Denver’s Ice Showdown: NCHC Action Returns as the Pioneers Face Off Against Miami

DENVER – The No. 6 University of Denver hockey squad is set to resume conference play this weekend as the Pioneers entertain the Miami RedHawks in a two-game matchup at Magness Arena starting on Friday.

 

The Friday game is slated to start at 7 p.m. MT and will be shown regionally on Altitude 2. The match on Saturday is due to commence at 6 p.m. MT. Both games will also be streamed on NCHC.tv. A limited number of tickets are on sale.

 

Denver concluded its non-conference schedule last weekend by splitting a top-10 series with the No. 7 Maine Black Bears. The Pioneers clinched a 2-1 victory last Friday before suffering a similar defeat on Saturday. Cale Ashcroft netted the winning goal with just 20 seconds remaining in regulation, while goaltender Matt Davis recorded 44 saves in the loss on Saturday.

 

Davis stopped 73 of the 76 shots he encountered during the two-game series in Maine and received recognition on Monday as the NCHC Goaltender of the Week—marking his second such accolade of the season and the fourth in his career.

 

The encounter in Orono represented the first regular-season games for DU following the Holiday Break. The Pioneers wrapped up their non-conference campaign with an impressive 11-1-0 record and had achieved a remarkable 20-game winning streak against non-NCHC rivals since Nov. 11, 2023, at Arizona State, leading up to their one-goal defeat on Saturday.

 

Miami is poised to engage in its first game in over a month, having last faced then-No. 16 North Dakota on Dec. 6-7, where they experienced losses by scores of 5-4 and 4-2 at home. Miami holds a 3-13-2 overall record and has endured a slump of 10 consecutive losses. The RedHawks have one point and a 0-8-0 record, placing them ninth in the NCHC standings; conversely, the Pioneers are positioned sixth with 11 points and a 4-4-0 record in conference play.

 

Last season, Denver and Miami competed in one home series, with the Pios securing the extra conference point in a shootout after a 3-3 deadlock on Feb. 23, followed by a decisive 8-1 victory on Feb. 24. This year, the teams are scheduled to clash twice, as the Pioneers will visit Oxford next month on Feb. 21-22.

 

Historically, Denver boasts a 33-13-4 record against Miami and remains unbeaten in the last 14 encounters (13-0-1). The Pioneers hold a 19-1-1 record over the last 21 matchups and are undefeated in their last 13 games (12-0-1) at Magness Arena against the RedHawks, with Miami’s last victory in Denver occurring on Feb. 22, 2019 (3-1).

 

 

LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers concluded their final non-conference series of the season at No. 7 Maine, securing a 2-1 win on Friday before facing a 2-1 defeat on Saturday.  No. 6 DU opened the top-10 series with Cale Ashcroft scoring with 20 seconds left in the third stanza.  Carter King also chipped in with a goal and Eric Pohlkamp recorded two assists.

 

Sam Harris found the net on Saturday, granting DU a 1-0 advantage in the first period, but Maine equalized before the break and scored the decisive goal early in the third period.  DU goaltender Matt Davis registered 29 saves on Friday before stopping 44-of-46 shots on Saturday.

 

DOMINANT DAVIS: Senior goaltender Matt Davis excelled in the series at Maine last weekend, as he blocked 73-of-76 shots faced throughout both contests. He achieved 29 saves on Friday before turning away a season-high 44-of-46 shots on Saturday.

 

The 44 saves represented the highest total he’s achieved in a regulation game during his career and were just two shy of equaling his personal best of 46, which he set during a double-overtime victory on March 28, 2024, vs. Massachusetts in the NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinals.  Saturday marked the first instance of a goaltender from DU making 40-plus saves since that UMass performance; Davis’ former high in a regulation game was 39 saves on 41 shots on Feb. 2, 2024, against Western Michigan.

 

Davis made 21-of-22 saves in the first period on Saturday—the most shots faced and stopped in a single period this season by a goalie from DU.

 

The native of Calgary, Alberta, was honored as the NCHC Goaltender of the Week on Monday. This marked his fourth such recognition over his career and the second of this season, having previously received the accolade on Nov. 11.19-1

 

CLUTCH CALE: Sophomore defenseman Cale Ashcroft netted his third game-winning goal of the season on Saturday after scoring with just 20 seconds remaining in regulation.  All three of his goals this season have been game-winners, representing the first of his career.

