Devin Cooley stopped all 24 shots he saw and Tyson McLellan scored his first goal of the season to lift No. 6 Denver to a 1-0 NCHC victory over host Colorado College on Tuesday night.

The game was a makeup of a postponed game on Jan. 18. Inclement weather prevented DU’s team bus from completing the trip to Colorado Springs that day.

Cooley, who was back in net for the third time in four games after missing nine days because of injury, registered his second 1-0 shutout in those three appearances and his fourth overall this season. He had to be especially sharp in the third period, when the Tigers (12-16-4, 6-11-3 NCHC) had their strongest 20 minutes of the night.

The Pioneers (18-8-4, 10-8-2-2 NCHC) got all the offense they needed just 7:48 into the game. McLellan struck off a nice left-to-right, cross-slot pass from Jake Durflinger, who had received a pass on the left wing from the third Californian on that line, freshman Kyle Mayhew. The assist was Mayhew’s first of his NCAA career.

“I loved our jump in the first,” coach David Carle said. “We generated grade A chances off of really good puck pressure. I thought in the second they did a better job of breaking pucks out and getting pucks to space, which allowed them to get in our end a bit.

“In the third we were in the box for six minutes, but I loved our penalty kill and loved our commitment to team defense … I’m really proud of our effort.”

If there was a concern, it would be that Denver’s power play again failed to cash in at least one of its five opportunities. Rather than supply a bit of breathing room, it gave the Tigers a glimpse of hope in the third.

Conversely, DU’s penalty kill was more than up to the task, and it needed to be in the final 20 minutes, when the Pioneers took three penalties and watched the hosts double them in shots on goal (8-4).

“(Denver) did a good job of keeping us on the outside and not giving us many chances,” CC coach Mike Haviland said.

CC’s Alex Leclerc made 29 saves, including several at point-blank range in the first period, when DU brought all sorts of pressure.

““Alex made some great saves early on,”Haviland added. “It would have liked to have seen a little more bite in the second period instead of waiting until the third.”

The win moved Denver to one point of third-place Western Michigan in the NCHC standings and put the Pioneers up six on fifth-place North Dakota with four conference games remaining.

DU and CC will meet again next weekend, and if DU wins one of those two games it will retain the Gold Pan for the fifth consecutive year.

Notes

The Pioneers were without three injured forwards – freshman center Brett Stapley, sophomore left wing Ryan Barrow and freshman wing Jared Resseguie. As a result, Mayhew, a defenseman by trade, skated on the left wing of the fourth line.

Denver’s three stars

1. Devin Cooley. Strong when he needed to be in making 24 saves.
2. Tyson McLellan. The junior’s first goal of the season was the only one in the game. His three shots on goal tied for the team lead.
3. Griffin Mendel. The sophomore is representative of the entire top four, all of whom were excellent. Mendel was particularly outstanding breaking up rushes and making zone exits.

Up next

Denver caps its five games in nine nights stretch with a two-game NCHC series at Omaha on Friday and Saturday. Both games start at 6 p.m.

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