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No. 3 Denver Wins 7-1 at Arizona State

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at Arizona State

11/22/2025 | 5 p.m. MT

NCHC.tv

Denver Sports 104.3 HD3

Nov. 22 (Sat) / 5 p.m. MT

at Arizona State

History

TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 3 University of Denver hockey team stretched its season-long winning streak to six games on Friday night with a 7-1 victory against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mullett Arena.

DU (9-3-1, 5-0-0 NCHC) and Arizona State (4-8-1, 2-4-1 NCHC) wrap up the weekend series on Saturday with a 5 p.m. MT start from Tempe. The game will be broadcast on NCHC.tv and will be the final contest before the Pioneers host the Minnesota Gophers in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Ball Arena on Saturday, Nov. 29.

Senior forward Samu Salminen led the Pioneers on Friday by tying a career high with four points (one goal, three assists), and junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp recorded his second, three-point contest of the season with two goals and one assist. Freshman forward Kyle Chyzowski (one goal, one assist) and sophomore forward James Reeder (two assists) also had multi-point outings.

The Pioneers also got goals from senior forward Rieger Lorenz, junior defenseman Boston Buckberger and freshman forward Kristian Epperson.

Rookie goaltender Quentin Miller made 31 saves on 32 shots faced to improve to 8-2-1 on the campaign.

Denver held a 2-0 lead going into the first intermission after Pohlkamp scored on a tap-in during a rush at 3:34 of the opening frame, and Salminen netted his third of the season with less than 11 seconds before the break.

Buckberger tallied for the third straight game just 26 seconds into the second stanza, and Pohlkamp buried his second of the night at 7:36 of the frame. Junior forward Sam Harris was credited with only one assist in the game, but he played a factor in both goals by providing screens in front on the rear guard’s shots.

Holding a 4-1 lead after the initial 40 minutes, DU received tallies from Lorenz, Chyzowski and Epperson in the final period to tie Denver’s season high for goals in a game (7-3 win on Oct. 24 at Boston College).

Chyzowski’s scored his first career goal on a penalty shot with 6:55 left in the third period after being slashed on a breakaway. It was the second penalty shot goal by a Pioneer this season and the second in the last 23 years.

Denver outshot Arizona State 33-32 overall. Samuel Urban got the start for ASU and made 16 saves on 20 shots through the first 27:36. Connor Hasley finished the contest in net and allowed three goals on 13 shots faced.

Both teams tallied once on the power play, with Bennett Schimek scoring the lone goal for the Sun Devils at 9:47 of the second frame.

UP NEXT: DU concludes a three-game road swing and a stretch where the team is playing 10 of its first 14 outings on the road on Saturday versus ASU. The Pioneers open a three-game homestay with a matchup at Ball Arena against Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 29 in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game before hosting Miami on Dec. 5-6 at Magness Arena.

POSTGAME NOTES

Denver improved to 12-5-1 all-time against Arizona State and own a 5-3-1 record in Arizona, which includes a 3-2-0 mark at Mullett Arena.
DU is now 6-2-1 on the road this season and have won four in a row away from Magness Arena.
The Pioneers have allowed opponents to one goal or fewer in eight of its 13 games this season.
Samu Salminen tied a career high with three assists and four points, as he also achieved the feat on Feb. 1, 2025 against Omaha. He registered his second multi-point outing of the season after having two assists on Nov. 8 at Western Michigan.
His four points were the most in a game this season by a Denver player while his three assists tied a team season best (Boston Buckberger, Nov. 1 vs. UAA). It was the first four-point game by a Pioneer since Eric Pohlkamp had a goal and three assists on March 7, 2025 vs. Colorado College.
Eric Pohlkamp scored his ninth goal of the season and his sixth in the last six games dating back to Nov. 1 against Alaska Anchorage. He has tallied in five of the past six outings.
Pohlkamp recorded his second multi-goal game of the year and fourth of his career. He ranks in the top six nationally in goals overall and has now recorded double-digit goals in each of his three collegiate season.
With two goals and one assist, Pohlkamp recorded his sixth career three-point game and his second of the season after tallying three goals on Oct. 11 vs. Bentley.
Kyle Chyzowski scored his first career goal, with it coming on a penalty shot. It was the second penalty shot of the season for DU, as Rieger Lorenz also tallied on a penalty shot on Oct. 31 vs. Alaska Anchorage—the Pioneers’ first such goal since Jon Foster on Nov. 30, 2002 vs. Air Force.
Chyzowski also added an assist for his first multi-point outing of his career.
Boston Buckberger (3g/1a), Sam Harris (1g/3a) and Rieger Lorenz (2g/3a) each extended their respective point streaks to four games. Harris is also on a three-game assist streak, tying his career long (March 15-22, 2024).
Buckberger scored for the third-straight game, a new career long, and his goal at 0:26 of the second period was the quickest to begin a period this season for DU.
James Reeder had his first career two-assist game and his third multi-point contest of the season
DU tied a season high for goals in a game with seven (7-3 win at Boson College on Oct. 23, 2025) and tied its largest margin of victory this season (also Oct. 11 vs. Bentley, 6-0; and Nov. 1 vs. UAA, 6-0)
Denver scored the fastest six goals of the season in 37:48, one minute faster than what they did on Oct. 24 at Boston College (38:48)
The Pioneers blocked a season-high 13 shots.

GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
3:36 DU (1-0) – James Reeder brought the puck up the ice after an ASU defender fell and lost it at the blue line and Eric Pohlkamp tallied in the low slot after taking a pass from Samu Salminen down low.
19:49 DU (2-0) – Samu Salminen hit twine through a screen with a wrist shot from the slot after taking control of the loose puck in the circle.

2nd Period
0:26 DU (3-0) – After the Pioneers cycled the puck around the zone, Boston Buckberger’s shot from the high slot got through traffic in front while Sam Harris was providing a screen in front of the Sun Devils.
7:36 DU (4-0) – PPG, Eric Pohlkamp shot from the top left circle went five-hole on the ASU netminder while Sam Harris was a screen in front.
9:47 ASU (4-1) – PPG, Bennett Schimek scored on a wrister from the slot that went blocker-side.

3rd Period
1:07 DU (5-1) – Rieger Lorenz redirected Eric Jamieson’s shot from the left side while stationed at the top of the crease.
13:05 DU (6-1) – PSG, Kyle Chyzowski went forehand-to-backhand and scored on a penalty-shot attempt after being slashed on a breakaway moments earlier.
17:37 DU (7-1) – Kristian Epperson fired a wrist shot from the high slot off passes from Kyle Chyzowski and Clarke Caswell.