Pohlkamp and Geisel Lead No. 5 Denver to Dwelling-Opening Victory

DENVER – Defenseman Eric Pohlkamp scored three objectives and goaltender Paxton Geisel recorded a shutout on Saturday night time within the No. 5 Denver Pioneers hockey group’s 6-0 victory over the Bentley Falcons at Magness Arena.
 
Denver (1-0-1) used a four-goal third interval to interrupt open the house opener and safe its first win of the brand new season. The Pioneers tied Air Force 1-1 on Friday within the season opener on the Academy.
 
Pohlkamp’s hat trick was the primary of his profession and his third profession multi-goal outing. He is the twelfth Pioneers defensemen to attain three markers in a recreation, with former teammate Zeev Buium being the final to take action on Nov. 15, 2024 at North Dakota.
 
“I think my shots have kind of been all over, and I kind of just threw it on the net, and lucky enough it went in,” Pohlkamp mentioned. “So my teammates made actual plays to get those. I mean that second one was pretty much back door, the first one was too. So they did a great job for me, and just had to shoot on the net.”
 
Making his first begin since Dec. 9, 2023, Geisel earned his first profession shutout with a 21-save efficiency. Denver’s earlier clear sheet got here from Freddie Halyk on Nov. 1 at Yale, and Saturday marked the primary shutout on Magness ice by a DU netminder since Matt Davis and Halyk shared a group shutout on Feb. 14, 2025 towards North Dakota.
 
Pohlkamp’s defensive associate Eric Jamieson additionally had a three-point night with a aim and two assists—the primary of the freshman’s collegiate profession. Sophomore ahead Jake Fisher tallied and added a helper, whereas junior Rieger Lorenz and rookie Clarke Caswell contributed a pair of assists every.
 
Pohlkamp opened the scoring at 13:39 of the opening interval off a feed from Caswell and Salminen doubled DU’s lead on a redirection throughout an influence play with 2:38 left within the center body. Pohlkamp started a run of three objectives in a matter of two:23 with a short-handed marker at 9:02 of the third and accomplished the hat trick at 11:25.
 
Easton Hesse made 32-of-38 saves in aim for Bentley (0-2-0), with Denver recording double-digit shot totals every interval.
 
The Pioneers completed 1-for-4 on the ability play and nullified the Falcons’ solely man-disadvantage likelihood early within the third—a five-minute main.
 
Denver’s final shutout victory in its dwelling opener was Oct. 17, 2024 in a 3-0 win towards RPI.
 
UP NEXT: Denver now will get set for a four-game highway swing that begins with two contests at Lindenwood subsequent Friday and Saturday. The Pioneers then head to Boston to play Boston College and Northeastern on Oct. 24-25 earlier than returning to Magness Arena for homecoming on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Denver and Bentley have been going through off for the primary time ever.
• DU is now unbeaten in its final 9 dwelling openers (7-0-2) and is 15-1-2 in its previous 18 dwelling opening nights. Overall, the Pioneers improved to 54-18-5 all-time in dwelling openers and sports activities a 20-5-2 document in home-opening contests at Magness Arena.
• Denver had its first shutout victory within the dwelling opener since successful 3-0 over RPI on Oct. 17, 2014.
• DU is 14-1-1 in its previous 16 video games versus non-conference opponents.
• Eric Pohlkamp is the twelfth Denver defenseman to attain three objectives in a recreation and the fourth rear guard in NCHC historical past to document a hat trick (Zeev Buium; Western Michigan’s Ronnie Attard, 2x).
• Pohlkamp additionally netted his first short-handed aim of his profession. Carter King was the final Pioneer to tally on the person drawback on March 28, 2025 towards Providence within the NCAA Regional Semifinals in Manchester, N.H.
• Dating again to final yr’s NCAA Tournament, Pohlkamp now has factors in four-straight contests (4g/3a) since March 30, 2025 vs. Boston College.
• Kristian Epperson, Eric Jamieson and Brady Milburn all picked up their first profession collegiate factors with assists within the outing, and Jamieson tallied his first profession aim within the recreation as effectively.
• Clarke Caswell had his first profession help within the NCAA after tallying in his Pioneer debut on Friday at Air Force.
• Freshman Payton Nelson performed his first profession recreation.
• Paxton Geisel made his second profession begin and first since Dec. 9, 2023 at Western Michigan. It was his third profession recreation, as he final noticed motion on Feb. 2, 2024 at dwelling towards WMU.
• Geisel earned his first profession shutout, which additionally marked the primary clear sheet by a Pioneer goalie since Matt Davis and Halyk shared a group shutout on Feb. 14, 2025 towards North Dakota.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
13:38 DU (1-0) – Eric Pohlkamp knocked within the puck within the low slot after taking a move from Clarke Caswell from under the aim line.
 
