In between trying to reclaim the Gold Pan and clinching home ice for an NCHC quarterfinal series, No. 6 Denver will honor its four seniors on Saturday night.

Before the Pioneers take on Colorado College at Magness Arena, they will publicly fete the contributions of Michael Davies, Erich Fear, Liam Finlay and Tyson McLellan. The quartet are the last remaining links on the roster to DU’s most recent national championship, which came in 2017.

They’ve won 100 games and counting in their careers, and each has played a key role in the Pioneers’ continued success.

What follows are my personal recollections of dealing with each of them over the past four seasons, as well as a summary of their achievements.

Assistant captain Michael Davies

It wasn’t a surprise to me that Davies earned a letter this season. He is nothing if not brutally honest. He processes the game at a high level, and he won’t spare himself from criticism if need be.

He’s morphed into an outstanding defender after arriving at DU with more of an offensive pedigree. His elite skating, particularly his explosiveness and agility, combined with an elite ability to read plays allows him to compensate for being shorter (5-foot-8) than many top D men.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’s at ease playing with star-caliber players. He played for the St. Louis Blues’ youth program growing up and was teammates with Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames and Luke Kunin of the Minnesota Wild among others. His teammates in junior at Dubuque, his first of two USHL stops, included former Pioneers Dylan Gambrell and Blake Hillman.

The connections to St. Louis no doubt made him an appealing prospect camp candidate for the Blues, but Colorado jumped at a chance to have him attend its last summer after two stops back home in St. Louis.

Two other things stand out about Davies: he plays virtually every game (he’s only missed three in his career) and he has points outbursts every other season. He had a career-high 17 as a freshman, sank to nine as a sophomore, bounced back to 16 last season and has just four this season. Yet I’d contend because of his defensive play, leadership and decision-making, he’s having one of his best seasons and is a huge factor in DU hitting 20 wins (again).

Among the things Davies revealed in a profile earlier this season was how much his dad helped him with his skating.

Erich Fear

If one is handicapping pro prospects, it’s tough to pick against Fear. He will leave the program with his bachelor’s and masters degrees and will have his pick of jobs the day after he hangs up his DU jersey for the final time.

Imposing on the ice due to his 6-foot-5 frame and a willingness to use it, he is  personable and then some off it. Whether talking about qualities of elite hockey players or elite Thanksgiving dinners or the benefits of custom skates, every conversation with Fear has been enjoyable. He’s another player who’s willing to tell you like it is, and his analytical abilities are sharp.

Fear played for some of the top programs in the Chicago area growing up, including Mission, Team Illinois and CYA, before playing just one season of junior hockey in Springfield of the NAHL.

He flew under the radar at times at DU because he wasn’t a big point producer, but he knows his main objective is to stop pucks from entering the Pioneers’ goal. He’s become a trustworthy penalty killer and an important component on and off the ice.

He told me how he balances hockey, an internship and graduate school in some detail late in 2019.

Liam Finlay

At the risk of having my credential pulled, I’d like to share a story that I think summarizes Finlay up pretty well.

After a DU loss earlier this season I happened to have a friend and his young, hockey-playing son with me as I headed downstairs to interview coach David Carle and players. Finlay was one of the players I spoke to, and on a whim I asked him if he’d say hello to my friend’s little boy. Not only did he say hello, but he took a few more minutes to ask him about his hockey team and other details of life.

Mind you, this was after a loss. I have no doubt that any number of other Pioneers, perhaps all of them, would do the same, but the fact that I had the urge to ask Finlay – after a loss – tells you something about the impression he’s left.

“Fins” is nothing if not good natured. His smile is quick and his humor is agile, much like his skating and stickhandling abilities. Because he’s so elusive with the puck and enjoys playing with it on his stick, he draws more attention than his senior peers. But he’s quick to deflect praise to others, and like the other three seniors won’t hesitate to speak what’s on his mind.

The British Columbia native played junior hockey with – among others – Avalanche forward Tyson Jost (the two are good friends), Nashville Predators defenseman Dante Fabbro and current Pioneers teammate Brett Stapley, with whom he seems to find instant on-ice chemistry.

He produced in the BCHL and he’s produced at DU. He sits just four points away from 100 for his career, and 62 of those have come in the past two seasons, including his career-high 36 a year ago. The Vancouver Canucks extended an invitation to their prospect camp last summer.

Finlay’s light-hearted but earnest approach was the subject of a feature last month.

Assistant captain Tyson McLellan

Aside from captains Colin Staub and Ian Mitchell, there is no player on the Pioneers roster I’ve asked for more after games the past two seasons, particularly losses, than McLellan.

The reason is quite simple. “Mac” always answers the bell and he will tell it to you straight. If you want to get technical about some aspect of the game or the season, he can and willingly will break it down in terms a layman can understand.

His depth of knowledge of the game is exceptional, and part of the reason for that is he’s been exposed to it at the highest level since he was a young child and his father Todd was an assistant for the Detroit Red Wings. That’s been followed by head coaching jobs in San Jose, Edmonton and Los Angeles.

McLellan also has been the keeper of the California No. 9 for four seasons, a lineage that started with Gabe Gauthier and continued with Rhett Rakhshani, Beau Bennett and Gabe Levin. Levin isn’t a bad comparable for McLellan.

Both were reliable centers who skated well, were strong in the face-off circle and responsible defensively. Both were excellent leaders, and both possessed plenty of skill. Levin finished his DU career with 63 points. McLellan has 44 and counting, but he missed two-thirds of his sophomore season due to a serious shoulder injury. McLellan possesses a good shot, which when combined with his other skills allows him to scale to fit any line in DU’s lineup.

I wrote about McLellan in more detail last fall.

The last word

The common threads with this quartet are their honesty and their honest efforts. The four bring vastly different skill sets and personalities to the table, but all four have been a pleasure to deal with. I tap my mid-curve CCM on the ice for you, boys.

©First Line Editorial 2020