 

He also scored in the third period on Oct. 25 against Wisconsin and Dec. 14 against Colorado College. His goals on Dec. 14 and Jan. 3 indicated the first instance of his career when he recorded points in consecutive games.

 

NOTABLES:

• The Pioneers have now participated in six straight one-goal games and have played three successive 2-1 matches.  DU’s last occurrences of such 2-1 contests last season arose during three consecutive games at the onset of the NCAA Tournament.
• Denver concluded the non-conference portion of its season with an impressive 11-1-0 record, achieving a 5-1-0 tally in road competitions.
• DU had claimed four consecutive victories over Maine before the setback on Saturday.  The team currently holds a 5-3-0 record in the last eight games and possesses a 10-13-0 historical record in the series versus the Black Bears.
• The Pioneers broke a six-game losing streak in Orono with their victory on Friday, marking their first triumph at Alfond Arena since winning the initial two games in Maine on Dec. 11-12, 1985.
• Eric Pohlkamp recorded his third multi-point game and second multi-assist performance of the season on Friday.
• Kent Anderson blocked four shots on Saturday, equaling a career high (March 4, 2023 at Colorado College).  DU blocked a total of 13 shots in Saturday’s matchup.
• Aidan Thompson saw a three-game point streak conclude on Saturday (1g/2a).
• Matt Davis is merely two wins away from being the 13th goaltender in Denver’s history to achieve 50 career victories.
• Denver finalized a stretch of competing in five of six and seven of ten regular-season games on the road.

 
MID-POINT MARKERS: Denver maintains a 14-4-0 record at the mid-season juncture, with its .777 winning percentage equaling the program’s best statistic at this point in the last two decades.  The teams from 2022-23 and 2007-08 also had a 14-4-0 standing midway through their respective 36-game regular seasons.
 
Only the 2001-02 squad has achieved a superior winning percentage since the turn of the century, with that team boasting an .888 record and a 16-2-0 overall record at the midpoint of its 36-game journey.
 
Denver has registered a 15-5-0 record in the initial 20 games this season, with its .750 winning percentage matching the program’s fourth-best tally after 20 contests since 2000.
 
PIONEERS AT THE WORLD JUNIORS: Denver hockey was again prominently featured on Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, with head coach David Carle guiding the American team for a consecutive year, while sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium held the position of alternate captain for this year’s squad.
 
Team USA triumphed over Finland in overtime during the Gold Medal Game on Sunday, marking the Americans’ first-ever consecutive World Junior championships. Buium logged the second-highest minutes among all competitors at the tournament, averaging 25:13 per game, and accumulated six points, consisting of two goals and four assists, which included assists on both the game-tying and game-winning goals in the overtime win against Finland in the final.
 
Carle and Buium were accompanied on the United States roster by Denver director of hockey operations/video coach Travis Culhane and equipment manager Nick Meldrum, who were also in the same positions on Team USA in 2024. Assisting Carle are former Pioneer coaches Steve Miller (Minnesota) and David Lassonde (USA Hockey).
 
The 2024 tournament represented Carle’s first experience coaching a USA team in his career. He joins Marshall Johnston (1977) as the only Denver coaches to oversee a U.S. World Junior roster. Carle stands out as the only U.S. coach to secure multiple World Junior championships and is the third NCHC head coach to lead the Americans to gold in the tournament, alongside 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 possess a 9-1-0 regular-season record while managing the bench in head coach David Carle‘s absence (family matters, illness, World Juniors). Both MacMillan and Ferguson had previously served as head coaches at Alaska Fairbanks.
 
The Pioneers outscored their opponents 23-8 in four contests during the 2023-24 season while Carle was away for the arrival of his second son, Callum (Oct. 7-8, 2023) and while coaching at the 2024 World Junior Championship (Jan. 5-6, 2024).
 
MILESTONE MEN: Junior forward Rieger Lorenz played in his 100th career game on Jan. 3 at Maine, becoming the first Pioneer to achieve the century milestone this season. Classmates Jared Wright (two games away) and Aidan Thompson (four games away) are also on track to reach 100 games in their Denver careers as well.
 
