches (one way), which encompasses a journey to Anchorage and two trips to the northeast to Yale and Maine. DU journeyed 8,605 miles for road encounters during the regular season in 2023-24, which featured an expedition to Fairbanks and across the country to New England to kick off the season.
 
The Pioneers are concluding a streak of games in Maine, where they are competing in five of six and seven of ten contests on the road. DU boasts a 7-2-0 record away from home this season.
 
Including postseason matches at neutral locations from last year, Denver holds a 17-3-0 record in its last 20 games outside Magness Arena since February 16, 2024.
 
NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: The Pioneers remain unbeaten at 10-0-0 in non-conference matchups and will conclude their non-NCHC games after the New Year on January 3-4 against the Maine Black Bears. This will mark the program’s first trip to Orono since October 14-15, 2005, and the second of two journeys to the northeast after facing Yale on November 1-2. DU opened the season on October 5-6 at independent Alaska Anchorage.
 
Denver concluded its home non-conference schedule with two 4-1 victories against Lindenwood during the 75th Anniversary Weekend on November 8-9. The Pioneers also hosted Hockey East’s Northeastern in their first home matches of the year as part of Homecoming Weekend on October 18-19, during which the team raised its championship banner before the series finale on Saturday. DU subsequently faced the Big Ten’s former WCHA rival Wisconsin on October 25-26, winning 4-2 and 6-1.
 
The Pios have claimed 19 straight wins against non-conference adversaries since November 11, 2023, at Arizona State and are 12-0-1 at home in non-NCHC matches dating back to January 7, 2023, against Alaska Fairbanks. DU finished last season with a record of 13-2-1 versus non-conference rivals, which includes victories in the last nine such games and four during the NCAA Tournament leading to a championship.
 
SAMU GOES SHORTY: Junior forward Samu Salminen netted two short-handed goals late in the opening period on December 13 at Colorado College. He scored while Denver was at a man disadvantage at 16:37 and 19:13 of the first period, and among the achievements of his performance:
 

• Joined the ranks of the sixth DU player to record two short-handed goals in one game in the history of the program and the fourth to do so in a single period, as Tyler Bozak was the last to achieve this on November 4, 2007, at Minnesota. The other two players to score two short-handed goals in a single period were Gabe Gauthier on October 22, 2004, against St. Cloud State and Bob Pazzelli on October 29, 1977, at Michigan.
• Marked the second consecutive season a Pioneer tallied two short-handed goals in a game, as Carter King also accomplished this on November 10, 2023, at Arizona State.
• The previous instance of Denver scoring two short-handed goals in a single period occurred when Chris Butler (11:06) and Tyler Bozak (18:40) found the net in the second period on February 22, 2008, against Alaska Anchorage.
• First short-handed goals of the season and the first for a Denver player since Rieger Lorenz on January 12, 2024, against St. Cloud State.
• Salminen achieved his second and third career short-handed goals, having scored his first on October 7, 2023, at Colgate while with Connecticut.
• First multi-goal game at DU, becoming the third Pioneer to find the back of the net twice in one period this season.
• His two goals were scored within a span of 2:36, marking the fastest two goals by a single Denver player this year.

 
PIONEERING OFFENSE: Denver is tied for the top position in the nation for scoring with Minnesota, averaging 4.0 goals per game and ranking second to the Gophers (80) in total goals with 72. The Pios led the NCAA last season with a total of 202 goals and a 4.59 average.
 
DU has hit at least four goals in each of the first 11 matches and 12 in total this season. The Pioneers have had 13 different players score, with 19 of the 22 skaters recording at least one point this year. Nine DU players have already achieved double-digit points.
 
PLAYING AHEAD: The Pioneers have maintained the lead or been tied for the majority of the season, as they have not trailed in 83.8% of game time this season (907:08/1082:11)—leading for 49.8% of the time (538:53) or being tied for 34.0% (368:15) of the duration.
 
DU has only found itself behind on the scoreboard for 16.2 percent of game time this season (175:03), and did not trail for the first 244:12 of the season (over 4 games).
 
KILLER PENALTY KILL: Denver has successfully killed 90.2 percent of its penalties this season (46/51), including five-of-six man-disadvantage situations in the two matchups against Colorado College on December 13-14.
 
DU has not conceded a power-play goal against in 13 of 18 games this year and is tied for third in the nation for penalty killing alongside Colorado College. Boston College leads in the NCAA with 97.6%, followed by St. Lawrence at 92.0%.
 
