Denver purposefully constructed its schedule to start as challenging as possible. In fact,  coach Jim Montgomery told me last week this was the toughest beginning schedule he’s had in his five seasons with DU.

What better way to test his team’s mettle than road trips to highly ranked Notre Dame and two of the Boston powers, with a changeup against a different style team in Lake Superior State? And what better way to introduce the team’s nine newcomers to the rigors of college hockey in general, and the ridiculously tough NCHC in particular?

We saw some dividends from that strategy the past two weeks – a sweep of then No. 1 St. Cloud State on Nov. 10-11 and this past weekend’s split with No. 3 North Dakota. Whereas Friday’s 5-4 loss to the Fighting Hawks (it’s still tough to type that), could have triggered a carry-over slump (a la at Western Michigan on Nov. 3-4), the Pioneers bounced back Saturday to pull away in the third period of a tight game and ultimately win.

Here is a second look at some areas that stood out vs. a strong foe in North Dakota.

Flipping the switch

There were times Friday I wondered how engaged Henrik Borgstrom was. He had an assist and was noticeable in spurts, but he wasn’t as consistently omnipresent around the puck as we’ve grown accustomed to. One telling statistic for him was he had just three total shots, two on goal, despite playing usual linemates Colin Staub and Liam Finlay.

Saturday was a different story. The Fantastic Fin had 10 total shots, six on goal and another hit a post. The result? Two goals (giving him a Division I-best 13 in 11 games) and two assists, meaning he figured in all four DU goals.

Finlay, meanwhile, found himself at center on a line with Jarid Lukosevicius and Rudy Junda on Saturday, and that seemed to ignite him as well. Four of his six shots were on net after he had two shots on goal on Friday. The sophomore told me last week that coaches have been on him to shoot more, and given the opportunity to handle the puck more on Saturday, shoot he did. That’s an important development because Finlay’s scoring will be needed as the season progresses.

Dynamic duo

Offensive juggernauts? Blake Hillman and Ian Mitchell between them have two goals (both by Hillman in the same game no less) this season. Yet there is growing evidence this tag team of Chicago Blackhawks draft picks are drivers of the Pioneers’ offense.

Both were highly visible again this past weekend, providing an important element of clean breakouts and frequent defensive zone duty (more on this in another post). They also combined to launch 14 shots on Friday and another nine on Saturday. Mitchell had a three-assist weekend and now has 11 in 12 games. Put another way, if he continues this pace and mixes in a few goals (which if not for teammates’ deflections he’d already have), we’re going to be talking Will Butcher 2016-17 numbers … for a freshman.

Hillman, meanwhile, is one of the unsung heroes on blue line that has been at full strength exactly one game (Saturday’s). Tariq Hammond‘s injury forced Hillman into a shared shutdown role along with Adam Plant, who missed Friday’s game due to injury. Hillman has responded. Not only did he have 10 total shots Friday, but he was out for nearly every defensive zone start. I don’t have access to time on ice numbers, but I would guess that conservatively Hillman played 25 minutes, and it might have been closer to 30 on Friday.

Welcome back

Also ranking high in the under appreciated category (though not here) is Plant. He was the one lineup change from Friday to Saturday, and a deeper examination of the numbers shows his impact on the game.

Friday, North Dakota generated 58 total shots, including 36 on goal. Saturday, those numbers fell to 42 (28 percent drop) and 25 (31 percent decrease), respectively. DU’s team commitment to defense appeared stronger on Saturday, so that’s part of it, but Plant’s presence in the lineup also has much to do with that.

I’d also attribute some of that to Hammond’s gradual ramping up. If Friday’s season debut was the test drive of his healed leg, then Saturday’s was the first weekend drive. Of course he traveled on the NCHC expressway at rush hour and not a country road.

Making lemonade

One more note, and one I find funny. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Orange-Lemon shootout contest DU holds on the last practice before a game. The winner gets an orange, the loser gets a lemon (a snow-covered one at that) for their afternoon snack. This past week’s lemon eater? Troy Terry. You might remember that Terry, who leads Division I in scoring this week with 23 points, has a little bit of background with the shootout for Team USA’s Under-20 team.

Terry, who had two points Friday but also was minus-2 and fairly hard on himself when we spoke after the game, bounced back Saturday with a goal and two assists and a plus-1 (not bad given three of DU’s four goals came on the power play).

When your teammates give you lemons …

Notable numbers

The Pioneers flipped the script in the face-off circle Saturday, winning 33 of 56 (59 percent), after going 34 for 77 on Friday (44 percent). One reason this is such a key statistic is face-off wins drive possession, and the Pioneers favor the puck possession style. Sophomore Tyson McLellan continues to excel in the circle, winning 11 of 20 on Friday and 13 of 15 on Saturday, or nearly 69 percent for the weekend.

Up next

The Pioneers are off this week before traveling to Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 1-2.

Copyright First Line Editorial 2017