Graduate student Connor Caponi and senior Jack Devine both participated in a milestone game on Nov. 1 at Yale, where Caponi became the 70th player in the program’s history to appear in 150 contests while Devine played in his 125th career game that evening. Senior Carter King reached his 125th game on Nov. 9 against Lindenwood.
 
Caponi was the first DU player to attain the 150-game milestone since Kyle Mayhew on March 10, 2023, against Miami, and he is seven games away from tying former teammate Ryan Barrow’s school record of 168 games played (2017-2022). Barrow achieved the feat during the 2022 NCAA National Championship Game, where he scored the game-tying goal that propelled DU to a 5-1 victory against Minnesota State.
 
HISTORY VS. MIAMI: Denver holds the all-time series advantage with a 33-13-4 record and remains unbeaten in the last 14 encounters with Miami (13-0-1). The Pioneers’ series-record 12-game winning streak ended in the first match of last year’s sole series against the RedHawks, which ended in a 3-3 tie on Feb. 23, 2024—though DU secured the shootout victory for an additional conference point. The Pios responded the following night with an 8-1 win, with the only goal conceded stemming from their own stick during a delayed penalty. Denver has defeated Miami in two games during the 2022 and 2023 NCHC Quarterfinal series. The RedHawks’ last win over the Pios came on Dec. 19, 2020, with a score of 3-0 at the NCHC Pod in Omaha, Nebraska. The Pioneers have a record of 19-1-1 in the past 21 matchups and are 24-3-4 in the series since Jan. 30, 2016. At home, DU maintains an 18-5-4 record in the series dating back to Nov. 14, 1986. The Pios’ last defeat against the Hawks at Magness Arena happened on Feb. 22, 2019 (3-1).
 
PREVIOUS MEETING (FEB. 24, 2024): Junior forward Tristan Broz matched a career high with four points, and goaltender Matt Davis stopped all 27 shots in a shutout performance on Saturday night as the No. 3 Denver Pioneers hockey team triumphed 8-1 over the Miami RedHawks at Magness Arena. Although Denver allowed a goal, Davis still ended with zero goals against and a flawless 1.000 save percentage that evening due to how Miami found the net. The RedHawks’ solitary score occurred during their own delayed penalty with 1:16 remaining in the first period, as the puck was redirected the length of the ice and into an unoccupied DU net. Davis was seated on the bench at that moment while DU opted for an extra attacker. Davis made an offensive contribution as well, providing an assist—the second of his career and second in three outings. Broz topped all point scorers with one goal and three assists, marking his fourth career four-point game and his second match ever with three assists. Freshman defenseman Boston Buckberger matched a career high by securing three assists, while fellow rookie Kieran Cebrian achieved his first multi-point game with two helpers. Junior forward Jack Devine recorded two points (1g/1a), and classmate Sean Behrens, who played in his 100th career game, also notched multiple points with two assists.
 
CONNECTIONS: Denver’s Kent Anderson, Matt Davis, Carter King and Rieger Lorenz along with Miami’s Brayden Morrison hail from Calgary, Alberta … Hagen Burrows and Blake Mesenburg share the same hometown in Minnesota (Orono) … Miami head coach Anthony Noreen previously occupied the same position at the USHL Tri-City Storm and coached Denver’s Kieran Cebrian from 2020-23 and Cale Ashcroft from 2022-23 … Cebrian was a teammate of Nick Donato and Conner Hutchinson during the 2020-21 season at Tri-City … Michael Quinn played parts of the 2021-22 season with Sam Harris on the USHL Sioux Falls Stampede and clinched the Clark Cup Championship last season with DU’s Jake Fisher while a member of the USHL Fargo Force … Connor Caponi was teammates with John Waldron at the Waterloo Black Hawks in 2019-20 … Eric Pohlkamp skated for two seasons with the USHL Cedar Rapids RoughRiders alongside Bruno Bruveris from 2021-2023 … Denver’s Paxton Geisel played on USHL Dubuque with Zane Demsey, Michael Feenstra, and William Hallen in 2021-22 and with Brayden Morrison in 2022-23 … Colby Ambrosio was selected in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche and previously played at Boston College.
 
