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Denver Tops Colorado College in Regular Season Finale, Hosts #7 UMD In NCHC Quarters

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There wasn’t much for the #4 Denver Pioneers (24-9-3, 15-7-2 NCHC, 45 pts) to play for this weekend beyond pride, the Pairwise, and who they’d host in the NCHC Quarterfinals next weekend. With the Gold Pan wrapped up in November and North Dakota clinching the Penrose Cup and the #1 seed in the conference tournament, it was hard to pinpoint any kind of motivation for the Pioneers. And on Friday, in game one vs. #10 Colorado College (20-11-3, 14-8-2 NCHC, 41 pts) – the first top-ten matchup between the archrivals in more than a decade – the Pioneers played like it en route to a 4-3 loss. Fast-forward to game two, at Magness Arena, the Pioneers flipped the script, found all the motivation they needed, and returned the favor to the Tigers with a 4-3 victory of their own on Senior Night.

Colorado College scored first on a shorthanded goal – their second in as many nights – but the Pioneers were, by far the better team from the jump. Denver outshot the Tigers 13-6 and out-attempted them 19-14 in the opening period and finally, after a CC player broke his stick on a pass, Sam Harris grabbed the puck and deked twice before beating CC goalie Kaidan Mbereko with a slick backhanded shot. Denver would not trail again.

They wouldn’t trail but the Pioneers couldn’t give themselves any breathing room despite their best efforts. Rieger Lorenz scored early in the second period to make it 2-1 but barely three minutes later Evan Werner beat Matt Davis on the power play to tie it. Sam Harris responded with a one-timer from the slot with under five minutes to go in the third but after a Jack Devine power play goal was disallowed for being offside, Ethan Straky sniped a wrister past Davis to tie it with 19 seconds left in the second period. No matter how well Denver had played, they could not put any distance between them and the visitors on the scoreboard.

Mbereko, the NCHC’s only Mike Richter Award semifinalist, was not at his characteristic best in the third period. The Pioneers and Tigers traded chances but most of Denver’s chances were bouncing off of the CC netminder rather than getting frozen and plenty of juicy rebounds were there for Denver’s taking – the only problem? The rebounds were always just out of DU’s reach. However, with under nine minutes left, Kieran Cebrian took a shot from the high slot that rang off the left post and this time, Jared Wright was exactly where he needed to be to tap the puck into the empty net. 4-3 Pios.

If you weren’t convinced before this weekend that the Gold Pan rivalry is finally back in all its glory with two juggernauts slugging it out for Coloradan bragging rights, these two games likely finally pulled you aboard. Kris Mayotte has the Tigers back among the elite echelon of college hockey and a strong Gold Pan Rivalry is a great thing for the sport (even if it’s not great for our collective heart health).

But most importantly, on this night, still with nothing overly important to play for aside from who they’d host next weekend, the Pioneers found the gumption to win, finish in 2nd place, and dodge the 6th-seeded Western Michigan Broncos who have always been a thorn in DU’s side. They will instead host the 7th-seeded UMD Bulldogs (12-18-5, 8-14-2 NCHC, 28 pts) who will no doubt be looking to keep their season alive and exact some revenge for Denver’s five-point sweep in Duluth just three weeks ago.

It’s been a trying regular season for a young team…or as trying as it could be for a team that won 24 games and finished just four points shy of the Penrose Cup. The offense finished the regular season as the #1 unit in the country but the defense remained a work in progress up until the end.

But now, none of that matters. Everything that happened over the past five and a half months, good and bad, goes out the window. To borrow a cliche, everyone is 0-0-0. The Pioneers’ slate is wiped clean and they have the talent and, as they showed tonight, the desire to win eight more games. Going 3-1-0 against this CC team to hold onto the Gold Pan is certainly nothing to sneeze at but Denver’s ultimate goal still lies ahead of them. The quest for 10 begins next weekend.

Tickets for next weekend’s best-of-three NCHC Quarterfinals series with the UMD Bulldogs at Magness Arena can be purchased at the DU Athletics website.

Highlights

Top photo courtesy of DU Athletics

4 thoughts on “Denver Tops Colorado College in Regular Season Finale, Hosts #7 UMD In NCHC Quarters”

  1. Great college hockey game. The Pios showed their skills in those rare moments when there was space enough to use them, as the Tigers were relentless in their defensive coverages. But the Pios showed that they weren’t going to lose on home ice, clinching second place in the NCHC without their top two centres against CC, a program that has played like a top 10 program this season. They played with DU pride, and the 7,000+ fans that filled Magness saw a classic.

    Still, when the DU coaches reviewthe video, they will see much that needs to improve. Once again, struggling special teams remain an adventure for the Pios, as they gave up a shorty, could not score on the PP (legally) and let-in a CC PPG last night. Playoff hockey is all about mastering special teams play to win games against good teams, and the Pios need to fix this if they hope to make a deep run this year.

    And while Matt Davis has certainly improved of late, letting in seven goals this weekend made it very tough on the depleted DU offense. Let’s hope he can get sharper on breakaways and improve on the high glove once the playoffs begin…

    All in all, we’ll take it!

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  2. DU showed a lot of grit and determination last night. Nice to see the younger players stepping up. Looking forward to the same intensity as the playoffs begin next weekend.

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  3. Great game, great win for DU in front of a packed house with a playoff-like feel. That was fun. Pios were much better last night than Friday night, playing with more urgency and determination. That relentless effort paid off. It wasn’t easy, though. This CC team is tough and is certainly leaps and bounds better than they were a few years ago. Again, credit Mayotte and their coaches for getting this team to where they are. This rivalry is definitely buzzing again.

    Hard to believe the regular season is over. As the postseason begins, it’s time for DU to take their game to another level.

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  4. There have been some rough games this year, but last night restored some faith in this group. Great bounce game.Just a reminder DU only has 3 seniors and I am guilty of forgetting how young they are.Now get healthy!

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