It was a good night for the process, both on and off the ice, for the University of Denver hockey team at Ball Arena, but not for the result.
The No. 4-ranked Denver Pioneers rallied multiple times in the third period, but ultimately lost to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 6-5 in overtime, in the 2025 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game. It was a wild night in Denver’s first game at Ball Arena since 2023.
“It was a really entertaining game, obviously for the fans. I thought the energy, atmosphere in the building was excellent,” DU coach David Carle said. “It’s a special opportunity to be able to play here at Ball Arena. I’m appreciative of our administration and people at Kroenke (Sports and Entertainment) for making this game happen as well and giving our players this wonderful experience.”
It was a huge coup for the DU hockey program to keep Carle after last season. Fresh off back-to-back Frozen Four appearances and with two NCAA titles in the past four seasons, Carle was one of the hottest names on a robust NHL coaching carousel.
He chose to stay, citing a desire to keep building both the DU program and the college game at large. This was a good night on that front.
Two weeks after setting a Magness Arena record for attendance (7,073, against archrival Colorado College), the crowd at Ball Arena was announced at 12,228, making the decision to stage the game downtown instead of on campus.
“I mean, it’s amazing,” Pios defenseman Boston Buckberger said. “You look around, you look up, and (it’s a) 18,000-19,000 seat arena. You don’t get to do that every day. And obviously it’s all of our dreams to play in the NHL. So to play in a rink like this is just unbelievable, and I think that we really enjoyed it.
“We didn’t get the result, but it’s obviously a great experience for all of us, and we can just keep building off it for future games here.”
As for the game itself, the Pioneers (9-5-1) peppered Minnesota goaltender Luca Di Pasquo early and often. Denver finished the game with 52 shots on goal. That’s the second-highest total of the season, and the fifth time in 15 games the Pios have poured at least 49 shots on net.
They had a 25-5 advantage in shots after the first period alone. This isn’t the first time all of that offensive pressure hasn’t led to enough goals.
The Pios had 59 shots in a season-opening 1-1 tie against Air Force, and 49 in a 4-3 loss to Alaska-Anchorage. In five of the six games DU has not won, the Pioneers have heavily outshout the foe that pulled off the upset.
“It’s all about sticking to our process,” DU captain Kent Anderson said. “Period to period, we want to keep building and stick to our game plan. Obviously, pucks don’t go in all the time even if you want them to, but that’s hockey.”
This one felt a little different than the others, though.
“Is it frustrating? Yes, but it’s a part of the game,” Carle said. “We generated a lot of good looks in the first and third. In the second, we got a little bit away from what we wanted to do, but I’m proud of our guys, for everyone to get back to it.
“There were times where we gave them some of their stuff a little bit too easy — that hasn’t been us for most of the year. I’m happy about the resiliency and the offensive development we’ve been seeing. And I think most nights we have been pretty sound and solid defensively and in the blue paint.”
While freshman goalie Quentin Miller has looked like an emerging star, this was his second off-night of the season. He responded to the first one with a six-game winning streak that included eight goals allowed.
The Pios still nearly found a way, thanks to an offensive onslaught in the third period. They rallied from a 4-2 deficit, and then again to force overtime when Buckberger, part of one of the best defense corps in the nation, scored with 23.1 seconds left.
The score might not have gone the Pios’ way, but the end result was a fantastic night for college hockey and a great showcase for the program.
“We played well in a lot of ways,” Carle said. “Obviously, we had the puck a lot. Our resiliency in the third period was displayed in a big-time way. We’ve done that a few times this year. Unfortunately, they made one more play than we did at the end, but I think we can leave with our heads held high.”
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