The basics

Score: Denver 3, Omaha 4

Location: Denver

Records: Denver (8–3–1), Omaha (6–3–1)

How it happened

— There was no scoring by either team after a rough-and-tumble first period. Denver led Omaha in shots on goal 9–6. However, when the players came out after the first intermission, the ice behind Pioneer net was in horrible condition. After a lengthy delay, it was determined that the ice was unsafe for the players and officials and the game was suspended to Sunday with an undetermined time. 

— Just over a minute into the restart, Denver attempted to clear the puck out of the zone unsuccessfully. Omaha pushed it down to the corner, where Jimmy Glynn carried the puck out and sent it to the front of the crease for Matt Miller to finish the job for a 1–0 Omaha lead. 

— Roughly three minutes later, Cale Ashcroft gathered the puck for Denver to start a breakout behind their own net. Omaha’s forecheck was relentless at this point, and Brock Bremer stole the puck from Ashcroft. Bremer tossed it to Jesse Lansdell, who dribbled it in front of the net, teasing Freddie Halyk. Lansdell passed it between the lags to Ty Mueller and he finished the job to make it 2–0.

— Just over halfway through the second period, a face-off forced the puck down into the Denver zone. Carter Kink led the breakout and gave a leading pass up to Jared Wright in the middle of the ice. Wright whipped a beautiful backhand shot of the goalie to get the Pioneers on the board at 2–1.

— Five minutes later, Denver was killing off a penalty. Omaha tried to enter the Denver zone but miffed on the pass. Rieger Lorenz took off down the ice to find the back of the net for his first career shorthanded goal, knotting the score at 2–2. 

— With just two minutes left in the second, Omaha won a face-off in the Denver zone. Tanner Ludtke gathered the puck at the top of the slot and threw a snap shot on net past Halyk to restore Omaha’s lead at 3–2. 

— The final nail in the coffin came with only five seconds left in the second period. Omaha dumped the puck in to chase it down and collect it behind the Pioneers’ net. It was thrown out to Lansdell for the wrister, but stopped in front. As the puck lay in the crease, Joaquim Lemay drove the net and slapped it in to make it 4–2.

— The last goal of the day came early in the third from the Pioneers. Miko Mitkka drove down the far side and toward the net to force it past the goalie for the final of 4–3. 

DU leaders

Goals: Wright (1), Lorenz (1), Matikka (1)

Assists: King (1), Z. Buium (1), Broz (1), S. Buium (1)

Points: Wright (1), Lorenz (1), Matikka (1),  King (1), Z. Buium (1), Broz (1), S. Buium (1)

Up next

The Denver Pioneers will continue their homestand over the Thanksgiving holiday with a two-game set against Ivy League Yale University. The Bulldogs will come into Magness Arena with a challenge ahead of them as their record is 1–4.

Highlights

Due to ice conditions, tonight’s game is suspended. The game will resume tomorrow at a time to be announced.

Tickets from tonight will be valid for tomorrow’s game or can be exchanged to a future game.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) November 19, 2023

Jared Wright takes the breakout pass from Carter King and shoots it high glove to make it 2-1 Omaha #GoPios @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/RC7NEEUiMs

— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) November 19, 2023

Rieger Lorenz steals the puck in his own zone and takes off for the shorty! Tied at 2! #GoPios @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/xZNPHHhaC5

— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) November 19, 2023

Miko Matikka just tucks it past the goalie's pads to make it a 4-3 game.

He extends his goal streak to five games–tied for the longest of the season by a Pioneer. pic.twitter.com/xElEfLxYbd

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) November 19, 2023

The post Denver falls 4–3 after 16-hour delay appeared first on The Rink.

The basics

Score: Denver 8, Omaha 4

Location: Denver

Records: Denver (8–2–1), Omaha (5–3–1)

How it happened

— Less than six minutes into the game, Omaha dealt the opening punch on Freddie Halyk. Ray Fust would receive the pass from Joaquim Lemay in the slot and snap it high glove side to make it 1–0.

