It was always going to end in overtime. It was a postseason matchup between Denver and Western Michigan. Those are (apparently) the rules. It had to end in overtime. And boy, did the third straight postseason overtime matchup between the #2-seed Pioneers (24-11-3) and #3-seed Broncos (26-10-1), this time in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals, deliver. DU never led, but it didn’t matter, as Boston Buckberger netted the equalizer late in the third before Samu Salminen potted the game-winner under six minutes into extra time to send the Pioneers to their third-straight NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game with the 2-1 overtime victory at Magness Arena. Continue reading Pioneers Exact Overtime Revenge on Broncos to Advance to NCHC Title Game →

Senior Night is always a special evening, honoring the exploits of every year’s oldest class that spent four years building its legacy and laying the foundation for the future. It’s doubly special when that celebration coincides with an impressive milestone for that senior class’s head coach, who recruited them and molded them into the special class that they are. Tonight, after scoring three goals in less than four minutes in the third period, the #8 Denver Pioneers (21-11-3, 17-6-1 NCHC) sent off the Class of 2026 – D Kent Anderson, F Rieger Lorenz, and F Samu Salminen – in style, earning a 4-1 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils (14-21-1, 7-16-1 NCHC) which ended their season and gave head coach David Carle his 200th career victory as a head coach. Continue reading Pioneers Explode with Three in the Third to Earn David Carle’s 200th Victory on Senior Night →

At this point, the only guarantee in life other than death and taxes is a Denver Hockey season with at least 20 Pioneer victories. With their 5-2 comeback victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils (14-20-1, 7-15-1 NCHC) at Magness Arena tonight, in this year’s penultimate regular season game, the #8 Denver Pioneers (20-11-3, 16-6-1 NCHC) extended the Tenzer Streak to 24 consecutive full seasons in which they have won at least 20 games. With the victory, Denver moves three points clear of third-place Western Michigan in the NCHC standings and up to #6 in the NPI, which would be the #2 seed in the Loveland Regional. Continue reading Pioneers Extend Tenzer Streak to 24 With 5-2 Victory over Arizona State →

DU men’s hockey (19-11-3, 15-6-1) got off to yet another slow start, as neither Denver nor Omaha could scratch the scoresheet. Denver got off 15 shots, 8 on target, but came up empty-handed against goaltender Simon Latkoczy. Denver also doubled up the Mavs on faceoffs, 11-5. Both teams had a power play opportunity, but zilch to show for the first 20 minutes of effort. Continue reading Late Surge Earns Denver a 3-1 Victory Over Omaha →

All too often this season, the #8 Denver Pioneers (18-11-3, 14-6-1 NCHC) have put themselves behind the eight-ball with frequent slow starts. It was a big part of the reason why they muddled through the middle part of the season with only one win in seven tries, and coming off a five-game unbeaten streak, it looked like their slow-starting woes were going to strike again as they allowed the Omaha Mavericks (10-19-0, 6-13-0 NCHC) to score first on an early power play at Baxter Arena in game one of the Pioneers’ penultimate series of the regular season. But after one dominant shift halfway through the second period, DU flipped the script, dominated the remaining 30 minutes of the game, and cruised to a 5-2 road victory. The Pioneers, who have now clinched home ice advantage for at least the NCHC Tournament quarterfinals, have three regular-season games remaining. Continue reading Pioneers Overcome Slow Start to Top Omaha Mavericks, 5-2 →

Friday night’s shootout victory in Colorado Springs, the game that clinched the Gold Pan for DU, provided all the drama the #8 Denver Pioneers (17-11-3, 13-6-1 NCHC) had to worry about this weekend. In game two against the Colorado College Tigers (11-13-4, 5-9-4 NCHC) in Denver, the Pioneers never trailed and coasted to a 4-1 victory, which earned them a five-point weekend to stay two points back of first-place North Dakota. After recording just one win in an eight-game stretch from December 13 to January 23, the Pioneers are now on a five-game unbeaten streak, dating back to the 6-0 drubbing of St. Cloud State two weeks ago. Continue reading Pioneers Take Care Of Business vs. Tigers to Earn 5-Point Weekend →

The Gold Pan is staying home. For the seventh consecutive season, the #8 Denver Pioneers (16-11-3, 12-6-1 NCHC) have laid claim to the traveling trophy that is awarded annually to the winner of the Battle for the Gold Pan between DU and Colorado College (11-12-4, 5-8-4 NCHC). With the 3-2 shootout victory in Colorado Springs, clinched by freshman Kristian Epperson in the second round and goalie Johnny Hicks, who made all three saves, the Pioneers have already earned seven of the 12 possible points in this year’s rivalry series. The shootout victory also means they gain a point on 1st-place North Dakota, which has two games in hand on the Pioneers. Continue reading Pioneers Retain Gold Pan for 7th-Straight Season with Shootout Victory at Colorado College →

Freshman goalie Johnny Hicks pitched a shutout and Rieger Lorenz scored the game’s only goal in three-on-three overtime off of a perfect pass from Eric Pohlkamp as the #11 Denver Pioneers (16-11-2, 12-6-0 NCHC) topped the #7 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (17-11-0, 8-10-0 NCHC) 1-0 in game two of the weekend series at Magness Arena. The Pioneers claimed five of the six possible points for NCHC standings purposes and remained at #11 in the NPI. Continue reading Denver Earns 5-Point Weekend Sweep Over Minnesota Duluth With Thrilling 1-0 OT Victory →

Everything was going swimmingly for the #11 Denver Pioneers (15-11-2, 11-6-0 NCHC)…until it wasn’t. Sam Harris scored in the closing moments of the first period before three different Pioneers scored in the second period to take a 4-0 lead over the #7 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (17-10-0, 8-9-0 NCHC) into the third period. But a Tory Pitner major penalty for cross-checking with six seconds left in the second period opened the door for the Bulldogs to begin their comeback. Three UMD goals later, one allowed by starter Johnny Hicks and two by backup Paxton Geisel, who came in after Hicks went down with a leg injury, the Pioneers were holding on for dear life over the final six minutes. Fortunately for DU, the Bulldogs and their #1-ranked power play unit were unable to find their fourth goal, and the Pioneers escaped with a 4-3 victory for their first Friday victory of 2026. Continue reading Pioneers Survive Bulldogs’ Third-Period Rally to Earn Huge NPI Victory →