Hockey, Men's Sports

Pioneers Open Homecoming Weekend with 5-2 Victory over Boston College

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It was a bit later than they had hoped, but the #4 Denver Pioneers (3-2-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) have their first home victory of the 2026-27 season. A week after a frustrating sweep at the hands of the now-#1 Michigan Wolverines in a rematch of the 2026 Frozen Four, the Pioneers earned their first victory at Magness Arena this season with a 5-2 win over the #18 Boston College Eagles (1-3-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East) in a rematch of the 2024 national title game. Sam Harris opened the scoring, Kieran Cebrian scored twice, and Daxon Rudolph even got the much-maligned power-play unit on the scoresheet.

It was a bit of a slow start for both teams, with the Pioneers outshooting the Eagles 11-7 in the opening period. The only goal of the first 20 came off the stick of Harris, who was left alone in the slot and, as usual, he didn’t miss, sniping a wrister over the shoulder of a helpless Louka Cloutier.

Cebrian doubled the Pioneers’ lead just two minutes into the second period with a breakaway snapshot off a feed from freshman Jack Pridham. As well as Denver was playing through the first half of the game, which included a strong, surprise start from goalie Tyler Krivtsov, who stopped 26 of the 28 BC shots he faced, one 45-second lapse just past the 10-minute mark of the second allowed the Eagles to tie the game and get right back into it.

Dean Letourneau scored his third of the season not long after Daxon Rudolph’s hooking penalty expired, and not 45 seconds later, Eagles captain Will Vote tied it, redirecting a shot from Carson Woodall at the point past Krivtsov, who had lost his stick a few seconds prior. All of the work over the first 30 minutes to build the two-goal lead was gone just like that.

Denver, however, was gifted a questionable at-best power play to start the third period after Letourneau was called for a cross-check as time expired in the second on a play that looked like nothing more than incidental contact to even the most biased DU observers. And DU took full advantage, as Rudolph tallied his second goal of the season on a seeing-eye wrist shot from the point just 29 seconds into the final frame. And that was all Denver needed to regain control of the game and cruise to the victory.

James Reeder added an extra-attacker goal after some impressive passing, with Cale Ashcroft and Pridham cashing in on the assists before Cebrian sealed the game with an empty-netter, his second goal of the evening.

Altogether, it was a strong bounceback effort from the Pioneers against a quality opponent after last weekend’s frustration. DU outshot BC 32-28; Krivtsov made every save he needed to, plus a few timely, highlight-reel ones; and the struggling power play, which failed to score on three different five-on-three opportunities last weekend, came through in a massive moment to seal the victory. Denver’s effort tonight was indicative of the kind of week-to-week growth you want and expect to see from a young, freshman-heavy team.

Now, they need to turn the page and do it again tomorrow night to close out Homecoming Weekend with a big, early-season sweep.

Highlights

Top photo credit: Tyler Schank/Clarkson Creative Photography via Denver Athletics

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