The Denver Pioneers (7-9-1, 24 pts) have a long road ahead of them if they’re going to defy the odds and earn home-ice advantage in the first round of the NCHC Tournament by finishing in the top four of the conference. The only way Denver will be able to do that is if they start to win games and continue to win games. Cole Guttman tallied three points on a goal and two assists leading the Pioneers to a strong 3-1 victory over the #9 Omaha Mavericks (10-6-1, 30 pts) and helped the Pioneers take a step in the right direction and pull a bit closer to fourth place. Continue reading Pioneers Topple Mavericks to Take Game One, Close Standings Gap
Category Archives: Hockey
Maybe it’s Just a COVID Year
The #20 Denver Pioneers hockey team sits 6-9-1 with yet another postponed series again this weekend. Coming into the season, there were high expectations followed by erratic play and disappointing results. Various theories attributed the performances to coaching decisions, leaky goaltending, tepid faceoff results, or a simple inability to score?
Or is the simple answer the ‘COVID-19’ pandemic? Continue reading Maybe it’s Just a COVID Year
First Sweep Eludes Pioneers as Omaha Finally Breaks 19-game Winless Streak Against Denver
Inconsistency has been the single biggest theme of the season for the #19 Denver Pioneers (6-9-1, 21 pts). Through 16 games, the Pios have won consecutive games just once, against North Dakota and then against Miami in December at the Pod in Omaha. Since then, they have struggled to string together sustained stretches of good, dominant hockey. Denver is playing .500 hockey with three wins and three losses in six games in 2021, all coming in series splits against Colorado College, North Dakota, and now, thanks to a 5-2 loss in the second game of this weekend’s series, #11 Omaha (9-4-1, 27 pts). Tonight’s loss ended a six-year, 19-game stretch that saw Denver go 16-0-3 against Omaha. Continue reading First Sweep Eludes Pioneers as Omaha Finally Breaks 19-game Winless Streak Against Denver
Pioneers Extend Unbeaten Streak Against Mavericks to 19 with 4-1 Victory
Don’t look now but the #19 Denver Pioneers (6-8-1, 21 pts) have quietly won three of five games since their underwhelming performance at the NCHC Pod in Omaha. DU’s latest victory came against the upstart #11 Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (8-4-1, 24 pts) who have ridden their hot start to the season to third place in the NCHC. The victorious 4-1 effort in their first return to Omaha since the Pod not only extended Denver’s unbeaten streak against Omaha to 19 straight games and puts the Pioneers back in position for home-ice advantage to begin the postseason. Another victory in game two of the series tomorrow night will vault them back into the top half of the conference in fourth place. Continue reading Pioneers Extend Unbeaten Streak Against Mavericks to 19 with 4-1 Victory
Denver Hockey Series Preview: Omaha
The Pioneers got the split against North Dakota last week and improved to 5-8-1, but that record doesn’t seem to do justice. The Pioneers are out-shooting their opponents on average 30-24, they’re getting quality chances, but they aren’t getting the puck luck. They’re 2-4 in one-goal games which could be the difference right now, especially how Denver started the season. In their first season without a national champion on the roster, this is a big test not only for the players but for coach David Carle. Leadership is going to play a big role in the next ten games of a unique season, but everyone knows it all starts with a little momentum.
Mysterious ‘Orb’ Discovered in Omaha
After an unexplained monolith was sighted in Utah late last year, a new mysterious ‘orb’ has appeared on the University of Nebraska Omaha campus. The newly discovered unidentified object was reported Tuesday morning in front of UNO’s Arts and Sciences Hall. Continue reading Mysterious ‘Orb’ Discovered in Omaha
North Dakota Gets 5-1 Revenge Win over Pioneers
What a difference a day makes…
After being wiped out by #19th-ranked Denver 4-1, on Sunday, Jan. 17, #3-ranked North Dakota held a team meeting before the rematch on Monday morning, with a three-word key message delivered by the UND coaches: “Move Your Feet.” Continue reading North Dakota Gets 5-1 Revenge Win over Pioneers
#18 Denver Delivers its Best Performance of Year in 4-1 Drubbing of #2 North Dakota
We have waxed poetic over the years about what it means when Denver and North Dakota hit the ice against each other. Long rivalry, 16 combined national championships, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. These two rivals have treated us to so many tight, action-packed, close hockey games over the past seven decades but tonight, the #18 Denver Pioneers (5-7-1, 18 pts) threw all of that out the window. The #2 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (9-3-1, 26 pts) were nothing more than a minor obstacle in DU’s path as they routed the Hawks 4-1 in David Carle’s 50th career victory as head coach on a chilly January Sunday night at Magness Arena. Continue reading #18 Denver Delivers its Best Performance of Year in 4-1 Drubbing of #2 North Dakota
Denver Hockey Series Preview: North Dakota
Following a couple weeks off, it’s “North Dakota week” as the No. 18 Pioneers host the No. 2 Fighting Hawks this weekend in a rare Sunday-Monday series at Magness Arena. These teams met in the bubble twice just a month ago and split two nail-biting games that concluded with a Jordan Kawaguchi OT goal and a Carter Savoie go-ahead power play goal. This series shouldn’t be any different as DU is coming off a 6-1 game vs Colorado College and North Dakota is riding a six-game winning streak. Cue the fireworks.
North Dakotans Adjust to Remote Hockey
Avid Fighting Hawk hockey fans are used to taking to the road to support their beloved hockey team. This year is more difficult with social distancing leaving fans at home. We wanted to see just how well North Dakota fans were adjusting to the ‘new normal’.