Call it revenge, call it just taking care of business, call it anything you want. Denver was not going to deliver a repeat performance from last December when UNLV visited Magness Arena for the second time in less than 10 months. Last year, Denver fell to the ACHA champions in the shootout (after an official 6-6 tie). Tonight, though, the Pioneers were not letting another viral moment happen, scoring the game’s first four goals and cruising to a 6-1 exhibition game victory over the UNLV Rebels. Sam Harris recorded a natural hat trick, Cale Ashcroft scored two power-play goals in the third period, and freshman Payton Nelson – a Centennial native – opened the scoring 10 minutes into the game.

It was by no means a perfect game for the Pioneers. There were plenty of sloppy moments by the newcomers, and they missed a number of opportunities to blow the game open earlier in the second and third periods, but overall, the Pioneers stayed healthy and were able to see the holes that need to be plugged before the games start to count next weekend. In other words, it was a successful exhibition.

In the crease, each of Denver’s three goalies – Quentin Miller, Johnny Hicks, and Paxton Geisel – played a period, with Hicks the only one to surrender a goal in the second period. Miller stopped all six shots he faced, as did Geisel, while Hicks stopped five of the six shots he faced.

Denver’s schedule starts for real next weekend, when the Pioneers bus down to Air Force to take on the Falcons in Colorado Springs for the first time since October of 2021. They return to Magness Arena on Saturday to take on Bentley in the first-ever matchup between the two programs in DU’s 2025-26 home opener.

Top photo courtesy of Denver Athletics on Twitter