— Only a minute later, Tristan Broz would storm down the middle of the ice and drop it for Colorado Avalanche prospect Sean Behrens. He would nail a one-timer to tie up the game.

— Ty Mueller barreled down the slot around Cale Ashcroft and backhanded it over the shoulder of Halyk to restore the Omaha lead.

— While on a five-minute power play, Denver cycled the puck and Zeev Buium snapped it in from the blue line to tie it at 2–2.

— Shai Buium nailed a nasty one-timer from the right face-off circle with the help of brother Zeev to put the Pioneers ahead 3–2. 

— Almost seven minutes into the second, Carter King would gain possession in the offensive zone and toss the puck to Rieger Lorenz in front of the net. Lorenz whipped a sweet backhand shot in for the two-goal lead.

— With 8:30 left in the second, captain Webster MacKade followed a shot down the middle by Massimo Rizzo to put Denver ahead by three.

— The last goal in the second was scored by Miko Matikka, as he received a pass from King and then sent it bar down to put the Pios up by four.

— Early in the third, Omaha’s Brock Bremer would be set up in front of the net to whip it past Halyk and close the gap to 6–3. 

— During 4-on-4 play in the third period, Rizzo would steal an over-skated puck and take off, leading to a breakaway. Boston Buckberger would get the shot on net to allow for a redirect by Lorenz for a 7–3 Denver lead.

— Just over halfway through the third, Matt Miller planted himself in front of the net and redirected the shot in on the glove side of Freddie Halyk to trim the margin to 7–4.

— Buckberger ran the puck behind the net with under three minutes left to find Connor Caponi in front and the perfect pass for Denver’s eighth and final goal of the night. 

DU leaders

Goals: Lorenz (2), Behrens (1), Webster (1), Z. Buium (1), S. Buium (1), Matikka (1), Caponi (1)

Assists: Z. Buium (2), Buckberger (2), Rizzo (2), King (2), Broz (2), Behrens (1), S. Buium (1), Matikka (1), Thompson (1), Wright (1)

Up next

Denver will finish the two-game set against Omaha tonight at Magness in Denver.

Highlights

Sean Behrens' (COL) goal from earlier while the https://t.co/zlsagJ34N1 stream was down and out pic.twitter.com/IyIWtEVyIg

— Ryan Sikes (@ryan_sikes10) November 18, 2023

Rieger Lorenz with a sweet backhand shot right in front to take a two goal lead in the 2nd #GoPios @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/wJLYZ3JLkx

— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) November 18, 2023

An overskated puck leads to a breakaway by Massimo Rizzo and then a redirect by Rieger Lorenz. Pios up 7-3 #GoPios @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/qV2sy8mTii

— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) November 18, 2023

Boston Buckberger takes it down low to feed Connor Caponi right in front of the net for the Pios' 8th goal of the night. #GoPios @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/8ZXzQWXtWQ

— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) November 18, 2023

The post Denver dominates Omaha 8–4 appeared first on The Rink.

“It’s a great thing for our fans that we get to play them four times every year,” coach David Carle said. “Their program is on the rise, they’ve done an excellent job with their new staff and recruiting and are becoming more competitive and play more of a 200-foot game, making life harder on us. So we expect a really good battle this weekend.”

In the NCHC playoffs, Colorado College secured a close victory against their opponent. But every game last season was a “tightly contested game,” as Carle put it.

The Pioneers played a split series last weekend against a fierce Augustana University and another against in-state rival, Air Force. While Denver got ahead in the game against the Vikings, Augustana fought hard to earn a tie. Air Force, on the on the other hand, saw all of the corrections from the night before and freshman goaltender Freddie Halyk. The Pioneers came out in the end with a shutout 4–0.

“It certainly feels like they are closing the gap within the rivalry and we expect nothing different this year,” Carle told the media on Wednesday.

Freshman Boston Buckberger, who was just named conference rookie of the month, hopes a victory is in play for this weekend.

Buckberger has nothing but steller since coming to Denver. He has racked up seven points in only six games with the Pioneers, claiming all the credit goes to his teammates.

