The 2023–24 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey season was the 75th season of play for the program and 11th in the NCHC. The Pioneers represented the University of Denver in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at Magness Arena and were coached by David Carle in his sixth season. The team won the 2024 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament for their NCAA record tenth national championship.
| 2023–24 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| NCHC Tournament, Champion NCAA Tournament, Champion | |
| Conference | NCHC |
| Home ice | Magness Arena |
| Rankings | |
| USCHO | #3 |
| USA Today | #3 |
| Record | |
| Overall | 32–9–3 |
| Conference | 15–7–2 |
| Home | 14–3–3 |
| Road | 12–6–0 |
| Neutral | 4–0–0 |
| Coaches and captains | |
| Head coach | David Carle |
| Assistant coaches | Tavis MacMillan Dallas Ferguson Ryan Massa |
| Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey seasons « 2022–23 2024–25 » | |
Season edit
The game against Omaha on November 18 was halted after the first period due to poor ice conditions. A patch of ice behind the Denver net didn't freeze properly and after attempting to address the problem for over an hour, the game was postponed until the following day. Because an entire period had already been played, the game resumed at the start of the second.[1]
Departures edit
| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Benning | Defenseman |  Canada |
Signed professional contract (Florida Panthers) |
| Magnus Chrona | Goaltender |  Sweden |
Graduation (signed with San Jose Sharks) |
| Brett Edwards | Forward | Canada |
Graduate transfer to Northeastern |
| Tyler Haskins | Forward |  United States |
Transferred to Minnesota State |
| Lane Krenzen | Defenseman | United States |
Graduate transfer to Omaha |
| Justin Lee | Defenseman | Canada |
Graduation (signed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) |
| Kyle Mayhew | Defenseman | United States |
Graduation (signed with Colorado Eagles) |
| Carter Mazur | Forward | United States |
Signed professional contract (Detroit Red Wings) |
| Owen Ozar | Forward | Canada |
Transferred to Bowling Green |
Recruiting edit
| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cale Ashcroft | Defenseman | Canada |
19 | Calgary, AB |
| Garrett Brown | Defenseman | United States |
19 | San Jose, CA; selected 99th overall in 2022 |
| Boston Buckberger | Defenseman | United States |
20 | Saskatoon, SK |
| Zeev Buium | Defenseman | United States |
17 | Laguna Niguel, CA |
| Kieran Cebrian | Forward | United States |
20 | Denver, CO |
| Freddie Halyk | Goaltender | Canada |
20 | Cochrane, AB |
| Sam Harris | Forward | United States |
19 | San Diego, CA; selected 133rd overall in 2023 |
| Peter Lajoy | Forward | United States |
21 | Evergreen, CO |
| Miko Matikka | Forward |  Finland |
19 | Helsinki, FIN; selected 67th overall in 2022 |
| Alex Weiermair | Forward | United States |
18 | Los Angeles, CA |
Roster edit
As of September 27, 2023.[2]
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Freddie Halyk | Freshman | G | 6' 5" (1.96 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 2003-08-27 | Cochrane, Alberta | Camrose (AJHL) | — |
| 2 | 
|
Sean Behrens | Junior | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 2003-03-31 | Barrington, Illinois | NTDP (USHL) | COL, 61st overall 2021 |
| 3 |
|
Cale Ashcroft | Freshman | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2004-08-05 | St. Albert, Alberta | Tri-City (USHL) | — |
| 4 |
|
Jack Devine | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2003-10-02 | Glencoe, Illinois | NTDP (USHL) | FLA, 221st overall 2022 |
| 5 | 
|
Garrett Brown | Freshman | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 2004-04-04 | San Jose, California | Waterloo (USHL) | WPG, 99th overall 2022 |
| 6 | 
|
McKade Webster | Senior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2000-07-28 | St. Louis, Missouri | Green Bay (USHL) | TBL, 213th overall 2019 |
| 7 | 
|
