If this weekend’s series against archrival North Dakota were the only two Denver games you watched this season, you probably would not have believed that the same team in white hit the ice each night. In game one’s 4-0 shutout, the Pioneers looked like the elite, national title-contending team they claim to be but in game two, #6 Denver (21-8-1, 10-7-1 NCHC) looked listless en route to a 3-1 loss to #17 North Dakota (15-12-2, 10-7-1 NCHC). Sweeping at home or on the road in the NCHC is an admittedly difficult thing to do but the Pioneers’ effort in Saturday night’s loss at Magness Arena left a lot to be desired.
As jarring as the difference between games one and two were, it was a perfect encapsulation of Denver’s season to date. The 12-game winning streak to start the season feels like ages ago and, since the streak ended, the Pioneers are just 9-8-1 and have completed a weekend sweep just once – against basement-dwelling Miami a month ago.
These Pioneers are frustratingly impossible to pin down this season. There have been times when you watch this team and think, who in the world is going to beat this team? And then there are others that make you wonder why in the world the USCHO voters still see them as a top-10 team.
On Friday night, Denver skated North Dakota out of the building for a full 60 minutes en route to their first shutout of UND since 2019. You would have been forgiven if your immediate reaction to that game was that maybe Denver was turning a corner and had found what made them so good in the first two months of the season.
Instead, in game two, they laid an egg. UND goalie TJ Semptimphelter played the game of his life, stopping 34 of Denver’s 35 shots, including all 13 in the third period. But aside from one 10-minute stretch in the second period when Carter King scored DU’s only goal – on an extended five-on-three opportunity – the Pioneers played bad, uninspired hockey.
At the other end, Freddie Halyk, in the crease for an injured Matt Davis (Davis was available tonight as the backup if he was needed, which is good news), played as admirably as DU fans could have asked him to. He would like to have UND’s first goal back but the other two – Cameron Berg’s second-period power play rocket and Dylan James’ third-period shorthanded breakaway – were the results of his teammates letting him down, not the other way around.
Full stop – Denver didn’t play nearly well enough to earn a much-needed sweep this weekend. And as a result, they have fallen back down to 5th place in the NCHC and to #10 in the Pairwise Rankings (they were as high as #6 earlier tonight). With just six games remaining (and two games in hand on ASU and Omaha, two of the four teams ahead of them), the Pioneers cannot afford to drop any more points this season. While Denver’s schedule down the stretch is favorable – at 9th place Miami next weekend, vs 8th place St. Cloud State in two weeks, and a home-and-home with 6th place and leaky CC team – Denver’s maddening inconsistency this season may be the very thing that prevents them from hosting the best-of-three NCHC Quarterfinals for the first time since 2013-14, the conference’s first year.
The stretch run is here and the Pioneers have already used up their entire margin for error. If they can find whatever it was that made them tick in game one this weekend and put it to use from here on out, Denver will be as tough an out as anyone. But thus far, they have done nothing to give fans hope that that is their true on-ice identity. The time to put up or shut up has arrived. Who will these Pioneers prove to be?
Top photo courtesy Isaac Wasserman/Clarkson Creative Photography via Denver Athletics
I think this DU team’s slow starts are really hurting them right now in terms of getting over the inconsistency issue. DU knew (and I am sure it was really stressed by the coaches) that UND would come out very hungry on Saturday night after getting waxed by the Pios on Friday.
That said, DU could not match the Nodak intensity level, fell behind and (as often happens against the Pros), ran into very hot goalie after that.
What we’re seeing is a DU team with the talent to be a top 5 team. but the compete level is uneven. There are six very winnable NCHC games in front of the Pios now, and the Pios need to step up.
Splitting every weekend is no way to into playoff hockey.
I may be looking at this from my rose colored glasses, but I thought DU played really well last night. They had multiple opportunities to score and carried the play for much of the game. Grade a chances were plentiful for the Pios, while the Sioux had few.
The difference was that DU ran into a hot goaltender who stopped everything thrown at him except that tip-in by King.
Even though they are beat up physically, I anticipate that the Pios will win their last 6 games and still be the team to beat in the playoffs.
Leaving the game last night, I was surprised (and certainly very disappointed) that DU didn’t have a better showing and win that game. In hindsight, though, I’m not sure why I was surprised. DU has been stuck in this same cycle for the last 3 months: moments of greatness and moments of mediocrity. Wash, rinse, and repeat.
Was DU bad last night? No. But the overall effort and execution, once again, just weren’t good enough. That was a game the Pios (on home ice) had to win, particularly against a UND team missing several of their key players. Give the Hawks credit, though. They came out with more urgency and desperation, had the better special teams play, and Semptimphelter was terrific.
With only 6 games left in the regular season, and with DU sitting in 5th place in the NCHC, obviously every league point will be critical. It would sure be a shame if the fans didn’t get a chance to see DU at home for the first round of the conference playoffs. The good news is all 6 of those games are very winnable, at least on paper. But if DU’s maddening inconsistency continues to rear its ugly head, all bets are off.
Time to lower expectations.
Looked like the Fighting Sioux of many, many years ago. Mean and green. (well, maybe not so lime green anymore). Channeling a 4 Nations game at the end!
Ehhh, not a bad season record against North Kadota, at 3-1. North Tadoka is not too relevant right now, so it’s a bit of shame not to sweep North Datoka. Looks like their fans stop showing up in Denver when they are mediocre. Shame, our hot dog sales are down.
Aren’t we the second youngest team in college hockey? We are spoiled for sure. Not sure we are a top 4 team right now, but never count out DU from getting on a 4-game win streak to end the season.
Anyone seen the Campus Lounge’s awesome DU championship neon sign inside? Kudos to them, go drink a whiskey there sometime.
Edit… Stadium Inn for the neon. How can I still confuse these two after all the years?