Two weeks off gave Grant Arnold a lot of time to think. Same thing for Gabe Levin. And the rest of their DU teammates for that matter.

What Arnold, Levin and their fellow upperclassmen in particular concluded was something had to change. That assessment came about after a heart-to-heart conversation … with themselves.

“I’m a big vocal leader, but the thing I needed to look back at Christmas was my own play,” said Arnold, the Pioneers’ senior captain. “You can’t preach what you’re not doing. I’m a huge believer in that and I think I got away from that. I think our senior class got away from that a little bit.”

Levin’s analysis was similar.

“As seniors it’s our job to set the culture and the direction for the team and how intense it has to be,” the alternate captain said. “I think we did a very below average job of that the first half of the season. I think it was evident in our play, especially when we had that losing streak, we didn’t realize how hard we had to be working. A lot of that was on myself and the seniors for not sending the right message and setting the right example for other players on the team.”

A team that went 7-7-2 in the first half and really could have gone in any direction made a course correction and has gone 18-2-4 since en route to booking a trip to Tampa, Fla., for this week’s Frozen Four.

The change started with the Pioneers’ four seniors, a group that includes Quentin Shore and Nolan Zajac as well.

“They all bring a different element,” DU coach Jim Montgomery said. “The one thing that they’ve all done is they’ve committed to a team-first attitude that made everyone selfless.

“They communicate in a positive manner whether someone is doing something right or wrong so that the person doesn’t feel challenged, they feel like they’re helping them become a better player.

“That’s specifically with Gabe. Grant has that ability, too. But Grant is more of the emotional leader. And Gabe is more of the calming influence that when he speaks he’s well respected. Everybody knows what he is articulating is right.”

Shore and Zajac have been studies in growth, Montgomery said, though it’s taken place in different ways.

“Quentin Shore is the person whose leadership qualities have grown the most,” the coach said. “I’ve been really impressed with his effort and his battle level. He’s become a warrior. He leads us physically in a lot of ways.

“His body language and his facial expressions just breathe of intensity.”

Not only has Shore scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half, he’s by far the team’s leader in face-off wins and has added clutch scoring (three game-winning goals) to his toolbox.

Zajac changed his approach while keeping the best elements of his highly skilled game going strong.

“Nolan Zajac is the backbone of that D core,” Montgomery said. “He’s not very vocal but he has become vocal here in this second half in the sense of encouraging teammates and communicating with them a lot more.

“He really before just internalized everything. He figured if he played a great game that made him a great teammate. He’s really learned to share his hockey knowledge, which is really high end, with his teammates.”

It’s been share and share alike for the Pioneers since, particularly when it’s come to working with the team’s large – and talented – group of freshmen.

“The biggest thing is our work habits when we’re at the rink, when we’re in the weight room, when we’re at practice, just setting the right example and letting everyone know it’s a battle, it’s a competition and there’s no days off and that’s how you get better,” Levin said.

“Once they started realizing that their games got a lot better and our team was able to get a lot better as well.”

Actions sometimes were accompanied by admonishments. Arnold saw to that.

“Sometimes you have to say something to somebody that probably you don’t want to say, and maybe it’s taken the wrong way, and maybe you’re not liked for that day,” the captain said. “But it’s better for the team. That’s a hard role for a leader and a captain to say something that someone doesn’t want to hear sometimes.

“I’m a huge believer in giving credit when credit is due, and our freshmen have really responded to a lot of the things our coaches have challenged them. Same with our sophomores and juniors, we’ve got some young kids here. Everyone has responded with great work ethic, and that’s the kind of players that Monty brings in.

“He brings in great kids that aren’t going to push away from the challenge.”

The seniors may have led the way, but they had plenty of help along that path, Montgomery said.

“I think it’s been all the upperclassmen,” he said. “(Trevor) Moore and (Danton) Heinen and Shore have had a tremendous impact on (Dylan) Gambrell and (Troy) Terry. I think Levin has had a tremendous impact on (Colin) Staub and Luko (Jarid Lukosevicius).

“On the back end, all those defensemen are pretty selfless. I think Matt VanVooris may have helped Blake Hillman develop more than anyone because he’s such a positive influence and encouragement. And Matty’s been through a lot of trials and tribulations. But he knows how to speak to someone to encourage them, to give them confidence and build them up.”

Less than four months after the Pioneers’ foundation showed a few cracks, the necessary reinforcements and repairs have been made, and the building resumed toward their ultimate goal – reaching the Frozen Four, where they will take on NCHC rival North Dakota on Thursday.

The home improvement couldn’t have taken place without DU’s seniors dedicating themselves to doing a little bit of housecleaning first.