The Seventh Period takes a look at Denver’s loss and tie at Arizona State

First Period

Believe it or not, there were a few positives to take from Denver’s weekend in Arizona. The biggest one is the return to health – and the scoresheet – of sophomore center Cole Guttman. Guttman, who missed the second Western Michigan game after a collision late in the first game, scored both goals Saturday for DU, including the last-minute tying goal. He had not scored since Nov. 1 and had just one assist in a seven-game stretch. As talented as the Pioneers are, they’re better when Guttman is going good.

Second period

We also saw goaltender Devin Cooley turn in another solid performance in his second start of the season. The junior allowed just two goals on 22 shots, and most nights that will be good enough to earn a win. Combined with freshman Magnus Chrona and sophomore Michael Corson, there’s a lot to like in the goalie room. For all the hand wringing about DU’s recent slump (more on that in a few paragraphs), the fact the Pioneers can count on solid goaltending whomever leads the players out of the tunnel is a big plus.

Third period

On Friday night, many of Denver’s players looked as if they needed a fire lit under them. The Pioneers got off to a poor start and it cost them two goals and basically the ballgame. From there, they played catchup – something they’ve had to do far to often in the past month. Aside from a 6-1 rout of Western Michigan on Nov. 23, DU has struggled with its starts and no matter how much talent you have, it’s difficult to chase the scoreboard night after night and win many games. This series marked the fifth and sixth times in the past seven games DU has given up the first goal.

Fourth period

The good news is the Pioneers dominated long stretches of Saturday’s 2-2 tie and were it not for Evan DeBrouwer‘s 44-save gem could have won the game by two or more goals. DU has to make every night a Saturday night.

Fifth period

Say this, the Pioneers, who are in the throes of a 1-4-3 run over their past eight after an electric 8-0 start, are going down shooting. They’ve topped 30 shots on goal in seven of the past eight games and have 34 or more in the past four games (1-2-1). The real issue, which is astounding given the ability up and down the lineup, is the shooting percentage. It’s been above 10 percent just once since Nov. 1 – a span of nine games. That tells me the Pioneers are either unlucky of they’re staying outside a bit too much. I expect this stat to norm out, even as the competition stiffens.

Sixth period

One thing that has remained a constant is DU’s penalty kill, which has allowed just six goals in 61 chances. A 90 percent kill rate is a huge help. The goalies play a big role in that, but DU has a lot of PKers going at a high level right now. And the Pioneers are without one of their better killers, injured forward Ryan Barrow (upper body), and another potential one in freshman D Justin Lee (upper body). The hope is both are back in early 2020.

Seventh period

The Pioneers close out 2019 with a home-and-home series against old pal Colorado College this weekend. The Tigers, it should be noted have relished every second of reclaiming the Gold Pan. As you’ll see Saturday at World Arena, that fact encompasses most of their pregame video montage. I had a chance to watch an early season CC game in person and I came away with a few impressions. 1. The Tigers might not have the dominant goaltending they had with Alex Leclerc, but they have two very good options in transfer Ryan Ruck and freshman Matt Vernon. 2. This is the fastest, most skilled CC team in the Coach Mike Haviland era. 3. It’s a bit deeper than last season’s team, but it’s also younger. This should be a very competitive series, and one that will tell me a lot about DU for the rest of the season. If the Pioneers aren’t fired up from the get-go this week …

©First Line Editorial 2019