Friday was clinical domination. At no point during those 60 minutes did the hosts have a prayer. Saturday, however, was much more about weathering the storm from a desperate team looking to salvage an all-important split on home ice. In game two at The Ralph after a surgical 5-2 victory in game one, the #1 Denver Pioneers (12-0-0, 2-0-0 NCHC) withstood an early flurry from the #9 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (5-6-0, 2-2-0 NCHC) and twice came back from one-goal deficits before Boston Buckberger hammered the nail in the Nodak-labeled coffin to earn the Pioneers a 3-2 win and a rare sweep at The Ralph. It was the program’s 21st consecutive win and kept the top-ranked team in the land unbeaten through 12 games. Continue reading #1 Denver Finishes Off First Sweep of North Dakota at The Ralph Since 2022
Category Archives: Hockey
#1 Pioneers Win 20th Straight with 5-2 Victory at North Dakota
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. Continue reading #1 Pioneers Win 20th Straight with 5-2 Victory at North Dakota
Major Junior Players Joining NCAA Hockey Bodes Well for DU
Earlier this month, in response to the fear of losing upcoming lawsuits due to the ever-increasing professionalization of Division I college sports, the NCAA Division I Council recently ruled (in a seismic decision) that the vast majority of some 800 Canadian Major Junior hockey players (aged 16-20) will now become eligible join NCAA Ice Hockey Division I programs starting in 2025-26. Major Junior players had been mostly banned from NCAA hockey since 1980, as the NCAA had considered Major Junior hockey to be professional hockey. Continue reading Major Junior Players Joining NCAA Hockey Bodes Well for DU
‘The Save’ Jersey Makes the Nieman Marcus Fantasy Christmas Book
For the first time in company history, a commemorative hockey jersey has made the Nieman Marcus exclusive Fantasy Christmas Book. ‘The Save’ jersey joins other gifts like a trip for four to Italy to create porcelain ($90,000), a $20,000 Judith Leiber couture crystal mahjong set, and a Massika jewelry necklace along with a safari experience ($777,777). Continue reading ‘The Save’ Jersey Makes the Nieman Marcus Fantasy Christmas Book
Two Sports See Their Seasons End, Another Looks to Make History
DU Women’s Triathlon ended its 2024 campaign on a strange two-day National Championship and women’s soccer (11-6-2) fell in the Summit League Tournament semifinals to South Dakota State. This concludes both teams’ fall season. Continue reading Two Sports See Their Seasons End, Another Looks to Make History
Sam Harris Outburst Spurs Lindenwood Sweep, 4-1
Denver hockey (10-0-0 – 0-0-0 NCHC) faced Lindenwood Saturday night. DU hockey alumni flocked to Magness Arena for the special occasion, celebrating 75 years of DU hockey. The two teams traded goals the first two periods, despite an obvious edge to DU in the second period, and the Pioneers and Lions entered the final period tied, 1-1. Continue reading Sam Harris Outburst Spurs Lindenwood Sweep, 4-1
Second Period Outburst Fuels DU Win Over Lindenwood, 4-1
It was an uninspired first period as both teams were as cold as the winter storm engulfing Denver. The second period Denver heated up and delivered three unanswered goals to coast to a 4-1 win on Alumni weekend. The DU team sported their 75th anniversary ‘ketchup and mustard’ throwback uniforms for the first time this season. Continue reading Second Period Outburst Fuels DU Win Over Lindenwood, 4-1
#1 Pioneers Take Care of Business and Sweep Yale for Program’s 1,600th Win
A fourth consecutive matchup shutout was not in the offing in game two of the weekend series between the #1 Denver Pioneers (8-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) and Yale Bulldogs (0-2-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) but DU’s methodical, 5-1 dismantling of the hosts at Ingalls Ice Rink in New Haven, Conn. certainly had the same feeling as the three prior DU shutouts dating back to last November. If it wasn’t for one hail mary of a shot that just squeaked through Freddie Halyk’s pads in the first period, we would be sitting here talking about a fourth straight Yale goose egg against Denver. Instead, we’re talking about a strong, efficient Pioneers side that quietly took what Yale gave them, including seven power plays, and came away with a four-goal victory. Continue reading #1 Pioneers Take Care of Business and Sweep Yale for Program’s 1,600th Win
#1 Pioneers Blitz Bulldogs for Denver’s Third Straight Shutout of Yale
Over their last three matchups, dating back to last year’s late November series at Magness Arena, the Denver Pioneers have outscored the Yale Bulldogs a whopping 20-0. Last year, after goaltender Matt Davis was sidelined with an early-season injury, Denver thumped Yale 5-0 and 9-0 and then, in game one at Ingalls Ice Rink in New Haven, Conn., the #1 Pioneers (7-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) picked up right where they left off and shut out the Bulldogs (0-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) to the tune of 6-0. Continue reading #1 Pioneers Blitz Bulldogs for Denver’s Third Straight Shutout of Yale
Jay Stickney Joins Media Lecture Series at Yale
DU’s legendary hockey announcer Jay Stickney, arrived early on the Yale campus in New Haven, Connecticut as a guest professor to speak to Yale’s Film and Media Studies Program. Stickney joined past distinguished alumni and speakers like Meryl Streep, David Duchovny, and Ed Norton, addressing undergrads about their career aspirations. It was a special opportunity for Stickney to address students at his self-described ‘safety school’ while sharing his professional expertise calling DU Hockey games for 25 seasons. Continue reading Jay Stickney Joins Media Lecture Series at Yale