The Pioneers achieved a streak of 17 consecutive kills that commenced in the season opener on October 5 at Alaska Anchorage, ending with Wisconsin scoring on its first power-play attempt on October 25 (across four games)—the longest streak since they successfully killed off 19 straight man disadvantages during the 2022 postseason from March 11 to April 7, 2022.
 
Denver excelled in neutralizing 89.7 percent of its penalties in the final 13 games of 2023-24, going 26-for-28 during a run that began on February 24. DU did not allow a goal in nine of those games, including a perfect 4-for-4 on the PK on three occasions and seven consecutive kills in the last five games of the season while claiming the 2024 championship.
 
PIOS POWER UP: Denver has scored on the power play in 13 of 18 games this season and ranks first nationally in man-advantage situations by converting 29.0 percent of its opportunities. The Pioneers netted at least one power-play goal in an 11-game streak from October 19 to November 23, marking the team’s longest such run in the last decade (since 2015-16).
 
DU has converted multiple power-play goals in four matches this season, including a performance of 4-for-9 in the season opener on October 5 at Alaska Anchorage—the highest number of power-play goals by the team in a game since December 4, 2021, at Arizona State (scoring 4-of-6).
 
Jack Devine leads the team with 14 power-play points (0g/14a), while Aidan Thompson and Sam Harris are tied for the lead with five power-play goals each. Five of Devine’s six assists in Alaska on October 5-6 came during power-play situations, while all four of Zeev Buium’s assists in that series were on power-play goals.
 
SENIOR CLASS SUCCESS: The Pioneers’ senior class of 2025 is on track to become the winningest group in school history, achieving the milestone of becoming the 16th class to secure at least 100 victories on November 1 at Yale. The seniors’ current total of 107 wins is the second-highest in program history and includes three Gold Pan trophies, two Penrose Cups, an NCHC Frozen Faceoff title, and two national championships.
 
The senior class of 2024 is tied for fifth all-time with 103 victories and boasts a .708 winning percentage (103-41-5). The seniors from 2005 hold the record with 112 total victories.
 
NATIONAL LEADERBOARD

• Jack Devine tops the nation in assists (25) and points (27).
• Aidan Thompson is ranked
  • tied for third in the NCAA in points (24), tied for fifth in goals (11) and is tied for 16th in assists (13). He ranks tied for seventh in power-play goals (5).
  • Sam Harris is tied for fifth in NCAA in goals (11) and is tied for first in game-winning goals (5). He ranks tied for seventh in power-play goals (5).
  • Matt Davis ranks second in the nation in wins (13).
  • Carter King is tied for fifth in the nation in goals (11) and tied for 20th in points (19).
  • Zeev Buium is tied for first among all defensemen in the NCAA in points (20), leads his position group in assists (16-tied) and is tied for the 13th-most goals by a defenseman (4). His 16 assists are tied for the third-most among all skaters while his 20 points are tied for 17th overall.
  • Eric Pohlkamp is tied for ninth among NCAA defensemen in scoring with 14 points and is tied for the 13th-most goals by a defenseman (4).
  • As a team, Denver is tied for the national lead in goals for (4.0) and ranks near the top of the country in goals against per game (2.0, T-7th), power play (29.0%, 1st), penalty kill (90.2, T-6th), shooting percentage (.124, 2nd), save percentage (.919, T-14th), shots/game (32.2, 12th) and shots against/game (24.6, 6th).

  
  THOMPSON MAKING HIS POINT: JuniorAidanThompson was recognized as the NCHC Player of the Month for November after leading all competitors in the conference with 11 points and sharing first place with six goals. In addition to his five assists, he netted three goals on the power play, incurred four penalty minutes and achieved a +2 plus/minus rating over eight games.
  
  
  
  Thompson commenced the season by securing a point in each of the initial 14 games, a career-high streak that concluded on Dec. 6 at Western Michigan after he registered 10 goals and 12 assists. The forward’s streak was the longest season-opening point streak by a Pioneer in the past decade (since 2015-16), surpassing the previous record of Henrik Borgstrom’s 11-game streak at the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
  
  
  
  His 14-game streak was also tied with Bobby Brink for the second-longest by a Pioneer in the last ten years (Dec. 31, 2021-Feb. 19, 2022), with only Danton Heinen’s streak of 18 consecutive contests from Jan. 22-March 27, 2016 being longer. Thompson also achieved a personal-best seven-game assist streak from Oct. 18-Nov. 8.
  
  
  
  The native of Fort Collins, Colorado, established a career high for assists/points in a single game on Oct. 19 against Northeastern with four assists—the second occurrence of a four-assist game this season by a Pioneer, as JackDevine also achieved the milestone in the season opener on Oct. 5 at Alaska Anchorage.
  
