This is the second in a series of analyses about the No. 2 Denver hockey team at the midseason break.

Here is a review of the Pioneers’ offense

Click here for a review of the Pioneers’ defense thus far

Before the season Coach Jim Montgomery told me he expected some freshmen would contribute right away (exhibit A: Henrik Borgstrom), he hoped others would (Liam Finlay) and then he wanted to be surprised by another one or two (Tyson McLellan anyone?).

The fact the Pioneers’ offense has been a bit uneven during the first half of the season (six of 18 games with one or two goals) shouldn’t come as a surprise as DU found itself in the same predicament at the break last year (only with a .500 record and a four-game slump). Still, that Denver’s 2.78 goals per game ranks them 37th out of 60 Division I hockey teams is mildly surprising.

Another surprise has been how top-heavy the scoring has been in the Pioneers’ lineup for most of the first half. Sixty-six of the team’s 127 points have come from just four players – defenseman Will Butcher (17 points) and forwards Troy Terry (17), Dylan Gambrell (16) and Borgstrom (16). That showed some signs of changing as the calendar was about to flip, but one of the hallmarks of the Pioneers’s second-half success a season ago was that beyond the dynamic Pacific Rim Line, they got secondary scoring from several other sources. That has been hit and miss so far.

In the midst of this there is plenty of good news for the Pioneers, starting with their 15-game unbeaten streak, which included Gambrell missing four games due to an upper-body injury. He has been terrific since he returned 12 games ago.

Senior assistant captain Evan Janssen, who is enjoying a career year, also missed most of three games with a concussion, and fellow senior Emil Romig, who has a lower-body injury, has missed the past eight games. Initially, the idea was Romig might return in late January. And Borgstrom, whose eight goals are second on the team to Terry’s nine, missed the final four games before the break due to an illness.

For a team that lost elite forwards in Danton Heinen (Boston Bruins) and Trevor Moore (AHL Toronto Marlies) early to the pros after last season, being able to overcome injuries and keep the train rolling is impressive.

The injuries and the coaching staff’s experimentation with lines have led to different combinations. At full health, Borgstrom (a Florida Panthers pick) typically has centered the top line with either Gambrell or Terry on his right and another sophomore, Jarid Lukosevicius on the left. The latter, like Terry (Anaheim Ducks), is surging in his second season on campus. Lukosevicius has three of his six goals in DU’s past six games. After zero points in his first three college games, Borgstrom then went for 16 in the next 11. Gambrell (San Jose Sharks) has 15 in his past 12 and nine in his past six.

But the big breakout player up front has been Terry, who has not only scored in bunches (four multipoint games already), but has played stronger and faster – and in every situation. In talking with him  this season it’s also evident his confidence is increasing.

Janssen is putting up a Cy Young line – five goals and one assist – and has teamed with fellow senior Matt Marcinew (eight points) and another emerging sophomore, Logan O’Connor (eight), to form an effective two-way unit that often is on the ice when opponents’ top lines jump over the boards.

Janssen’s and Romig’s injuries hurt on several levels, not the least of which is they offer lineup flexibility for Montgomery. He can play them on any line and they don’t look out of place. Sophomore Colin Staub also fits into that category and has played solidly all season despite not having the numbers to show for it (four points).

McLellan has been a pleasant surprise, displaying speed, skill and smarts. That he drew penalty kill duties so early in his career also says a lot about how trusted he is. Finlay showed some chemistry with Terry but has moved around the lineup a bit and has sat a couple of times. His stick skills and hockey smarts are obvious but at just over 150 pounds he has to pick his spots. He is one to watch in the second half for secondary scoring.

Another freshman, Kevin Conley, has played all but one game up front and lately has shown signs he might be ready to fill the scoresheet a bit more often. One of the Pioneers’ most agitating players, he and tag-team partner Evan Ritt most nights have succeeded in getting under opponents’ skin.

Speaking of Ritt, the senior is one the first half feel-good stories. Not only is he teaming with junior Rudy Junda on the ice, but the duo also is carving out a niche as Gabbin’ with Gabe guest hosts. Ritt has appeared in 15 games, surpassing his career total entering the season, and also picked up his first career point. Junda’s seven games are four more than he’d played in his first two seasons combined.

On the back end, Butcher has led the charge offensively, particularly on the power play, where nine of his 17 points have come. There are more nights than not when he controls the game in stretches. Freshman Michael Davies has eight points and has the look of being a much bigger contributor in the second half. Davies, who has displayed an elite ability to read the play, had points in five straight heading into the break.

The other defenseman one would expect to chip in offense is sophomore Blake Hillman (Chicago Blackhawks). Though Hillman, a junior teammate of Davies, has just four points, he was a big time second-half player last season. Junior Adam Plant has five points and has been involved offensively more and more of late.

The Pioneers have endured injuries, illness and slow starts up front. If those areas get straightened out in the second half they should have the scoring depth to go on another long run come spring.