When DU’s schedule was released, Alaska Anchorage seemed to be the perfect homecoming game against an inferior opponent. Surprisingly, the Seawolves earned their first victory of the season Friday night. 4-3, in overtime against a stunned Halloween crowd at Magness Arena. DU (4-3-1) left little margin for error in the rematch Saturday night with an avalanche of goals, four by power play, to coast to a 6-0 win. DU freshman goaltender Quentin Miller earned his third shutout victory of the season.

DU created some early scoring chances in the first period but came up empty-handed. It felt like Déjà vu all over again as Denver outshot an opponent yet had little to show for it. Shortly after a major penalty challenge by the Seawolves was denied by the officials, the Pioneers went on their own power play. At 11:55, DU’s Kristian Epperson stuffed a rebound into the Seawolves’ cage, 1-0. Five minutes later, Eric Jamieson got the puck near the left dot and went top shelf on goaltender Tyler Kritvsov, 2-0. Two power plays, both called against Alaska’s Judah Makway, ended the period. The first foul sent a Pioneer head-first into the boards and was only called a two-minute penalty. Makway got out of the box and repeated the boarding offense – again, this time resulting in a game misconduct and 5-minute penalty with 1:16 left in the period. The Pioneers failed to score in the waning seconds of the period.

The second period opened with a Seawolf slash that sent yet another Seawolf into the box for a 5-on-3 Pioneer advantage. Finally, with one second remaining on the Denver two-man advantage, Boston Buckberger sent a slap shot through traffic and found James Reeder. Reeder punched the puck into the goal, 3-0, at 3:43. Six minutes later, after two unsuccessful breakaway scoring opportunities and a penalty kill by DU, Clarke Caswell threw the puck into the paint and Epperson scored with the man up, 4-0. A roughing call on Alaska following Epperson goal led to a fifteen-second counter on a one-timer rocket from DU’s Eric Pohlkamp, 5-0 – Denver’s fourth powerplay goal of the game. The period ended with off-setting roughing calls and 4-on-4 hockey. It was the three power play goals by Denver in the second period that all but sealed the win. The Seawolves could only muster seven shots-on-goal in the first 40 minutes.

It was an uneventful first eight minutes of play to open the final period as both teams seemed to be playing out the clock on a near certain outcome. At the 9:00 minute mark, James Reeder skated behind the Alaska goal, skated to Krivtsov’s left, and swept the puck into the goal – 6-0. That was the end of the scoring as the teams skated through an uneventful final ten minutes.

It gets tougher from here for Denver Hockey. DU travels to Kalamazoo to face the Western Michigan Broncos to open NCHC play. The Pioneers will be challenged to put together two solid back-to-back games in a hostile environment against a Top-Three team.