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS: Miami continues to search for its initial victory in conference play, sitting ninth in the NCHC with one point and an 0-8-0 record. Overall, the RedHawks possess a 3-13-2 record and have lost their last 10 matches. Their sole NCHC point was obtained from a 3-2 OT defeat at No. 12 St. Cloud State on Nov. 12. Miami kicked off the season with a record of 2-0-2, which included two ties at Ferris State on Oct. 4-5 and a sweep of Alaska Anchorage on Oct. 11-12. The RedHawks’last matches will be over a month old, as they lost 5-4 and 4-2 to then-No. 16 North Dakota on Dec. 6-7 at their home arena. Matt Choupani (5g/7a) and Johnny Waldron (4g/8a) are leading the squad in points with 12 each, with Choupani at the top for Miami in goals and Waldron tied with Colby Ambrosio (3g/8a) for the most assists on the team with eight. The squad has distributed its goaltenders fairly evenly, with Bruno Bruveris starting in nine of the games and holding a 2-7-1 record, a 3.77 goals-against average, and an .875 save percentage. Goaltender Ethan Dahlmeir boasts a 1-5-1 record, with a 3.45 goals-against average and an .881 save percentage over eight starts.

NON-CONFERENCE ACHIEVEMENT: The Pioneers finished non-conference play with an 11-1-0 record. DU wrapped up its non-NCHC matchups on Jan. 3-4 at Maine, splitting the series during its second visit to the northeast this year after competing at Yale on Nov. 1-2. DU kicked off the season on Oct. 5-6 at independent Alaska Anchorage.

Denver completed its home non-conference schedule with two 4-1 victories over Lindenwood during the 75th Anniversary Weekend on Nov. 8-9. The Pioneers hosted Hockey East’s Northeastern in their initial home games of the season as part of Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 18-19, raising their championship banner before the series finale on Saturday. DU then faced off against the Big Ten’s former WCHA rival Wisconsin on Oct. 25-26, securing wins of 4-2 and 6-1.

The Pios had achieved 20 successive victories against non-conference rivals dating back to Nov. 11, 2023, at Arizona State before suffering a setback of 2-1 at Maine in the series conclusion on Jan. 4. Denver boasts a home record of 12-0-1 in non-NCHC games since Jan. 7, 2023, against Alaska Fairbanks. DU concluded the 2023-24 season with a 13-2-1 record against non-conference opponents, which included triumphs in the last nine such matchups and four in the NCAA Tournament on their way to a championship.

PIONEERS OFFENSIVE FORCE: Denver ranks second nationally in scoring trailing Minnesota (4.1), averaging 3.8 goals per match. The team also holds the second position behind the Gophers (91) in total goals, tallying 75. The Pios topped the NCAA last season with 202 overall goals and a scoring average of 4.59.

DU managed to score at least four goals in each of the first 11 matches and 12 overall this season. The Pioneers have seen contributions from 14 different players and have 19 of their 22 skaters registering at least one point this year. Nine DU team members have already hit double digits in points.

MAINTAINING AHEAD: The Pioneers have maintained the lead or been tied for the majority of the season, as they have not trailed in 84.2% of gameplay this season (907:08/1082:11)—leading for 46.6% (559:22) or being tied for 37.6% (452:37) of the time.

DU has only found itself behind on the scoreboard in 15.8% of gameplay this year (190:12) and did not trail for the initial 244:12 of the season (4+ games).

EFFECTIVE PENALTY KILL: Denver has successfully killed off 89.3% of its penalties this season (50/56), including all four man-disadvantage opportunities on Saturday at Maine. DU has not allowed a power-play goal against in 14 of 20 games this year, placing them eighth in the nation in penalty killing.

The Pioneers had a noteworthy stretch of 17 consecutive kills that started in the season opener on Oct. 5 at Alaska Anchorage and concluded when Wisconsin scored on its first power-play opportunity on Oct. 25 (four games)—the longest streak since they successfully killed off 19 consecutive man disadvantages during the 2022 postseason from March 11 to April 7, 2022.

Denver was effective in nullifying 89.7% of their penalties during the last 13 games of 2023-24, successfully killing off 26 out of 28 in a stretch beginning on Feb. 24. DU achieved a perfect record in nine of those games, including a 4-for-4 performance on the PK on three occasions and seven consecutive kills in the last five matches of the season leading to the 2024 championship.

