University of Alaska Anchorage defenseman Luke Helgeson tries to reach the puck during the Seawolves’ game against the University of Denver on Friday, Oct. 2, at Sullivan Arena. (Stephanie Burgoon / UAA Athletics)

University of Denver head coach David Carle and his brothers Matt and Alex practically grew up in Sullivan Arena as passionate young rink rats in Anchorage who dreamed of playing hockey at the collegiate level.

When he returned Friday night to the building where they spent much of their youth, to lead the Pioneers against his hometown University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, fond memories flooded back to him.

“A big part of our family’s passion for hockey really started in this building, being season-ticket holders and growing up running around this rink,” Carle said. “I went to use the bathroom and the trough is still in the men’s room, but unfortunately, they got rid of the sink in the middle.”

He remembers stepping on the pedal that made the water dispense and took a picture of the slightly renovated lavatories to send to his brothers.

“We always loved that as kids,” Carle said. “It’s a great building with a lot of fond memories, and also growing up in Ben Boeke and Dempsey Anderson, that’s just where our passion really grew. Our dream was to play college hockey, and I don’t think any of us ever really thought about the NHL or pro. It was just, ‘Let’s try to be Seawolves,’ because those guys were really our heroes.”

This weekend’s two-game series against UAA marked the first time the reigning NCAA Division I champion Pioneers have taken the ice since they hoisted their third national trophy under Carle. His team took care of business in the first game Friday, prevailing 6-2 to officially begin their title defense.

“I’m happy for the guys, it’s good to get the first win underway and it was a long training camp and a long trip up,” Carle said Friday. “The guys were excited to be here; we’ve enjoyed our time and I’m happy how we played tonight as the game went on.”

FILE – Denver NCAA college hockey head coach David Carle speaks to the media after landing at Denver International Airport, April 10, 2022, in Denver. (Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via AP, File)

The Seawolves came out swinging, scoring the first goal after only 71 seconds came off the clock in the opening period.

Denver went on to tie the game midway through the period on a goal from Daxon Rudolph and never trailed again — but Carle was impressed by the fight and grit UAA showed all night.

“Their puck pressure and their quick transition obviously led to the first goal, and they’re a team that if you give them time and space, they can make you pay,” he said. “I thought as the game wore on, we did a better job of managing that and possessing pucks ourselves to try to limit their quick transition opportunities.”

Carle has the utmost confidence in the ability of his longtime friend Eric Rud, UAA’s first-year head coach, to lead the program to success.

“I think Eric is going to do a phenomenal job up here, and we’re really fortunate to be able to come up here and play them and have them on schedule,” he said. “I think the future is really bright for Seawolves hockey.”

Back when Carle was a student-athlete at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota, Rud initially recruited him to commit to St. Cloud State University before he ultimately chose the University of Denver.

“He did a heck of a job recruiting me. He’s a very personable guy, everybody gets along with him well, and he’s a very sharp hockey mind as well,” Carle said. “He’s got a lot of roots that I think he’s laying in the community and will continue to grow.”

The only nights when Carle’s not a fan of UAA hockey are the ones where the Seawolves are lining up against his Pioneers.

University of Alaska Anchorage forward Ben Anderson (21) and University of Denver defenseman Ben MacBeath (20) jockey for position at the net during their game Friday, Oct. 2, at Sullivan Arena. (Stephanie Burgoon / UAA Athletics)

One of the perks of making this trek for Carle, aside from getting to see family, is that per NCAA rules, they are awarded two extra games since they have to travel to Alaska.

“We get to play 36 games this year instead of 34,” he said. “From the NCAA’s perspective, when you come to Alaska, you play two extra games, so that’s another thing that our players like.”

They came down a few days early and did some sightseeing as well.

“This may be the first and only time for some of them that they get to be in Alaska,” he said. “Getting down on the Seward Highway and going to the (Alaska Wildlife) Conservation Center and seeing some of the animals and nature with a snowy day yesterday and a beautiful day today.”

Carle tries to visit every summer for a week or so, including a trip this August.

He takes pride in representing Alaska as the head coach of a powerhouse collegiate program that he played for and now has led to a trio of national titles in the last five years.

“Although I moved away from home pretty early, this is where I’m from, and I love coming back,” Carle said. “I love bringing other people up to show them what it’s about and do different things that way.”

Takeaways from taking on the champs

While UAA wasn’t able to repeat last year’s upset of Denver in the first of their two games, the Seawolves were still able to glean some valuable lessons from the experience.

“I thought tonight was a really good start for us to be honest,” Rud said. “I thought there were a lot of positives tonight.”

He didn’t like how they gave up a couple of easy goals early in the second period, but overall, he was pleased by what he saw from his players facing off with the top-ranked team in the country.

“I think this group is a really competitive group that is willing to fight to the end,” Rud said.

One of his favorite plays of the game was the hustle that sophomore defenseman Luke Helgeson showed in the final two seconds of the game to prevent Denver from scoring their seventh of the night on an empty-netter.

“I was really encouraged by the energy on the bench and a lot of the plays that we made,” Rud said. “When we had the puck, we were able to make some high-level plays.”

University of Alaska Anchorage forward Tye Spencer controls the puck during UAA’s game against the University of Denver on Friday, Oct. 2, at Sullivan Arena. Spencer, a sophomore, scored both of UAA’s goals in the 6-2 loss to Denver. (Stephanie Burgoon / UAA Athletics)

Both of UAA’s goals were scored by sophomore forward Tye Spencer, the first of which got the crowd roaring.

“That was a big one,” Spencer said with a smile. “That one felt good. I tried to go hard to the net, creating good habits, and I was pretty fortunate to get a lucky bounce there.”

Spencer also liked the fight he and the rest of the team showed throughout the night, and he only sees them “going up from here.”

“I thought we started off strong, and it was more so of a learning experience for us,” Spencer said. “That’s finding our game, finding our standard, and we have a lot of young new guys who are still figuring out the league.”