“Just to hold it up, hopefully,” Buckberger said with a smile. “I actually don’t even know exactly what it looks like. But hopefully I get that in our possession pretty quick here.”

Senior McKade Webster has a lot of experience with the series himself.

“It’s a big deal,” Webster said. “Especially for our young guys that have never participated in this event and won a Gold Pan before. So for them just understanding what it means for our program going forward, it’s a big deal. It is the first trophy that we can win this weekend if we get a sweep, so that’s what we are looking to do.”

The hallways were filled with excitement from the players and staff. Not a nervous energy, but a confident energy. The Pioneers, with a 4–1–1 record, are ranked No. 2 in the nation, so they have reason to be confident. Colorado College may be a little more of a challenge than previous opponents, as they boast a 5–1–0 record, losing only to Augustana. Expect a fierce battle with the state’s top team prevailing.

Puck drop on Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT, with Saturday’s tilt scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT.

The post The Gold Pan rivalry lives on this weekend appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Pioneers scored two quick goals in under five minutes to start the period. The first from Boston Buckberger and the second from Rieger Lorenz. Five minutes later, Jack Devine nailed his sixth goal of the year right off of the face-off. An aggressive offense for Denver led to some quick chances but also led to defensive breakdowns on the other end in front of Matt Davis. The Augustana Vikings would rush the zone and score a bloop goal that went through Davis. In the waning moments of the period, Hunter Bischoff‘s shot found the back of the net, making it 3–2.

Second period

Both the Vikings and the Pioneers would tighten up their defense in the period. This hindered both sides from advancing into each other’s zone and creating more opportunities. The period was an unresolved battle, except for the goalies.

Third period and overtime

Denver extended its lead to 4–2 with a goal from Kieran Cebrian, assisted by Devine. However, the Vikings showed resilience and scored two goals in 20 seconds, bringing the game to a tie at 4–4. Massimo Rizzo scored from the slot to regain the lead 5–4. Then with 28.8 seconds left and on the power play with their goalie pulled, Chase Brand scored for the Vikings to tie it back up at 5–5 and send the game to extra time. The Pioneers could not capitalize on their promising overtime performance, and the game ended in a 5–5 tie.

Analysis

Friday night’s tie showed some gaps in the defensive game for the Pioneers and their young defensive core.

“Closing plays quicker, getting out of our zone cleaner,” coach David Carle said of the 5-on-5 game. “Managing pucks comes with that. A lot of their transition offense came from us turning pucks over. You have to give them credit. They were coming into our building trying to have their marquee moment, and they did. That’s embarrassing for us in that we allowed that to happen, but we also give credit to our opponent, who was very well prepared and did an excellent job and earned everything tonight as well. We were not ready to the play to the level we needed to for a full 60 minutes. After we went up (2–0), I think we thought it was going to be easy, and give them credit, they didn’t go away. They continued to come and were able to execute and take advantage of our looseness with our puck management and with our rush D and our D-zone coverage.”

If Denver can play a better defensive game, Davis will not have to work as hard to protect the lead for them. The offense is there for sure, now they need to fix the back end.

The post Pioneers tie in home opener appeared first on The Rink.

“Pretty cool honor, obviously,” Buckberger said. “And we had a couple other guys we’ve got made it easy and played well this weekend.”

The Canadian started his junior hockey career in the last place that you think of hockey. He played for the Lincoln Stars, as in Lincoln, Nebraska, a team that is part of the United States Hockey League. Some alumni include David Backes, Erik Condra, Ryan Dzingel and Stanley Cup champion Brandon Bollig.

Buckberger saw some success in his one year in the Cornhusker State with 45 points in 62 games.

“I’d say just teammates, coaches and the relationships we built early in the year (helped with my success),” Buckberger said of his time with the Stars. “They ended up being great, and we got so close to each other. And I think just having trust in my teammates, and my coaches trusting me to put you in certain situations and stuff allowed me to have tons of success there.”

He even attended a Nebraska Huskers game and became an immediate fan.

