That’s more like it.
One night after getting blitzed for three-second period goals in a 3-3 tie at Wisconsin, the University of Denver hockey team (7-3-2) bounced back in a big way with a 6-2 victory over the Badgers on Saturday night in Madison.
Here are some takeaways from the weekend:
Offensive balance: Not only did 13 skaters register points for the Pioneers over the weekend, but nine different players scored goals. Particularly encouraging was that five of the six goals Saturday came from freshmen forwards (Colin Staub, Jarid Lukosevicius, Troy Terry, Dylan Gambrell and Logan O’Connor). Sophomore Danton Heinen was the outlier, getting an empty-netter. … On Friday, Quentin Shore, Trevor Moore and Evan Janssen lit the lamp – the latter two in a wild, five-goal second period that saw a 1-0 lead become a 3-1 deficit in a 4:08 span. … Gambrell had three points on the weekend (1/2), while Heinen and Janssen (1/1 each), Grant Arnold, Will Butcher, Gabe Levin and Nolan Zajac (2 assists apiece) added two points apiece.
Net gain: One night after relieving Evan Cowley during the second-period barrage Friday, Tanner Jaillet made 31 saves Saturday.
Special deliveries: The Pioneers got a power-play goal each night (Moore on Friday and Terry on a redirection of Zajac’s blast from the point Saturday) and went 2 for 7 overall. … The penalty kill stopped five of six changes overall.
Notes: One night after being held to 24 shots, the Pioneers launched 43 and appeared to control play most of Saturday’s game (end of the second period excepted). … The teams combined for nine of their 14 goals on the weekend in the second periods. … Forward Trevor Moore sat out Saturday because of an illness. Forward Brad Hawkinson (upper body) and defenseman Matt Van Voorhis (concussion) remained out.
Bottom line: This is a weekend that could have gone sideways for DU, yet it adapted and outworked the Badgers on Saturday to return home with a win and a tie. Jaillet turned in a strong effort, and again, the offensive balance played a big role. I maintain these signs are a positive going forward for the Pioneers. … Happy Thanksgiving!
@MagnessMayhem
Don’t forget Will Butcher got a game DQ penalty for the CFB with 1:21 left in the game. That means he misses the Friday game when DU goes to Grand Forks. That hurts.
That was a bad penalty in so many ways.Whether a DQ was justified…?
In the current climate of hockey any hit even remotely questionable when the player’s back is turned and he’s even remotely close to the boards likely will be called a penalty. The DQ is up for debate, and as you and Puck Swami noted, not having No. 4 on Friday night really hurts the Pioneers.