Hockey, Men's Sports

Pioneers Bounce Back from Blown Lead to Blow Out Bulldogs, 5-2

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A night after blowing a late two-goal lead before recovering in overtime, the #5 Denver Pioneers (20-8-2, 11-6-1 NCHC, 31 pts) bounced back to blow out the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (10-15-4, 6-11-1 NCHC, 21 pts), 5-2 at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth. The Pioneers scored the game’s first three goals, including a Zeev Buium marker just 31 seconds into the game and Sam Harris scored twice over the second and third periods to seal the regulation victory and claim five of the six points at stake this weekend.

Much has been made of Denver’s defensive struggles this season which came to a head on Friday night when they blew a 4-2 lead in the closing minutes of regulation while the Bulldogs had the extra skater on the ice. For much of the season, no DU lead has been safe. But in game two in Duluth, when the fifth-place Pioneers needed a regulation victory in the worst way, the visitors exploded for three goals in the opening seven minutes and didn’t look back, even when the Bulldogs pulled to within one mid-way through the middle frame.

Buium wired a wrister past Zach Stejskal after UMD’s defenders gave him as much time and space as he wanted before Connor Caponi and Jared Wright scored barely a minute apart to account for the rest of the first-period scoring and chase Stejskal from the crease just 6:39 into the game. Ben Steeves scored 33 seconds into the second period on a UMD power play before Matthew Perkins beat Matt Davis with a wrister the DU goaltender likely wants back to pull to within one goal. But even with another potential blown lead on the table, the Pioneers didn’t blink. They held the Bulldogs off the scoreboard the rest of the way and Sam Harris added two goals of insurance that DU fans everywhere appreciated.

Davis and his defenders desperately needed a strong effort and a comfortable victory in large part just to remember what that felt like with the season’s final six games (2 vs Miami and 2 at St. Cloud State before the season-ending home-and-home with Colorado College) on deck. Denver’s defense is well-known for being the team’s weak link but if they can bottle up this strong, though imperfect defensive game, it will allow the NCAA’s best offense to carry them far into the postseason. But if they can’t and they revert to the bad habits that have plagued them all season long to the tune of the 42nd-ranked defense (3.2 GAA) in the country and the 57th-ranked SV% (.885), it will be another short postseason.

The season isn’t over yet and there is plenty of time for the Pioneers to find their defensive game. If tonight’s effort is a sign of things to come, there is still plenty of reason for optimism.

Highlights

https://twitter.com/UMDMensHockey/status/1759039352221442163/video/1

5 thoughts on “Pioneers Bounce Back from Blown Lead to Blow Out Bulldogs, 5-2”

  2. Good start and better defense tonight. Both UMD goals should have been stopped. Still miss Rizzo on the 1st line.
    Did everyone see how CC destroyed North Dakota this weekend? That team, especially with Mbereko in net, has now become a real contender.

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  4. The Duluth series was a certainly a step in a better direction – taking five out of six road points in this league is always a good result. Now the Pios need to build on it…

    The Pios know exactly what they need to do down the stretch – improve defense, goaltending and special teams play to get ready for knockout playoff hockey. The question is, can they?

    The recipe has been the same for months, now.

    Time to execute.

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