PIOS STRIKE BACK: Denver has scored on the power play in 15 out of 20 games this year and is leading the nation with a man-advantage success rate of 30.6%. The Pioneers recorded at least one power-play goal in an 11-game stretch from Oct. 19 to Nov. 23, marking the team’s longest run in the past decade (since 2015-16).

DU has netted multiple goals during man-advantage situations in four matches this season, notably going 4-for-9 in the season opener on Oct. 5 against Alaska Anchorage—the highest number of power-play goals by the team in a game since Dec. 4, 2021, against Arizona State (4-of-6).

Jack Devine leads the squad with 15 power-play points (0g/15a), while Sam Harris tops the roster with six power-play goals. Five of Devine’s six assists in Alaska on Oct. 5-6 were achieved while DU was enjoying a man advantage, while all four of Zeev Buium’s assists in that series came on power-play goals.

SENIOR CLASS ACHIEVEMENTS: The 2025 senior class of the Pioneers is on track to be the most successful group in the school’s history, marking the 16th class to win at least 100 games on Nov. 1 at Yale. This senior class holds a current total of 108 victories, the second-most in program history, which includes three Gold Pan trophies, two Penrose Cups, an NCHC Frozen Faceoff title, and two national championships.

The 2024 senior cohort is tied for fifth all-time with 103 wins and boasts a .708 winning percentage (103-41-5). The record for total victories is held by the seniors of 2005 with 112 wins.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

• Jack Devine holds the top position nationally in assists (26) and is tied for second in points (28).
• Aidan Thompson is tied for seventh in the NCAA for points (25), tied for ninth in goals (11), and is tied for 18th in assists (14). He is also tied for 10th in power-play goals (5).
• Sam Harris is tied for fifth among NCAA players in goals (12) and is tied for second in game-winning goals (5). He is tied for fifth in power-play goals (6).
• Matt Davis is tied for first nationally in wins (14), tied for 14th in goals-against average (2.00), and tied for 17th in save percentage (.924).
• Carter King is tied for fifth in the nation in goals (12) and tied for 22nd in points (21).
• Zeev Buium ranks second among all defensemen in the NCAA with 20 points and 16 assists and is tied for the 18th-most goals by a defenseman (4). His 16 assists are tied for sixth-most among all skaters, while his 20 points are tied for 24th overall.
• Eric Pohlkamp is tied for 11th among NCAA defensemen in scoring with 16 points and tied for 18th in goals scored by a defenseman (4).
• As a team, Denver ranks second nationally in goals per game (3.8) and is among the top 10 in the NCAA for goals against per game (2.0, T-6th), power play (30.6%, 1st), penalty kill (89.3, 8th), shooting percentage (.120, T-4th), and save percentage (.925, 9th).

DEVINE DISPLAY: Senior Jack Devine is tied for second in national scoring with 28 points and leads all NCAA players with 26 assists. He has achieved two career-long point streaks of eight games, commencing with the season start from Oct. 5 to Nov. 2 (1g/15a) and repeating from Nov. 9 to Dec. 13 (1g/10a). He has managed to acquire at least one point in 17 of the 20 games this year, with multiple points in seven matches, including five of the first six games and in three consecutive games from Oct. 19 to 26.



Devine began the season with a personal best of four assists on Oct. 5 at Alaska Anchorage (all on the power play) and recorded threepoints on Oct. 26 against Wisconsin (1g/2a) and Nov. 14 at North Dakota (0g/3a)—he possesses 12 career three-point matches during his college journey.

 

Devine was honored as both the NCHC and National Player of the Month for October after topping all NCAA athletes with 14 points (1g/3a) in six games. This marked his initial career monthly accolades.

 

DEVINE ASCENDING THE RANKINGS: Senior forward Jack Devine is positioned 35th on the institution’s all-time scoring chart with 134 points (46 goals, 88 assists) across 138 career matches. The native of Glencoe, Illinois, shares this ranking with Dave Berry (1980-84) and Tom Miller (1966-69) and stands one point shy of joining Jerry Walker (1959-61) in 34th place and two points from a three-way tie for 31st.

 

Devine became the 103rd Pioneer to achieve 100 career points after netting a goal in his 109th game on March 8, 2024, against Colorado College. The forward is just four goals shy of becoming the 61st player in school history to score 50 career goals, the first since Cole Guttman on Feb. 11, 2022, against Minnesota Duluth.

