DU men’s hockey (12-8-2, 8-3-0) fell behind the Broncos early when Liam Valente scored for WMU one minute into the game, 1- 0. The score held throughout the period and Denver squandered two power play opportunities – a harbinger of things to come.
The second period remained scoreless as both teams missed opportunities to score. Denver had three more power plays in the second period but could never slip a shot past goaltender Hampton Slukynsky. Denver only generated 7 shots on 10 minutes of Bronco penalties in the first two periods.
DU’s Kieran Cebrian picked up a quick boarding penalty off the opening faceoff. With the extra man, Iiro Hakkarainen scored the game- winner as a loose puck rolled into the cage to the right of Quentin Miller, 2-0, WMU. Five minutes later Denver went on the power play again and, you guessed it, DU came up empty handed, mustering only two shots. Denver finally scored on the powerplay at 18:20 when Boston Buckberger scored on the power play with the extra attacker, 2-1. Less than a minute later, WMU iced the game as Liam Valente notched his second goal of the night on an empty net goal, 3-1. In the final minute, a familiar former Colorado College foe, Zaccharya Wisdom, was awarded a shorthanded goal on a Denver stick thrown at a puck headed toward DU’s empty net, 4-1.
DU put up a solid effort but could not finish on the offensive end, especially with their tepid power play. In the end, WMU had 16 penalty minutes but Denver only converted one goal with the man advantage. Denver outshot WMU late and led the game on shots-on-goal, 36-24.
DU has a chance at redemption Saturday night at 6:00 pm MT. Hopefully, DU can get their special teams untracked.
This team needs to jettison players into the portal, they might not Even finish fourth with home playoffs, seems I wasted money on a ncaa regional that they are not going to Even be playing at. DU should buy back our tickets from the NCAA.
The Pioneers have not won a game since Dec. 12! To be scored on in the first minute of the game is concerning. That immediately set the tone. WMU seemed to have easier scoring opportunities and DU was struggling to get the shots initially. Denver has had tough opponents in Maine and Western but they usually rise above this. I’m asking questions about the rest of the season at this point. We also had an annoying WMU fan behind us.
DU is in a slump. Slow starts. PP is bad, d-zone mistakes lead to goals against and energy levels are inconsistent. And the guys who are supposed to be scoring goals, aren’t.
Time to shake things up a bit. Find some leadership and grit – play harder!
This team needs a spark. Wish there was someone who could provide it.
Definitely appears to be no player leadership. No one steps up when needed. We look soft/lack of effort in front of net on offensive end. It’s lack of execution. Watching coach ( who usually has great poker face even in big games) during this game, he seemed agitated with players and how things were going
Need some kind of shake up, coach has always been good at getting us out of slumps, hope he can get the guys to respond!
What happened to relentless Denver hockey? Cycling the puck? Too many one and dones. Play with some snarl. LFG Pios! Get it done tonite!
Obviously a frustrating game as DU continues this mini slump. Pios had 36 SOGs and 8 power plays and couldn’t buy a goal. Overall I liked the effort, but the gameplan and execution just weren’t there. Against these good teams such as Maine and WMU, the fancy passing, skating in circles, and domination in terms of puck possession are a lot more difficult. These teams are too good–they are quick, they clog up passing lanes, and are tough in the corners. Pios really need to simplify their game in my opinion. More guys need to be driving the net, especially the bigger body forwards (Lorenz and Salminen in particular; I think Sam Harris does a pretty good job of that). We need those guys crashing the net and not spending so much time on the perimeter. I think this is especially the case on the PP. Pios just aren’t generating enough quality scoring chances. Again, they need to simplify their approach.
Having said all that, it was a competitive, hard fought game. Having the Pohlkamp goal waived off was a kick in the teeth. WMU hit two posts.
Pios need to dig deep tonight and salvage a split.