Is the Davis Curse Over: New Era Dawns for BC vs Denver Men's Hockey Showdown
There are few paths toward attaining college hockey legend status that exceed the career of head coach David Carle at Denver University.
From the beginning of his head coaching tenure, in 2018, to his eighth season at the helm, Carle, a former DU commit (2008) who was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the primary disease of the myocardium muscle of the heart, which forced him to retire from playing hockey, has set the benchmark for what it takes to build a college hockey dynasty in this day and age.
Winning is not just a standard for the Pioneers’ men’s hockey program. It is a firm reality, all thanks to Carle, that has remained locked within the program’s facilities for close to a decade, sealed air-tight.
Carle is an exemplary college hockey coach, and his spark goes beyond the collegiate level.
Carle has taken on the responsibility of coaching the United States National Junior Team for the past two seasons as well, helping the Americans capture gold at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in January in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada after accomplishing the feat in 2024.
It was the first time that Team USA won consecutive World Junior Championships, and marked the seventh title in the country’s history.
In his seven years as the head coach at Denver, Carle has led the Pioneers to a 179-74-17 record. His .694 winning percentage presently ranks first in program history.
On Friday, Carle will guide his squad into Chestnut Hill, Mass., to face the No. 9 Boston College men’s hockey program at 7 p.m. ET in Conte Forum. If Carle and the No. 7 Pioneers seize the win, he will tie Ralph Backstrom for third place on the program’s all-time list (182).
Here is everything you should know about Denver going into the road matchup against the Eagles.
Fresh Faces in Net
Anybody that knows a thing or two about the BC-Denver college hockey rivalry over the last two seasons has heard of what former DU goaltender Matt Davis did to the Eagles. “Tormented” is one way of explaining it.
In the 2024 NCAA Division 1 men’s hockey National Championship, in Saint Paul, Minn., Davis tantalized BC’s offense, which arguably featured the most lethal top line in program history of Gabe Perreault, Will Smith, and Ryan Leonard, shutting the Eagles out to march Denver past the No. 1 team in the nation at the time, 2-0.
Davis’ heroics propelled the Pioneers to their 10th NCAA title in program history, surrendering just 10 goals in eight postseason contests—including just three in the four NCAA contests.
“I shared so many special moments with the guys after that [final] buzzer went,” Davis said after the win. “I’ll just cherish it forever.”
Almost the same thing occurred in 2025, only this time, it sank BC’s chances of even advancing to the Frozen Four.
Davis, again, was repellent in net to the chagrin of BC’s offensive unit, halting all but one of the 35 shots he faced in the final round of the 2025 New Hampshire Regional Final, which sent the Eagles home with a 3-1 defeat.
But Davis is no longer on DU’s roster. For the first time since Oct. 19, 2020, BC will not have to experience the Davis show, which has wreaked havoc on the program over the past three seasons.
In the Pioneers’ first four games of the 2025-26 campaign, in which DU has gone 2-1-1, freshman goalie Quentin Miller and junior Paxton Geisel have split time between the posts.
In two starts, Miller has posted a .977 save percentage, a goals against average (GAA) of .48, 42 total saves, and a 1-0-1 record. Geisel, meanwhile, has manufactured a .943 save percentage, a 1.53 GAA, 50 total saves, and a 1-1-0 record.
While these early numbers for both goaltenders jump off the page, the Pioneers have not faced the kind of elite talent that BC possesses annually—DU has only played UNLV in an exhibition game, followed by the Air Force Academy, Bentley, and two games against Lindenwood in the regular season so far.
Friday will mark the first time that either Miller or Geisel, depending on who Carle chooses to start, undertake what will surely make for a true test within the crease.
Efficient Offense, Fueled by Shot Output
Including the Pioneers’ 6-1 exhibition win over Las Vegas, DU has generated 20 goals in five games played this season, and there is a clear reason why—Denver is averaging 44.75 shots per game.
The greatest player in hockey history, Wayne Gretzky, a.k.a “The Great One,” once famously said that “you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take,” and Carle evidently took that sentiment to heart and applied it to his coaching style.
Of course, shot output is all a result of shot creation, which means that the Pioneers’ spacing in the offensive zone, efficiency in defensive zone breakouts, and control of the puck through the neutral zone has also played a major role in terms of overall shot count.
That is all to say that no matter who is on the ice for Carle, each player understands how he desires the offense to operate.
Seven total players on DU’s roster have scored a goal this year, surprisingly led by junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp (3 goals, 3 assists), and 16 total players have produced at least one assist. Essentially, the Pioneers are loaded with players, top to bottom, who are capable of generating pressure offensively.
Through four games, BC men’s hockey coach Greg Brown appears to be more inclined to start freshman goalie Louka Cloutier over junior Jan Korec—unless Korec has an injury, which Brown has not specified.
While the rookie has shined across the first three starts of his career, his overall inexperience could make it difficult for the Eagles if they allow DU to pepper Cloutier with dozens of shots every period.
With that being said, BC has limited opponents to a margin of 23.25 shots per game, and if the defense continues to play at the same level it has displayed over the course of four initial games, Cloutier should be able to hold his own. As opposed to the Pioneers, the Eagles have already faced three ranked opponents in their first four matchups—one against Quinnipiac and two against Minnesota.
Outlook
It is safe to say that neither BC nor Denver has slumped out of the gates this year, but the Eagles certainly have the upper hand going into Friday’s night game on the Heights because of the teams they have played against in comparison to the Pioneers’ slate of initial contests.
BC is coming off its most dominant win of the season so far, a 5-1 thrashing of RPI on the road, in which sophomore forward James Hagens tallied two goals—his first two of the season—and classmate Dean Letourneau matched his 2024-25 point total of four with a goal and an assist.
Cloutier barely had to lock in for the majority of the game, facing 10 shots, including just four total in the second and third period combined.
Objectively, the Pioneers have grasped the Eagles’ number in recent years—BC is 3-7 against DU in the last 10 matchups, and 16-20 all-time—but they no longer have Davis to save them, which has been the Eagles’ demise in the past.
BC is just beginning to break into form and figure out its chemistry between different line combinations on the offensive side, and the program’s triumph over the Engineers last Friday was a testament to the growth that is blossoming in the locker room, which is translating to the ice.
Score prediction: BC wins, 5-3, and scores an empty-netter in the final minute of regulation to secure the two-goal home victory.
Read More:
Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.
Follow graham_dietz