Hockey, Men's Sports

Pioneers Extend Tenzer Streak to 24 With 5-2 Victory over Arizona State

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At this point, the only guarantee in life other than death and taxes is a Denver Hockey season with at least 20 Pioneer victories. With their 5-2 comeback victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils (14-20-1, 7-15-1 NCHC) at Magness Arena tonight, in this year’s penultimate regular season game, the #8 Denver Pioneers (20-11-3, 16-6-1 NCHC) extended the Tenzer Streak to 24 consecutive full seasons in which they have won at least 20 games. With the victory, Denver moves three points clear of third-place Western Michigan in the NCHC standings and up to #6 in the NPI, which would be the #2 seed in the Loveland Regional.

The Tenzer Streak, named for DU’s former assistant coach David Tenzer, who was hired by George Gwozdecky, dates back to his first year behind Denver’s bench – 2001-02 – when the Pioneers went 32-8-1 en route to WCHA regular season and tournament titles before being upset by Michigan in the NCAA Tournament. Denver has won at least 20 games in every full season since then. The only year they didn’t was the Covid-19-shortened 2020-21 season. 20 wins is widely seen in the men’s college hockey world as the demarcation point for a “successful season.”

As consistent as the Pioneers have been for the last two and a half decades, their path to their 24th consecutive 20-win season has been far from it. After a shaky start to the season, opening conference play at 4-3-1 with losses to Lindenwood, Northeastern, and Alaska-Anchorage (at home) and a tie with Air Force, they rattled off five straight wins over Western Michigan, Colorado College, and Arizona State to open conference play.

But then, the overtime loss to Minnesota at the US Hockey Hall of Fame Game happened, and, for a while, it seemed that game broke the Pioneers. Aside from a strong home sweep over Miami, they won just twice  – at St. Cloud State and North Dakota – in nine games between December 12 and January 23.

Just as Pioneer fans everywhere were beginning to write off the season, wunderkind freshman goaltender Quentin Miller went down with an injury not even five minutes into the January 24th game against St. Cloud State, forcing fellow freshman netminder Johnny Hicks into the game. Hicks went on to shut out the Huskies in a 6-0 rout and handed the Pioneers the turning point they sorely needed. The Pioneers have not lost since, rattling off sweeps of Minnesota Duluth, Colorado College (including a shootout victory), and Omaha before tonight’s 5-2 victory over the Sun Devils, which was sort of a perfect microcosm of the season.

The Pioneers went down early as Sam Alfano opened the scoring for ASU six-and-a-half minutes into the game. Denver sleepwalked through the opening period, mustering just three shots on goal to ASU’s 11, and, frankly, DU was lucky to only be down 1-0 through 20 minutes.

But they flipped the script in the second period, outshooting the Sun Devils 14-8 and finally finding the gear that has allowed them to excel throughout this winning streak. Samu Salminen and Bennett Schimek traded goals at the midpoint of the period but Sam Harris found his scoring touch again, notching two goals – the first on the power play – to tie the game and then give the Pioneers their first lead with under two minutes to play in the second. James Reeder added another five minutes into the third before Salminen sealed the Pios’ 20th victory with an empty-netter with just over a minute left.

Denver’s unbeaten streak, which now sits at eight games, has pulled the Pioneers’ season back from the brink of disaster, and they are squarely back in the middle of the contention conversation. Winning the Penrose Cup was always going to be a long shot (and North Dakota clinched it in Kalamazoo tonight anyway), but entering the weekend, the Pioneers were sitting at #9 in the NPI – equivalent to the #3 seed at the Loveland Regional – and after Quinnipiac, Minnesota Duluth, and Providence all lost tonight, they moved all the way up to #6, with a slim edge over the #7 Friars.

Just saying that, after everything that took place in December and January, it’s more than a bit jarring, but it speaks to the Pioneers’ resilience and sheer refusal to quit on the season. Hicks has been a godsend in Miller’s relief over the past month, but every single player wearing crimson and gold has rediscovered his game since that game against St. Cloud State, and we’re seeing the remarkable, tangible results, not only in the NCHC standings but in the NPI as well. The Pioneers are a lock to make their 18th-straight full-season NCAA Tournament. And with the privilege of hosting their regional in Loveland, making a trip to their fourth Frozen Four in five years is not, by any stretch of the imagination, off the table.

Denver will close out the regular season tomorrow night in game two vs. the Sun Devils, as they recognize the team’s three seniors – D Kent Anderson, F Rieger Lorenz, and F Samu Salminen – on Senior Night. As things stand right at this moment, the Pioneers would host Miami in next weekend’s best-of-three NCHC Quarterfinal Series (tickets are on sale now), though nothing is set in stone at the bottom of the conference standings. Depending on how everything shakes out tomorrow night, they may host Colorado College or Omaha instead. There is also a remote possibility that if they lose to ASU tomorrow night, AND Western Michigan and Colorado College both win, they would host St. Cloud State.

Highlights

2 thoughts on “Pioneers Extend Tenzer Streak to 24 With 5-2 Victory over Arizona State”

  1. I love the Tenzer streak. It is a true mark of incredible long-term consistency over the last quarter century for a DU program that has re-established itself as the best overall program in the sport.

    After shaking off the inevitable rust from the bye week, the Pios got their collective legs and feet moving, taking over the game with superior depth and balance. The three place NPI jump from #9 to #6 helped the Pios, and with help from other results tonight, may be beneficial for seeding purposes.

    ASU, without Potter and Beck due to injuries, now revolves around Schimek and Lucius, making the Pios defensive containment plan more clear. This is a struggling and very wounded ASU team with shaky goaltending, but it is playing for its entire season tonight, and DU needs to finish tonight by showing its killer instinct. I’d like to see the Pioneers come out with some real first period jump in the series finale. As the playoffs loom, now is the time to banish the slow starts that have often hampered them this season.

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  2. After a slow and dull start, Pios got their legs moving and took care of business. Not only was the first period dull, DU could barely manage a shot on goal, never mind any type of forecheck or sustained offensive pressure. That was a bit concerning. But as the game wore on, we saw a return to more of that relentless Pioneer hockey.

    Credit the Sun Devils–that’s a banged up squad, and while they might be languishing in last place in the NCHC, they are a game opponent. Pios need to show up tonight ready for a battle.

    Hard to believe tonight is the last game of the regular season. This season has gone by in a blink.

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