Matt Read is two points away from tying Luke Erickson for the D-1 era lead in scoring. 
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Denver welcomes the Beavers to Magness Arena owning the No. 14 spot in the most recent USAToday/USA Hockey Magazine poll.  The Pioneers own a 6 4-2 record and are 5-2-1 in league play.  DU has won four of its last five games, including a two-game sweep, 3-2 and 6-1, at Minnesota State University, Mankato last weekend.
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The DU offense ranks behind only University of Nebraska Omaha in potency netting 3.38 goals per game and is lead by sophomore forward Drew Shore who has five goals and five assists in WCHA play and 8-5=13 points on the season.
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The Beavers enter Friday’s game at Denver looking for its first ever victory over the Pioneers. Dating back to 1967, DU leads the series 5-0-0, with a 4-0-0 edge since the Beavers made the move to the NCAA Division I ranks for the 1999-2000 season.  But Beavers and Pioneers have been separated by just three goals in the last two meetings between the teams, including a Mar. 14, 2005 NCAA Tournament match up in which then-No. 1 DU needed overtime to defeat BSU 4-3 to get out of the first round of the Northeast Regional. DU would go on to claim its seventh national title.
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Last season, the line of Jordan George, Matt Read and Ian Lowe solidified itself as the Beavers’ most potent line producing one-third of BSU total point production accounting for 53 goals and 53 assists for 106 points.  This sason the Beavers’ top line has combined for 52 percent of BSU’s total scoring (30 pts), 15 of 21 goals (71%) and 15 of 37 assists (41%).  Last weekend the trio teamed up for five goals and three assists for eight points.
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The Beavers have been the first to light the scoreboard in five of their eight contests this season and have scored first in their last four.  Impressively, BSU has scored in the first minute of its last three outings, scoring twice before 43 seconds had come off the clock Nov. 12. BSU has had a “0” on the scoreboard for a combined total of 1:28 in its three games since Nov. 6.
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Brad Hunt has accumulated 57 assists during his first 82 games, or just over two seasons, as a Beaver.  Last weekend he helped on four goals to surpass the trio of Riley Riddell (2001-04), Rob Sirriani (2003-07) and Marty Goulet (1999-03) to settle into sixth on the BSU Division I assists list.  He needs a total of 62 to climb into fifth place on the list with Ryan Huddy (2002-06).
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After giving up 10 power-play goals in its first five games (10-for-30), including seven of the last 10 goals it allowed in a three-game span from Oct. 29-Nov. 5, the Bemidji State penalty-kill unit has begun to come around allowing just two power-play goals in its last three games, snuffing out 15-of-17 man advantage opportunities (.881). The unit has now climbed to .745 (35-for-47) in penalty-kill chances.
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Bemidji State has been out shot 220-182 this season and has been out shot in six of its eight games.
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Bemidji State has yet to produce a point in the WCHA standings on Friday.  Through four weekends, BSU is 0-4-0 in series-opening games and has been out scored 19-11.
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Denver (6-4-2, 5-2-1 WCHA) continues its eight game stretch against unranked opponents this weekend against new WCHA member Bemidji State (2-5-1, 2-5-1 WCHA).
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Denver is tied for third in the WCHA with Nebraska Omaha at 11 points, while Bemidji State is tied for eighth with St. Cloud State at five points.
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DU’s Jesse Martin arrived at Englewood’s Craig Hospital on Monday, Nov. 15 to continue his rehabilitation following neck surgery. Martin suffered a season ending injury in Denver’s 3-0 win at North Dakota on Oct. 30.
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Senior Anthony Maiani (2-8=10) became the 92nd member of the Pioneer Century Club for 100-point scorers with a three-point game on Nov. 13.
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DU sophomore Drew Shore is enjoying a breakout season for DU. Shore leads DU in scoring with 13 points on eight goals and five assists. Shore enjoyed a career-best, five-game point streak and four-game goal streak this season.
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Freshman goaltender Sam Brittain (5-3-2, 2.04 GAA, .935 Sv%) has started nine straight games in net. Brittain was named the Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week on Oct. 26) and Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 2.
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Senior forward Dustin Jackson (mononeucleosis) is questionable and junior John Lee (hand) is doubtful for this weekend. Jackson has not played since 2008-09. He missed the 2009-10 season with a broken leg and has not played this season due to mononeucleosis. Lee broke his left hand in Denver’s 3-2 win on Nov. 12 and did not play on Nov. 13. Nick Shore (wrist) and Paul Phillips (nose) returned to the lineup last weekend after missing nine and four games, respectively.
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Denver scored three times in the first period en route to a 6-1 win over Minnesota State on Nov. 13. Luke Salazar and Anthony Maiani each scored twice, and Beau Bennett and David Makowski also scored as DU completed the two-game sweep. Maiani joined the Pioneer Century Club with a shorthanded goal at 18:25 of the third period and Makowski added two assists for a career-best, three-point night.
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David Makowski was named Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week after recording four points in Denver’s two-game sweep of Minnesota State last weekend. Makowski’s first career goal was the game-winner in the 3-2 win and he added a career-best three points (1g, 2a) in the 6-1 win. Makowski finished the weekend with a +2 plus/minus rating.
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DU returns 18 letterwinners, including eight seniors and six of its top-10 scorers, from last season’s WCHA champion and NCAA Tournament team.
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Matt Donovan has a four-game assist streak and Beau Bennett, David Makowski and Luke Salazar have two-game point streaks. Anthony Maiani has seven points (2g, 5a) in his last five games. Drew Shore and Salazar lead DU with four multi-point games each. Zucker (2), Salazar (2), Donovan, Drew Shore, Maiani and Kyle Ostrow have netted two-goal games.
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The 2010-11 Denver freshman class was recently ranked No. 1 by Inside College Hockey. The class is led by forwards Beau Bennett, Jason Zucker and Nick Shore, defenseman David Makowski and goaltender Sam Brittain. Bennett tied for the the British Columbia Hockey League scoring lead with 41-79=120 last season and was selected No. 20 overall in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by Pittsburgh.
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Denver has two sets of brothers on this year’s roster. Drew and Nick Shore join Kyle and Shawn Ostrow as DU brother tandems. Junior defenseman John Lee is the younger brother of former North Dakota and current Ottawa Senators defenseman Brian Lee. Student assistant coach David Carle is the younger brother of former Pioneer and current Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Carle. Jon Cook is the younger brother of former Pioneer Steven Cook.  Kyle and Shawn Ostrow and Drew and Nick Shore are the fifth and sixth pairs of brothers to play hockey on the same team at Denver.
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The Pioneers are 149-69-12 (.673) all-time in 12 years of competition at Magness Arena. The Pioneers are 4-2-1 at home this season after sporting a 15-3-3 mark at Magness last season.
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