The last time the Denver Pioneers lost a hockey game was March 8th. Since that 4-3 loss to Colorado College in Colorado Springs (a game where DU very nearly came back from a 4-1 deficit), the Pioneers have won an NCHC championship, the program’s 10th national title…and 11 straight games to start the 2024-25 season, by far the most to open a season by a defending national champion since 2000. In their 11th game this season and their toughest test to date, the #1 Pioneers (11-0-0, 1-0-0 NCHC) went into the Ralph Engelstad Arena and dominated the #9 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (5-5-0, 2-1-0 NCHC) to the tune of a 5-2 victory, which somehow made the game seem closer than it actually was.

Denver outshot North Dakota 39-24, including 18-9 in the first period, and held the hosts’ power play scoreless across four opportunities. Offensively Zeev Buium netted a hat trick after scoring DU’s first two goals and the empty-netter with two seconds left while Aidan Thompson and Sam Harris rounded out the winners’ scoring with their 8th and 10th goals of the season, respectively. Jack Devine, for his part, added to his NCAA-best assist and point totals with three more assists to bring his assist total to an astonishing 20 and his point total to 21 through just 11 games.

The closest the Fighting Hawks came to pulling off the upset (which feels weird to say about a game at The Ralph…but it’s accurate) was late in the second period when Ben Strinden scored on a breakaway to pull the hosts to within a goal at 3-2 after the second brutal defensive breakdown by the Pioneers. Less than a minute later, though, Devine found Aidan Thompson across the slot where the sophomore winger one-timed his shot past UND goalie TJ Semptimphelter to restore Denver’s two-goal lead. North Dakota would never threaten to score again.

It was a surgical, dominant, and altogether stress-free road victory – a rarity in Grand Forks for anyone, even the #1 team in the country. But the Pioneers will have their work cut out for them in game two tomorrow night if they’re going to return home with a coveted sweep at The Ralph. The Fighting Hawks are no doubt going to come out desperate and motivated to hand the Pioneers their first loss in 21 tries. The puck drops at 5:00 pm MT tomorrow evening and the game will be televised on Altitude and NCHC.tv.