In a showdown of the last two NCAA national collegiate hockey champions, Denver versus Western Michigan University (WMU), the Pioneers (5-3-1, 1-0-0) used a dominant final twenty minutes to defeat the WMU Broncos on Friday night. DU came out slowly, trailing 1-0 at the end of the first period. After a scoreless second period, Denver found another gear in the third period with three unanswered goals for the 3-1 win.

A familiar foe, former CC forward Zaccharya Wisdom, wristed a shot through heavy traffic and put the Broncos on top 1-0 midway through the first period. Neither team could find twine in the second twenty minutes, even though both teams created quality chances. It was sterling goaltending, especially by Quentin Miller (35 saves in the game), which kept DU within striking distance of the Broncos.

It was a different story in the third period as the Pioneers found their feet and scored two even-strength goals to take the lead. Kieranin Cebrian started the comeback, unassisted, with a goal at 6:45. Jake Fisher found Eric Jamieson for the go-ahead goal three minutes later.  Both goals were scored even strength. In the waning minutes, the Pioneers withstood a Bronco power play and a pulled goaltender to weather the comeback attempt. Eric Pohlkamp took the air out of Lawson Arena when he stole a zone entry pass with less than a minute remaining and scored an empty net goal, 3-1, final.

This was a big win for Denver hockey. The young Pioneers delivered a quality win on the road in chaotic Lawson Arena. Despite a slow start, the strong finish in the final period showed a determined offensive and defensive effort as DU controlled the period from beginning to end. Goaltender Quentin Miller continues to deliver outstanding performances in goal for Denver, often keeping the Pioneers in games until they find their footing. The power play (0-4) extra man continues to be an issue with Denver as they created man-up scoring chances but could never finish their opportunities. On the other hand, Denver was solid on the kill, holding WMU to 0-3 with the extra man. 

There is little time to relish the hard-earned win as the two teams clash tomorrow at 4:00 pm MT. Expect a prideful Western Michigan to come out fast to avoid the dreaded sweep to DU.