Aidan Thompson | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2002-02-18 | Fort Collins, Colorado | Lincoln (USHL) | CHI, 90th overall 2022 |
| 8 |
|
Shai Buium | Junior | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 2003-03-26 | San Diego, California | Sioux City (USHL) | DET, 36th overall 2021 |
| 9 | 
|
Boston Buckberger | Freshman | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2003-06-01 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Lincoln (USHL) | — |
| 10 |
|
Miko Matikka | Freshman | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 2003-10-26 | Helsinki, Finland | Waterloo (USHL) | ARI, 67th overall 2022 |
| 11 |
|
Lucas Ölvestad | Sophomore | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2002-03-19 | Stockholm, Sweden | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 12 |
|
Sam Harris | Freshman | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2003-10-14 | San Diego, California | Sioux Falls (USHL) | MTL, 133rd overall 2023 |
| 13 | 
|
Massimo Rizzo | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 2001-06-13 | Burnaby, British Columbia | Coquitlam (BCHL) | PHI, 216th overall 2019 |
| 14 |
|
Rieger Lorenz | Sophomore | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2004-03-30 | Calgary, Alberta | Okotoks (AJHL) | MIN, 56th overall 2022 |
| 15 |
|
Carter King | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2001-08-30 | Calgary, Alberta | Surrey (BCHL) | — |
| 16 | 
|
Tristan Broz | Junior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 2002-10-10 | Bloomington, Minnesota | Minnesota (Big Ten) | PIT, 58th overall 2021 |
| 17 |
|
Peter LaJoy | Freshman | F | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 2002-02-27 | Evergreen, Colorado | Danbury (NAHL) | — |
| 18 |
|
Jared Wright | Sophomore | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 2002-11-22 | Burnsville, Minnesota | Omaha (USHL) | LAK, 169th overall 2022 |
| 21 |
|
Kent Anderson | Sophomore | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 2003-11-13 | Calgary, Alberta | Green Bay (USHL) | — |
| 22 | 
|
Connor Caponi | Senior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | 2000-03-20 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Waterloo (USHL) | — |
| 24 |
|
Kieran Cebrian | Freshman | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 2003-03-31 | Denver, Colorado | Tri-City (USHL) | — |
| 28 |
|
Zeev Buium | Freshman | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2005-12-07 | Laguna Niguel, California | USNTDP (USHL) | — |
| 29 | 
|
Tristan Lemyre | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2001-01-15 | Mirabel, Quebec | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 31 |
|
Jack Caruso | Senior | G | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 1999-06-07 | St. Louis, Missouri | Fairbanks (NAHL) | — |
| 35 |
|
Matt Davis | Junior | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | 2001-06-16 | Calgary, Alberta | Green Bay (USHL) | — |
| 39 |
|
Alex Weiermair | Freshman | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2005-05-10 | Los Angeles, California | USNTDP (USHL) | — |
Standings edit
| Conference record | Overall record | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | |||
| #5 North Dakota † | 24 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 49 | 87 | 67 | 40 | 26 | 12 | 2 | 151 | 105 | ||
| #3 Denver * | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 110 | 80 | 42 | 30 | 9 | 3 | 198 | 119 | ||
| #18 St. Cloud State | 24 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 41 | 77 | 74 | 38 | 17 | 16 | 5 | 121 | 114 | ||
| #15 Colorado College | 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 66 | 56 | 37 | 21 | 13 | 3 | 111 | 93 | ||
| #11 Omaha | 24 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 68 | 74 | 40 | 23 | 13 | 4 | 117 | 112 | ||
| #14 Western Michigan | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 78 | 64 | 38 | 21 | 16 | 1 | 136 | 97 | ||
| Minnesota Duluth | 24 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 65 | 80 | 37 | 12 | 20 | 5 | 103 | 125 | ||
