What can you take from an exhibition game? That depends on what you’re looking for.

No one expected No. 13 Denver to lose its tuneup Saturday to Lindenwood, an elite ACHA program (club hockey) that will move to NCAA Division I next season. The real draw of this game was getting a first look at the Pioneers’ influx of newcomers.

What that in mind, here are three takeaways from DU’s 9-1 victory:

Speed merchants

The Pioneers’ speed advantage was obvious throughout, and many of their 58 shots on goal came as a result of it, as well as pinpoint passing. Denver scored every which way after the guests took an early 1-0 lead.

Denver dressed eight new players – seven freshmen plus transfer Cameron Wright, and all fit in seamlessly with the up-tempo style DU favors.

Scoring balance

It’s never a bad thing when eight players light the lamp, and half of those tallies came from newcomers, including Wright, freshman D-man Shai Buium,  and freshman forwards Carter Mazur and Massimo Rizzo. Two more came from forward Jack Works, who joined the Pioneers for the winter quarter in January.

It also was nice to see surgically repaired Brett Stapley and Mike Benning score.

Net depth

Junior Magnus Chrona played the first two periods in goal and stopped five of the six shots he saw. Lindenwood’s goal came on a give-and-go in which the DU defense hung its masked man out to dry in the early minutes. Chrona was fine after that.

The real story, however, was the play of freshman Matt Davis, who faced – and stopped – eight shots in the third period, when DU took a few penalties that combined with the Lions upping their pressure.

Davis was calm and collected. It will be interesting to see how many starts he ends up with this season.

©First Line Editorial 2021