The day after a nightmarish collapse by the #3 Denver Pioneers’ (11-4-1, 4-2-0 NCHC) defense allowed the #2 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (12-3-1, 5-1-0 NCHC) to turn a 4-1 deficit into a 7-5 victory, DU’s defense bounced back with a strong, tight-checking performance and minimized their mistakes. The only issue – DU’s torrid, NCAA-leading offense couldn’t find the back of the net more than twice in regulation. However, after the two teams traded goals to the tune of a 2-2 tie after 60 minutes, Carter King hammered home a rebound past a sprawling Ludvig Persson to claim the 3-2 overtime victory and the ever-important NCHC overtime-winning point.
Friday night’s collapse may be the turning point in another season full of high expectations for the Pioneers. There was plenty of legitimate concern that the second-youngest team in Division I Men’s Hockey would shrink from the moment after surrendering 4-1 and 5-3 leads and let the problems snowball into a long losing streak. Instead, just a night later, the Pioneers looked like a completely different hockey team, especially in the defensive zone, and held a strong North Dakota team to just two goals, including their first near the end of Sam Harris’ major penalty for boarding.
It’s no secret that DU’s defense and goaltending have been a problem this year. October and November struggles can be easily written off as early-season rust but when you enter your 16th game with the 27th-ranked defense in terms of goals allowed per game – a ranking that was artificially inflated thanks to the two shutouts over a struggling Yale team (they’d be tied for 51st without those games) – and tied for 58th in SV%, the alarm bells have to start going off. Then, add in the defensive collapse on Friday night that saw the Pioneers surrender six goals in the final two periods, it started to feel like the whole season was at risk.
Even though the Pioneers only earned two of the possible six points at home this weekend, the two that they did earn mean a whole hell of a lot more. Make no mistake about it, this victory tonight is massive. Aidan Thompson’s and Zeev Buium’s second- and third-period tying markers, respectively, were the results of a gutsy team effort that refused to let Friday night happen again. Even goaltender Freddie Halyk who took more than his fair share of Friday night’s criticism raised his game to a high level, stopping 29 of UND’s 31 shots. The two that managed to get by him were the result of a perfect screen on the power play and a bad defensive breakdown in front of him – you realistically can’t pin either goal on him.
As well as DU’s defense played all night, it was the third period where the Pioneers finally showed what they’re capable of against a fellow elite team. After Hunter Johannes scored to retake the lead for UND early in the third, the Pioneers completely flipped the script and dominated the game. They generated chance after chance but North Dakota was able to either get a stick on a DU shot, Persson would make a huge save, or the puck would bounce just off of a DU stick as it did when Jack Devine couldn’t control a pass while looking at a yawning cage which would have given DU a 3-2 lead late in regulation. They have had no problem playing dominant hockey against lesser competition like Yale and Colorado College but aside from the 4-3 victory at Boston College, they had yet to show it against an elite team until the third period tonight. It was a puck possession clinic and an effort deserving of a regulation win. But alas…it’s still hockey.
This victory does not make up for Friday night’s disaster. This victory does not alleviate any of the prior defensive warts that have appeared against good opponents. But this victory does show that the Pioneers are growing and learning the hard lessons that a young team must learn to be a legitimate contender. And in early December, that’s all you can ask for. Yes, earning just two points at home is frustrating and come March, the Pioneers may lament these results. But sometimes, those aren’t the cards you’re dealt. The Pioneers were far from perfect tonight but they got a good result and something strong to build on.
Highlights
This man just can't stop scoring goals!#UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/6eNKaE576L
— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) December 3, 2023
Aidan Thompson buries his 3rd of the season for tonight's @Safeway Goal of the Game. pic.twitter.com/rVv5ED2UO2
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) December 3, 2023
Chip, chase, score!#UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/RwL6Pm84GB
— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) December 3, 2023
Zeev Buium says BOO-YEAH!
DU 2 | UND 2 | 8:55 3rd pic.twitter.com/ZFo7TG0Pjs
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) December 3, 2023
Carter King cleans up to give the Pioneers the victory in overtime!#GoPios pic.twitter.com/cacYZloS9W
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) December 3, 2023
Nice response last night. Sphincters were puckering on that 5 minute major. Felt like it was a season make or break pk.