| Miami | 24 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 44 | 100 | 36 | 7 | 26 | 3 | 78 | 135 | ||
| Championship: March 23, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll Updated: April 1, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results edit
| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| October 7 | 9:07 pm | at Alaska* | #4 | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Davis | W 7–3 | 1,962 | 1–0–0 | ||
| October 8 | 7:07 pm | at Alaska* | #4 | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Davis | W 5–2 | 1,421 | 2–0–0 | ||
| October 20 | 7:00 pm | at #10 Providence* | #2 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Davis | L 3–4 | 3,465 | 2–1–0 | ||
| October 21 | 7:00 pm | at #3 Boston College* | #2 | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Davis | W 4–3 | 7,884 | 3–1–0 | ||
| October 27 | 7:00 pm | Augustana* | #2 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Davis | T 5–5 | 5,343 | 3–1–1 | |||
| October 28 | 6:00 pm | Air Force* | #2 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Halyk | W 4–0 | 6,278 | 4–1–1 | |||
| November 3 | 7:00 pm | Colorado College | #2 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Rivalry) | Halyk | W 6–1 | 7,021 | 5–1–1 (1–0–0) | |||
| November 4 | 6:00 pm | at Colorado College | #2 | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) | SOCO CW | Halyk | W 5–1 | 3,749 | 6–1–1 (2–0–0) | ||
| November 10 | 7:00 pm | at #16 Arizona State* | #2 | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | Halyk | L 5–6 OT | 5,102 | 6–2–1 | |||
| November 11 | 5:00 pm | at #16 Arizona State* | #2 | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | Halyk | W 8–4 | 4,996 | 7–2–1 | |||
| November 17 | 7:00 pm | Omaha | #3 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Halyk | W 8–4 | 5,940 | 8–2–1 (3–0–0) | |||
| November 18 / 19 | 6:00 pm / 2:00 pm | Omaha | #3 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Halyk | L 3–4 | 5,813 | 8–3–1 (3–1–0) | |||
| November 24 | 7:00 pm | Yale* | #4 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Halyk | W 5–0 | 5,817 | 9–3–1 | |||
| November 25 | 6:00 pm | Yale* | #4 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Halyk | W 9–0 | 5,823 | 10–3–1 | |||
| December 1 | 7:00 pm | #2 North Dakota | #3 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Rivalry) | Halyk | L 5–7 | 5,958 | 10–4–1 (3–2–0) | |||
| December 2 | 6:00 pm | #2 North Dakota | #3 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Rivalry) | Halyk | W 3–2 OT | 6,136 | 11–4–1 (4–2–0) | |||
| December 8 | 5:00 pm | at #13 Western Michigan | #4 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | Halyk | L 3–7 | 3,558 | 11–5–1 (4–3–0) | |||
| December 9 | 4:00 pm | at #13 Western Michigan | #4 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | Geisel | W 6–5 OT | 3,791 | 12–5–1 (5–3–0) | |||
| December 29 | 6:00 pm | Minot State* | #5 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Exhibition) | Halyk | W 9–3 | 6,370 | ||||
| January 5 | 7:00 pm | Niagara* | #6 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Davis | W 5–2 | 5,854 | 13–5–1 | |||
| January 6 | 6:00 pm | Niagara* | #6 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Davis | W 6–1 | 6,255 | 14–5–1 | |||
| January 12 | 7:00 pm | #14 St. Cloud State | #6 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | CBSSN | Davis | W 5–1 | 6,372 | 15–5–1 (6–3–0) | ||
| January 13 | 6:00 pm | #14 St. Cloud State | #6 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Davis | T 4–4 SOL | 6,201 | 15–5–2 (6–3–1) | |||
| January 19 | 6:00 pm | at #19 Omaha | #5 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Davis | W 6–3 | 7,391 | 16–5–2 (7–3–1) | |||
| January 20 | 6:00 pm | at #19 Omaha | #5 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Davis | W 6–2 | 6,898 | 17–5–2 (8–3–1) | |||
| January 26 | 6:07 pm | at #5 North Dakota | #4 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota (Rivalry) | CBSSN | Davis | L 2–5 | 11,610 | 17–6–2 (8–4–1) | ||
