Photo courtesy of The Denver Post
The No. 4 Pioneers travel to Grand Forks North Dakota to take on the No. 11 Fighting Hawks in their second series of the season
After a sweep of the Nebraska Omaha Mavericks last weekend, it looks as though Denver is back to playing Pioneer hockey. Goaltender Tanner Jaillet put the team on his back and recorded two consecutive shutouts earning himself the NCAA’s second star of the week. Freshman Ian Mitchell scored a goal and four assists making him the NCHC’s player of the week. And Mr. Borgström made the highlight reel once again.
Plays of the Week checklist for Henrik Borgstrom:
Give all-out effort ✔️
Score goal ✔️
Great celly ✔️ pic.twitter.com/JdfMDKh0dk— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) January 22, 2018
In their current three-game win streak, the Pioneers have only given up one goal as they head into this weekend’s series against North Dakota. Last time these two teams met, North Dakota starting goalie Cam Johnson was out with an injury, but he’s back for the Fighting Hawks. This past weekend, North Dakota was swept by the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 5-3 and 5-2, respectively.
One thing Denver did a great job of last weekend against Omaha was possess the puck well. There were few turnovers and they kept their opponent’s scoring chances to a minimum. And when the Mavericks tried to mix it up towards the end of the game, the Pioneers kept their composure and answered with goals.
Good hockey teams tend to tighten up on the road and play a simple game, which is exactly what the Pioneers need to do against a North Dakota team that is looking to rebound. The Pios need to chip and chase in order to get behind the Fighting Hawks defensemen and keep it away from their talented forward group. Look for grinders like Logan O’Connor and Colin Staub to play a big role this weekend. The Pioneers know they gave up a three-goal lead to this team earlier in the year and will be sure to lock down any lead they get.
Strengths
Second Wind
The Fighting Hawks haven’t been quick out of the gate this year but have shown the ability to turn it on later in the game in terms of shot count. It’s possible they start slow then start looking for chances in the second. Of their 803 total shots, 304 have come in the second accounting for 29 of their 76 goals. This means the Pioneers can’t let up. They will have to watch Christian Wolanin and Shane Gersich who have over 75 shots each on the season.
Top D Pairing
Many teams would be thankful to have just one top defenseman and the Fighting Hawks have two. This season, Christian Wolanin and Colton Poolman have been impressive on both sides of the ice. Both players have a fantastic +/-, are producing offensively, and have over 30 blocked shots. The Pioneers have to do their best to clog up the lanes or clear the net so Tanner Jaillet can see pucks all the way.
VIDEO: Christian Wolanin scores his 7th goal of the season to get @UNDmhockey the lead back at 2-1 over Bemidji State in the 2nd period. #UNDproud @TheNCHC pic.twitter.com/kKp2JaJFxW
— UND Insider (@undinsider) January 14, 2018
Opportunities
Down and Out
The Fighting Hawks have had a tough go this season with conference opponents posting a record of 6-6-2 on the season. They are coming off a hard series against Duluth where they got swept, whereas the Pioneers have momentum after sweeping Omaha. It’s an opportunity to continue a great start to their second half of the season. Wins against an archrival also seem to count a little more.
Make Them Pay
Last weekend the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs came away with two wins against the Fighting Hawks because they executed on several power plays. The Pioneers need to do the same. Top line players like Borgström, Troy Terry, Gambrell, Jarid Lukosevicius, and Ian Mitchell have been hard to stop all year, but they can’t get too fancy. Entries haven’t been a problem, it’s really been corner battles. Ian Mitchell has been noticeably more active finding lanes quickly from the point and causing chaos in front with rebounds. The Pioneers need those kinds of dirty goals in this series.
Who to Watch:
#16 – F – Grant Mismash – 6G, 9A (NSH 2nd, 2017)
#24 – D – Christian Wolanin – 7G, 14A (OTT 4th, 2015)
#8 – F – Nick Jones – 9G, 12A
#19 – F – Shane Gersich – 7G, 10A (WSH 5th, 2014)
#6 – D – Colton Poolman – 6G, 10A
#33 – G – Cam Johnson – 8-6-3, 2.17 GAA, .906SV%
VIDEO: Grant Mismash scores his 6th goal of the season to pull @UNDmhockey to a 3-2 deficit against Minnesota Duluth. #UNDproud pic.twitter.com/QeAYkQz3I4
— UND Insider (@undinsider) January 20, 2018
Prediction – Push
As the season continues to be full of highs and lows, it gets harder to predict which Denver team is going to show up. You either get a blue-collar working team or a group that can forget to play sixty minutes. Regardless, they’re going to put up goals. If they do find a way to keep a lid on North Dakota, it will be huge for the team’s confidence.