 

SAMMY SCORING: Sophomore Sam Harris is currently tied for second in the NCAA with five game-winning goals, with only Daniel Russel of Michigan State having more, tallying six. Three of his decisive goals occurred in successive games: Nov. 8-9 against Lindenwood and Nov. 15 at North Dakota—the first instance in four years (since 2021-22) where a Pioneer registered the decisive tally in three continuous outings.

 

Overall, the San Diego, California, native is tied for fifth nationally in both goals (12) and power-play goals (five). Harris achieved points in 11 out of his first 13 games played this season, which included a career-best nine-game point streak from Oct. 18 to Nov. 16 (8g/6a).

 

PIONEERS IN THE RANKINGS: Denver holds the No. 6 position in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live national rankings released on Monday and is currently No. 5 in the Pairwise computer standings. The Pioneers were ranked No. 1 in each of the initial eight polls this year and have achieved this for nine consecutive polls dating back to the concluding rankings of the previous season.

 

The NCHC boasts six programs in the rankings, led by Western Michigan at No. 4/5. Other conference teams appearing in the polls include St. Cloud State at No. 10/10, Colorado College at No. 13/14, North Dakota at No. 14/17, and Arizona State at No. 16/15.

 

STRONG AT THE DOT: The Pioneers are currently tied for eighth in the country, winning 53.9 percent of their faceoffs this season. They achieved season-high winning rates of .640 and .643, respectively, on Nov. 1-2 at Yale.

 

Carter King leads Denver in faceoff victories (240), while Samu Salminen leads the Pios with a .582 success rate (145/249). King is second in success rate (.66), with Kieran Cebrian ranking second in draw victories (169/317) and third in success rate (.533). King achieved a personal record by winning 20 out of 34 faceoffs on Oct. 19 against Northeastern, marking the most wins by a Pioneer since Tyson McLellan went 23 for 35 on Jan. 4, 2020, against Massachusetts; he claimed 18 faceoffs on Dec. 7 at Western Michigan.

 

MAGNESS MADNESS: Denver has sold out all nine of its home games this season, averaging 6,637 spectators. The Pioneers set attendance records on Oct. 18-19 during homecoming weekend against Northeastern, including a new single-game record with a crowd of 7,051 on Saturday during its banner-raising ceremony and series finale. In total, 13,888 attendees witnessed the series sweep of NU—the highest for a two-game weekend in school history, eclipsing the previous record by more than 1,200 fans. Denver had 6,455 attendees at its exhibition match against UNLV on Dec. 28.

 

In 2023-24, DU established a home attendance record by averaging 6,130 fans at Magness Arena over 20 games, surpassing their prior mark of 6,022 across 24 matches in 2006-07. Denver hosted a sell-out crowd of 7,033 for its regular-season conclusion against Colorado College on March 9, which at that time was the most-attended hockey game at Magness Arena in program history. DU previously set its last attendance record in the preceding game against CC on Nov. 3 at Magness, with an audience of 7,021.

 

In total, 122,594 spectators attended the Pioneers at Magness Arena in 2023-24 (20 games) after 133,117 individuals visited DU’s home arena in 23 games during 2022-23 (the second-highest attended season in the venue’s history). Including the 17,952 fans who witnessed Denver’s win against Colorado College at Ball Arena on Jan. 27, 2023 (officially counted as a DU home game), 151,069 fans attended Pioneer home games in 2022-23—the highest overall attendance for the team since 1999.

 

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF THE PIONEERS: Denver is celebrating 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 came to Magness Arena. Among the events held were pre and post-game receptions for alums, alumni games, family skates, and an on-ice tribute to approximately 150 former players present during Saturday’s first intermission, with each of the team’s NCAA-record 10 championship trophies being displayed as well.

 

The 2024-25 season is technically the 76th in DU hockey history, but the program’s 75th anniversary for its inaugural game was in December. The Pioneers’ first-ever matches were held at home on Dec. 19-20, 1949, against Saskatchewan, with the team experiencing losses of 17-0 and 9-1 in the contest. Denver’s initial victory was on Jan. 27, 1950, at Wyoming, and the program’s first home win occurred against the same Wyoming team on Feb. 18, 1950 (10-6) at the old DU Arena.

TICKETS: Limited availability remains for Denver hockey’s 75th anniversary in 2024-25. Click here to buy and for further details.

 

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