“I think I immediately became a fan,” Buckberger said. “It was 90,000 people, the game was 48–45 and right down to the wire. They lost, I was for sure a Husker fan and hopefully I can go back one day and I’ll do another game.”

Boston initially committed to the University of Wisconsin. The coaching staff experienced a turnover, resulting in the release of Tony Granato, former head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, in early March. Buckberger switched his commitment to Denver right away.

“I just knew that Denver would be a great spot for me as I was recruited by them a couple of years back when I was recruited by Wisconsin as well,” Buckberger said. “And just having the relationships with DC (David Carle) and the assistants, it just made everything like a smooth transition and like it was a no-brainer for me.”

Buckberger spoke highly of his brief time in Colorado.

“The city is awesome,” Buckberger said. “The proximity to the mountains, it’s pretty cool. I’ve been able to go and do some sightseeing and stuff and I’ve been to a Broncos game, downtown a bit and Rockies games and I think the culture around Denver is pretty cool. It is a sports town. As far as on campus goes, the classes are good. And with a lot of teammates, that makes it a lot easier. And I think just the busy schedule suits me.”

As far as telling young defensemen coming behind him, Buckberger encouraged sticking to what a player does well.

“Just play your game,” Buckberger said. “Be honest all over the ice. Play a 200-foot game because we emphasize so much defense here and our defensive skills, our transition and offense. So just take ownership everywhere on the ice and never be a real stranger.”

Buckberger credits the early-season success to the team clicking right away. With new members, this team can grow together for a couple of seasons. The team will be even more dangerous once they further develop chemistry, relying less on talking on the ice.

The post DU’s Buckberger happy he chose Denver appeared first on The Rink.

“I think every year I’ve been here we have had a special team, and I think our team this year is also a special group and that’s the goal every year is to win a national championship,” Devine said about winning the NCAA title in 2022. “So, for me, it was an extreme blessing to do that back in my freshman year. And I think it’s something that all of us are hungry for to do again.”

Devine was involved in both the 2022 and 2017 championships, as he was present in the stands for the Pioneer win over Minnesota-Duluth in 2017. It was at that moment he decided he wanted to attend the University of Denver and help defend their eight titles.

He desired to attend one of the best hockey schools in the nation for various reasons.

“You can tell from the first time I was here that there’s emphasis on winning,” Devine said. “There’s an emphasis on trying to win a championship every year. Another big thing for me was the coaching staff. The coaching staff when I was getting recruited, they were awesome, and even now, like the things they told me about how important development is, how important developing both as a hockey player and a person, that has really been important to me. And I think lastly, it’s both a great academic and athletic program and that was something that was very important to me.”

Devine has started the year out hot, stacking up four goals and two assists in just two games against Alaska-Fairbanks.

He shot an amazing 80% over the opening weekend and worked top-line minutes. At one point, Devine would have the first Pioneer hat trick of the season, but it was later changed to an assist after a tip from McKade Webster.

Jack Devine tallies his 2nd marker of the game as the Pioneers convert on a 5-on-3.

DU 4 | UAF 1 | 8:27 2nd#GoPios pic.twitter.com/au8L5sLTUr

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) October 9, 2023

“I think all the credit is to my teammates,” Devine said about the opening weekend. “I think for a weekend like that, you’re just going in and focusing on getting two wins. And I think for me, it was just trying to do anything I can to help our team win. So obviously it’s nice to be successful there. And I think my teammates helped contribute to that and put me in a good position.”

Devine participated in the Florida Panthers’ development camp for the first time in his young career. He could join all the Panthers’ prospects in drills and get tips from the NHL coaching staff.

“You’re just trying to take tidbits and take little things you can learn,” Devine said about the camp. “I think you try to take anything you can learn here to be successful in the season now.”

Everything that Devine has done in the last two years has been to the benefit of his teammates. But he insists that his success is because of them.

He is a hardworking young man who strives to be the best at everything he has done so far. You are going to want to monitor Jack Devine; this kid is going places.

The post DU’s Jack Devine credits teammates for his success appeared first on The Rink.