Denver was coasting to a perfect November with two games remaining, but the Pioneers dropped a pair of overtime decisions to close 2025’s penultimate month.
Still, sixth-ranked DU is tied for fifth in the NCAA in goals per game at 3.87, and the Pioneers are one of only eight Division I teams to allow an average of two or fewer goals.
VFG takes a look at the upcoming series:
WHO: No. 19 Miami RedHawks (10-4, 2-4 NCHC) at No. 6 Denver Pioneers (9-5-1, 5-1).
WHERE: Magness Arena (6,026), Denver, Colo.
WHEN: Friday–9 p.m.; Saturday–8 p.m.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Denver leads, 37-13-4.
VIDEO STREAMING: Both nights–NCHC.tv ($); Saturday–Altitude (DirecTV Ch. 681).
MIAMI RADIO: Miamiredhawks.com, Greg Waddell (PxP).
DENVER RADIO: Both nights–KKFN-FM (104.3).
NOTES: Denver’s defenseman points production has been ridiculous.
Fifteen games into 2025-26, Pioneers blueliners have scored 26 goals, or 1.73 per game.
Three entire Division I skater corps haven’t been able to match that success.
Junior Eric Pohlkamp, a San Jose draft pick, has exactly 11 goals in all three of his seasons as a Pioneer, and he reached the mark less than two months into this season. Pohlkamp leads all NCAA blueliners in markers by four and has the bizarre pitcher-friendly line of 11-7-18.
Boston Buckberger, which sounds like an east coast delicacy, went 9-21-30 last season and already has five goals and eight helpers this fall.
Freshmen Eric Jamieson and Kristian Epperson have both scored five times. Jamieson, a Calgary selection, also has picked up five helpers, and Epperson — a Kings third-round pick — has netted all of his goals in the last 11 games.
While all three of Denver’s three 40-point producers from last season are gone, Sam Harris racked up 30 points up front in 2024-25 and is 6-6-12, and Samu Salminen is tied for the team lead in forward points with 13, including five tallies.
Seattle draftee freshman Clarke Caswell already has two goals and 11 assists in his first 15 games as a Pioneer.
Sophomore James Reeder (4-8-12) and senior Rieger Lorenz (5-6-11) are also major scoring threats for Denver.
In net, freshman Quentin Miller, who was drafted by Montreal two years ago, has logged every minute since Oct. 17, and he is 8-4-1 with an impressive 1.96 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.
Back-up Paxton Geisel has a 1.53 GAA and a save percentage of .943 in a small sample size.
The tandem has combined for three shutouts.
Denver averages the most shots on goals in Division I at 39.2. Surprisingly, the Pioneers’ special teams have been mercurial, with their power play ranking 37th (18.0 percent) and the penalty kill 34th (79.5 percent).
Miami goalie Shika Gadzhiev is still in limbo, having done everything asked of him, but as of this post, he still has not been cleared to play for the RedHawks.
Whoever coined the now-cliche phrase ‘no news is good news’ clearly wasn’t an MU fan. #FreeShika
As a result, Matteo Drobac has logged every minute in net for the RedHawks, and he was 52-for-54 (.963) en route to earning honors in Belfast.
Miami is winless in its last 18 meetings against Denver (0-17-1) and hasn’t won at Magness since Feb. 22, 2019, when Ryan Larkin stopped 46 of 47 shots in a 3-1 win.
Matteo Giampa has been the hottest Hawk offensively, having scored five goals in the RedHawks’ last four games.
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