2nd Period
17:22 DU (2-0) – PPG, Samu Salminen redirected Kristian Epperson’s move into the again of the web from the slot.
 
third Period
9:02 DU (3-0) – SHG, Eric Jamieson created a rush with a poke-check and Eric Pohlkamp hit twine with a roster after taking a cross-feed from Rieger Lorenze with two seconds remaining on the Pios’ penalty kill.
10:11 DU (4-0) – Jake Fisher deflected Cale Ashcroft’s centering move into the again of the web.
11:25 DU (5-0) – Eric Pohlkamp went excessive, far-side with a shot after gathering a drop move by Brady Milburn.
17:24 DU (6-0) – Eric Jamieson tallied with a one-time snap shot on the proper circle.
 
 
QUOTABLES
Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach David Carle
On the massive penalty kill within the third interval: “Yeah, they did a very nice job of executing, you realize, all 5 D that have been used, six forwards, Paxton, I assumed we disrupted them. It was good, there wasn’t a whole lot of whistles. I feel whistles helped the ability play a whole lot of instances, or on the kills, and particularly a five-minute main. So we simply obtained we’re in a position to hold the clock transferring and it is exhausting for them to vary on the fly. I like their stress and what we’re in a position to do on that, it is good to get some follow at it for the 5 minute main.
 
On the third interval objectives: “Yeah, I think it’s nice for the guys to get rewarded on it. Certainly, you know, we had a lot of shot volume on the weekend, and lots were made on the new people on the team and trying to get them comfortable at the level and the timing and all of that. So to see some go into the back of the net was really good for everyone.”
 
Junior Defenseman Eric Pohlkamp
On the victory: “I think it’s huge. You know, it’s huge for our confidence to get the home opener. Obviously it gives us some confidence winning.. It’s nice for the fans too, they come out to this game, and I know we have a lot of parents in town. So it was nice to get this win, and hope there’s more to come.”
 
On his short-handed aim being the dagger to the sport: “I think so, and then obviously Fisher scored right after that, back door. So I think that gave us some momentum and kind of relaxed us a little bit because yesterday we were all kind of tensed. So it was nice to get that.”
 
Junior Goaltender Paxton Geisel
On his first recreation of the yr: “Yeah, felt good. Obviously, it has been some time since I’ve performed a full recreation, final yr having surgical procedure. Guys performed nice in entrance of me, just about limiting a whole lot of nice A’s (scoring probabilities). So yeah, feels good. We have been on high of the whole lot on this recreation.
 
On first begin in almost two years: “Yeah, it’s good. It doesn’t really matter when it comes or that I got a shutout. Regardless, the team played great, big improvement from last night too. I think us as a group, we’re all doing pretty well moving forward. So I think that’s the goal for us.”
 
On the massive penalty kill within the third interval: “Yeah, feels good obviously. Big PK, we were super clean with it. So luckily that goal (by Bentley) is batted in with the middle of that guy’s hand (and is disallowed). But the guys were great. Our coaching staff are phenomenal with the PK. We work on it all the time in practice, so seeing the guys execute was very nice to see.”

 

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