Character win. I think this game will be the look-back reference point for anything the Pios are able to achieve this season. Had the Pios been swept this weekend, I think it would likely have snowballed into a long losing streak.
UND is the best team DU will likely play this regular season, and to know, as a young team, that they can bounce back and win a tight game after a horrible Friday night is vital for team confidence.
Bravo.
Very excited to see that DU pulled out the W last night after Friday night’s setback. Well done fellas!! Especially great to hear the defensive execution and goaltending was better. This team oozes massive potential, and if the goaltending gets better and the defensive scheme sharper, watch out.
Only two more games before the holiday break. GO DU!!!!!!
Great win. Hopefully saved the season insofar as Frozen Four is concerned. Got the opportunity to meet some of the boys after the game. Lots of smiles!!! All of them were first class gents.
I want to present 2 complaints not as regards the team but the arena atmosphere
POINT 1 What can we do to get DU to show replays? Not aware of any other program that does this. Numerous opportunities to show what the hell happened. Do we have to stay home and watch NCHC TV? Can we start a petition?
Point 2. The PA announcer is awful. Voice does not carry in arena. Staccato introduction of the players
Cannot bring energy to the crowd like previous announcers or Jay Stickney
A good friend of mine’s daughter went to the game Saturday night. A group of 10 little boys started cheering go DU and then a group of grown men started chanting for ND. They then decided to give the little boys the middle finger salute. Any questions?
No surprise. I have seen their fans cheer injured players. Probably the wrong game to take kids because the UND fans are so caustic. They justify this by saying it’s their culture and they are passionate. Their players are impressive, their fan base is not. Sorry for your experience.
Why are there more asshole fans following UND? Simple. It’s a numbers game – the bigger the fanbase, the more passion there is, and the more assholes there are…
North Dakota hockey has much that I really admire – a great hockey tradition, a fabulous home arena, knowledgeable and passionate fans, and a huge statewide following as the largest athletic attraction in that state, as well as a large diaspora of fans living outside North Dakota (including many living in Colorado), who show up to support their team — giving them perhaps the largest college hockey fanbase in the country, despite having a school roughly the same size as DU, as well as a similarly successful hockey program.
UND’s two biggest fan advantages (that DU will never have) are its lack of local sports competition/distractions in a small 100,000 person metro area, which adds increased media focus and thus, more intensity the UND program. Plus, the flagship status as the state’s public university adds the extra benefit of the built-in state brand halo, conferring non-alums/state natives/residents a direct affiliation to the UND fanbase. Thus, UND hockey is to its state as Alabama or Nebraska football is to its state.
Denver will never have either of those benefits, as DU is a private school without the state school halo, sitting in one of the most oversaturated sports markets in the country. As good as DU hockey is, it’s followed by perhaps 30,000 casual followers vs. a North Dakota casual following north of 300,000.
Swami, I think the question is not why there are many UND fans. The question is why are there so many UND fans that are assholes?
Anon: swami answered already- it’s a numbers game, they have a lot of fans, so even if same percent a-holes as us, there will be a lot of a-holes wearing green
Speaking of which, some DU fans are a-holes too. Only time I’ve been physically threatened at a DU hockey game was by DU fans, after playing NoDak! Walking toward evans after the game about 5 years ago, I was wearing a green fleece same shade green as North Dakota- two drunk student aged DU fans trying to impress some girls, came up behind me yelling at me because I was a ‘North Dakota fan’ and wanted to start something . Me and my friend told them to eff-off as I pointed out my DU hockey cap and laughingly told them to grow up (among other things).
Now every time I go to a Nodak game here, my friend reminds me not to wear my green fleece😁
I’m not discounting the crappy experience the kids had ( that poster above referenced). But unfortunately a-holes are everywhere, but I’ve not experienced it myself from
NorthDakota fans . I like when we play them, it’s most always good hockey and they’re a great fan base
You are incorrect. North Dakota has a higher percentage of a-hole fans within their fan base. Your tale, though amusing, is quite unscientific.