  
  
  SAMMY SCORING: Sophomore Sam Harris’ 11 goals this season are tied for the second-most in the nation alongside Wisconsin’s Quinn Finley (Boston College’s Ryan Leonard leads with 12). He also shares the NCAA lead with BC’s Ryan Leonard in game-winning goals, with five, three of which occurred in consecutive games: Nov. 8-9 against Lindenwood and Nov. 15 at North Dakota—the first instance that a Pioneer has achieved the winning goal in three straight games in the past four years (since 2021-22).
  
  
  
  The San Diego, California, native notched his second multi-goal performance of the season on Nov. 9 against Lindenwood (Oct. 5 at Alaska Anchorage), with both goals occurring within just 5:49 to turn a 1-1 tie into a lead and marking the quickest two goals scored by a single Pioneer player this season.
  
  
  
  Harris achieved points in 11 of his first 13 matches this season, including a career-best nine-game point streak from Oct. 18-Nov. 16 (8g/6a).
  
  
  
  DIVINE DEVINE: Senior Jack Devine is currently leading the nation in scoring with 27 points and also ranks first in the NCAA with 25 assists. He has recorded two career-long point streaks of eight games, accomplishing this to open the season from Oct. 5-Nov. 2 (1g/15a) and again from Nov. 9-Dec. 13 (1g/10a). He has accumulated at least one point in 16 of 18 games this year and has had multiple-point games in seven occasions, including five of the first six games and three consecutive from Oct. 19-26.
  
  
  
  Devine kicked off the season with a personal-best four assists on Oct. 5 at Alaska Anchorage (all during the power play) and recorded three points on Oct. 26 against Wisconsin (1g/2a) and Nov. 14 at North Dakota (0g/3a)—he has 12 career three-point games in his collegiate career.
  
  
  
  Devine was awarded both the NCHC and National Player of the Month for October after topping all NCAA competitors with 14 points (1g/3a) over six games. This marked his first-ever monthly accolades.
  
  
  
  DEVINE CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARD: Senior forward Jack Devine recorded two points on Dec. 13-14 at Colorado College and now possesses 133 career points (46 goals, 87 assists) across 136 career appearances. The Glencoe, Illinois, native is positioned 40th on the school’s all-time scoring list and is just one point away from tying for 35th place with Dave Berry (1980-84) and Tom Miller (1966-69), and two points shy of reaching Jerry Walker (1959-61) in 34th.
  
  
  
  Devine became the 103rd Pioneer to attain 100 career points after netting a goal in his 109th match on March 8, 2024, at Colorado College. The forward is four goals away from becoming the 61st player in school history to achieve 50 career goals, the first since Cole Guttman on Feb. 11, 2022, against Minnesota Duluth.
  
  
  
  DOMINANT AT THE DOT: The Pioneers are tied for seventh in the nation with a 54.1 percent success rate in faceoffs this season, including setting season-high winning percentages of .640 and .643 on Nov. 1-2 at Yale.
  
  
  
  Carter King leads Denver in faceoff victories (218) while Samu Salminen leads the Pios with a .587 winning percentage (135/230). King is second in percentage (.572) and Kieran Cebrian is second in total faceoff wins at 152. King notched a personal record by winning 20-of-34 faceoffs on Oct. 19 against Northeastern for the most victories by a Pioneer since Tyson McLellan achieved 23-for-35 on Jan. 4, 2020, against Massachusetts; he also won 18 faceoffs on Dec. 7 at Western Michigan.
  
  
  
  CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF THE PIONEERS: Denver is commemorating 75 years of Pioneer hockey throughout 2024-25 to honor its diamond jubilee as a program. DU hosted its 75th Anniversary reunion on Nov. 8-9 when Lindenwood visited Magness Arena. Among the festivities were pre- and post-game gatherings for alumni, alumni games, family skates, and an on-ice acknowledgment of approximately 150 former players present during Saturday’s first intermission, including a presentation of each of the team’s NCAA-record 10 championship trophies.
  
  
  
  The 2024-25 season actually represents the 76th in DU hockey history, however, the 75th anniversary of its inaugural game was in December. The Pioneers’ first-ever games were hosted on Dec. 19-20, 1949, against Saskatchewan, with the squad losing 17-0 and 9-1 in the series. Denver’s first victory came on Jan. 27, 1950, at Wyoming, and the program’s initial home success occurred against that same Wyoming team on Feb. 18, 1950 (10-6) at the old DU Arena.
  

  TICKETS: Limited tickets for Denver hockey’s 75th anniversary in 2024-25 remain available. Click here to purchase and for further details.

  
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