Don’t miss this series, especially if you like physical hockey.
Twitter Follow: @UNDmhockey , @SchlossmanGF
Where to Watch:
Friday – 6:37pm MT, CBS Sports Network, 104.3 The Fan
Saturday – 6:37pm MT, 104.3 The Fan
Notes
Four DU players/prospects named to NHL’s Scouting Mid-Term Rankings
Rasmussen, Demin, Budy and Stapley named to NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings #DU1NATIONhttps://t.co/TS8kZXBEcQ
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) January 23, 2018
Goldy, Chip and Chase is not our style. Not sure we should change things up just because we’re on the road, but it’s a thought.. Monty wants his players to make positive plays; keep the puck until you can make a positive improvement pass or until you get an open shot. If we chip and chase, then it’s a 50/50 shot at which team gets puck control. (just my never having played the game opinion) Aside from that, your analysis is spot-on. I wish the Sioux had not been swept last weekend. I would love us to win a pair in Grand Forks, but it’s hard to imagine UND losing four in a row at this time of the year. God, how I’d love to see UND lose four in a row.
Thanks for reading dunks. You are correct, the top two lines like to carry the puck through the neutral zone. But if you rewatch the Frozen Four last year against Notre Dame and UMD, this is what Monty turned to. I would love a pair of W’s as well.
I should have said, chip and chase only when necessary. With hockey being so fast paced, I do realize chip and chase is often the only way to get into the offensive zone.
DU head coach Jim Montgomery will be attending and speaking at this afternoon’s UND fan luncheon (formerly Sioux Boosters). I give Monty a lot of credit for attending as coaches are under no obligation to (in fact, Don Lucia declined back in October when the Gophers visited GF. This despite the fact that coach Berry attended the Gopher booster luncheon the previous season when UND visited Minneapolis. I found that to be incredibly petty on Lucia’s part but not shocking). I’ve attended these luncheons many times over the years and can say that everybody is very respectful of the visiting coaches who attend. I think they like to hear from the opposing coach in order to get a better perspective of the team UND will be playing. Anyway, I’ve always thought highly of Jim Montgomery and my regard for him went up yet another notch when I found out that he will be there today. I just wanted to share those thoughts here with DU fans.
You’ll enjoy Monty as a speaker. He’s not Frank Serratorre-funny, but He’s less ‘coach-speaky’ and more refreshing/authentic than most other coaches are – he’ll give it to you straight-up, no pretenses.
I can tell you that he has enormous respect for UND and the tradition of that program, and I know he’s quite complimentary of Berry and his staff.
Goldy, Chip and Chase is not our style. Not sure we should change things up just because we’re on the road, but it’s a thought.. Monty wants his players to make positive plays; keep the puck until you can make a positive improvement pass or until you get an open shot. If we chip and chase, then it’s a 50/50 shot at which team gets puck control. (just my never having played the game opinion) Aside from that, your analysis is spot-on. I wish the Sioux had not been swept last weekend. I would love us to win a pair in Grand Forks, but it’s hard to imagine UND losing four in a row at this time of the year. God, how I’d love to see UND lose four in a row.
Thanks for reading dunks. You are correct, the top two lines like to carry the puck through the neutral zone. But if you rewatch the Frozen Four last year against Notre Dame and UMD, this is what Monty turned to. I would love a pair of W’s as well.
I should have said, chip and chase only when necessary. With hockey being so fast paced, I do realize chip and chase is often the only way to get into the offensive zone.
DU head coach Jim Montgomery will be attending and speaking at this afternoon’s UND fan luncheon (formerly Sioux Boosters). I give Monty a lot of credit for attending as coaches are under no obligation to (in fact, Don Lucia declined back in October when the Gophers visited GF. This despite the fact that coach Berry attended the Gopher booster luncheon the previous season when UND visited Minneapolis. I found that to be incredibly petty on Lucia’s part but not shocking). I’ve attended these luncheons many times over the years and can say that everybody is very respectful of the visiting coaches who attend. I think they like to hear from the opposing coach in order to get a better perspective of the team UND will be playing. Anyway, I’ve always thought highly of Jim Montgomery and my regard for him went up yet another notch when I found out that he will be there today. I just wanted to share those thoughts here with DU fans.
You’ll enjoy Monty as a speaker. He’s not Frank Serratorre-funny, but He’s less ‘coach-speaky’ and more refreshing/authentic than most other coaches are – he’ll give it to you straight-up, no pretenses.
I can tell you that he has enormous respect for UND and the tradition of that program, and I know he’s quite complimentary of Berry and his staff.