| January 27 | 5:07 pm | at #5 North Dakota | #4 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota (Rivalry) | Midco | Davis | L 2–4 | 11,702 | 17–7–2 (8–5–1) | ||
| February 2 | 7:00 pm | #15 Western Michigan | #5 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Davis | W 3–2 | 6,467 | 18–7–2 (9–5–1) | |||
| February 3 | 7:00 pm | #15 Western Michigan | #5 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Davis | L 2–7 | 6,202 | 18–8–2 (9–6–1) | |||
| February 16 | 6:07 pm | at Minnesota Duluth | #5 | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | CBSSN | Davis | W 5–4 OT | 5,598 | 19–8–2 (10–6–1) | ||
| February 17 | 6:07 pm | at Minnesota Duluth | #5 | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | Davis | W 5–2 | 6,131 | 20–8–2 (11–6–1) | |||
| February 23 | 7:00 pm | Miami | #3 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Davis | T 3–3 SOW | 6,341 | 20–8–3 (11–6–2) | |||
| February 24 | 6:00 pm | Miami | #3 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Davis | W 8–1 | 6,274 | 21–8–3 (12–6–2) | |||
| March 1 | 6:30 pm | at #15 St. Cloud State | #5 | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | Fox 9+ | Davis | W 6–2 | 3,688 | 22–8–3 (13–6–2) | ||
| March 2 | 5:00 pm | at #15 St. Cloud State | #5 | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | Fox 9+ | Davis | W 7–2 | 4,270 | 23–8–3 (14–6–2) | ||
| March 8 | 7:00 pm | at #10 Colorado College | #4 | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) | SOCO CW, CBSSN | Davis | L 3–4 | 3,912 | 23–9–3 (14–7–2) | ||
| March 9 | 6:00 pm | #10 Colorado College | #4 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Rivalry) | Davis | W 4–3 | 7,033 | 24–9–3 (15–7–2) | |||
| NCHC Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 15 | 7:07 pm | Minnesota Duluth* | #3 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Quarterfinal Game 1) | Davis | W 4–0 | 5,461 | 25–9–3 | |||
| March 16 | 6:07 pm | Minnesota Duluth* | #3 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Quarterfinal Game 2) | Davis | W 5–2 | 6,005 | 26–9–3 | |||
| March 22 | 6:37 pm | vs. #17 St. Cloud State* | #3 | Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (Semifinal) | CBSSN | Davis | W 5–4 OT | 8,977 | 27–9–3 | ||
| March 23 | 6:30 pm | vs. #11 Omaha* | #3 | Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (Championship) | CBSSN | Davis | W 4–1 | 6,929 | 28–9–3 | ||
| NCAA Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 28 | 12:00 pm | vs. #13 Massachusetts* | #3 | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts (Northeast Regional Semifinal) | ESPN2 | Davis | W 2–1 2OT | 3,894 | 29–9–3 | ||
| March 30 | 2:00 pm | vs. #12 Cornell* | #3 | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts (Northeast Regional Final) | ESPN2 | Davis | W 2–1 | 4,407 | 30–9–3 | ||
| April 11 | 3:00 pm | vs. #2 Boston University* | #3 | Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (National Semifinal) | ESPN2 | Davis | W 2–1 OT | 31–9–3 | |||
| April 13 | 4:00 pm | vs. #1 Boston College* | #3 | Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (National Championship) | ESPN2 | Davis | W 2–0 | 32–9–3 | |||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Mountain Time. Source:[3] | |||||||||||
Rankings edit
| Poll | Week | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 (Final) | |
| USCHO.com | 4 | 3 (4) | 2 (10) | 2 (6) | 2 (5) | 2 (5) | 3 (3) | 4 (2) | 3 (1) | 4 (2) | 5 | - | 6 | 6 | 5 (1) | 4 (1) | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| USA Today | 5 | 3 (1) | 2 (9) | 2 (1) | 2 (5) | 2 (3) | 2 (3) | 4 | 3 | 5 (1) | 5 | 5 | 5^ | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5т | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 11.[4]
^USA Today did not release a poll in week 12.
References edit
- ^ "Slush Halts Denver-Omaha Hockey Tilt". Lets Go DU. November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Denver Pioneers. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Denver Pioneers. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.