Now it gets real for No. 3 Denver.

The Pioneers enter this weekend’s NCHC Frozen Faceoff at St. Paul, Minn., with a chance to demonstrate just how far they’ve progressed and how they will handle one-and-done scenarios against some of the nation’s best teams.

Their opponent Friday, Minnesota Duluth, provides an appropriate first test. The teams split their four regular-season games, and the Bulldogs, whom DU defeated for the 2017 national championship before UMD won it all the following two seasons, typically play their best when there is more to play for.

“It’s a great opportunity to see one-and-done hockey for our team,” DU coach David Carle said Thursday. “We’re playing for a trophy, and it’s really good training for the national tournament. You couldn’t ask for four better teams to replicate what we’ll face next weekend (at an NCAA Regional at Loveland).”

Statistically, Denver posted far superior offensive numbers. The Pioneers lead Division I with 4.5 goals per game, they’re second with 38 shots on goal per game and they’re fifth in power-play percentage (25.7). UMD scores two fewer goals per game and its power play is at 18.2 percent.

The experience factor

However, a deeper dive into the teams’ matchups reveals a different story, and that’s what makes this such a good litmus test for a Pioneers team that has relied heavily on players who’ve never played in an NCAA Tournament game. Only seniors Ryan Barrow, Cole Guttman, Kyle Mayhew and Brett Stapley can say they’ve done that with DU.

Minnesota Duluth, meanwhile, has 22 players who were on its roster last season, when it advanced to the Frozen Four. A dozen were part of the 2019 National Championship team.

The teams’ split on each other’s ice this season. Denver totaled 14 goals, while UMD had 12.

Only one game – the Dec. 11 meeting at Duluth – was a blowout. The hosts scored three times in the first period and never looked back in a 6-2 win. The previous night, Magnus Chrona shut out the Bulldogs in a 5-0 DU victory.

Both contests at Denver were close, and DU could have had the sweep had not the Bulldogs scored twice in the third to take the second game, 3-2.

“They’re fun games,” Carle said. “There’s not a lot of open ice, they back check well and play hard.

“Special teams, winning that battle is going to be key, as are winning 50/50 battles and net fronts.”

The special teams factor

Special teams are an area Minnesota Duluth held a significant edge in during the regular-season meetings. Denver was just 1-for-17 on the power play (5.8 percent), while Minnesota Duluth was 3-for-11 (27.2 percent).

Factor in that DU has been the 10th-most penalized team in D-I this season (13.2 minutes per game), and that its penalty kill (78.3 percent) is 41st, and you can guess what one message from DU’s staff to the players will be.

Of course there are other factors to consider.

Both teams have excellent goalies – Chrona has a goals-against average of 2.24 and a save percentage of .905 to go with his 24 wins, while counterpart Ryan Fanti‘s numbers are 1.99 and .921 to go with his 17 wins.

And both have balanced scoring – UMD has nine players with 17 points or more, led by sophomore Blake Biondi‘s 27 points and 16 goals; DU has 12 players with at least that many points, led by junior Bobby Brink‘s nation’s-best 55, and eight with 30 or more points.

Brink in the Hobey hunt

Speaking of Brink, the forward was selected one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award this week. He’s had a truly memorable season, and with a big postseason could have one of DU’s top scoring seasons of all time. He needs five more points to crack the program’s single-season top 20, and 11 more to hit the top 15.

“He’s a big driver for this group,” Carle said. “He’s a difference maker every time he’s on the ice at both ends of the rink.

“His play speaks for itself.”

Remarkably, Brink is the only NCHC player – and this is a league with four of the top nine Pairwise teams in its final four – in the Hobey top 10. As Carle summarized quite well, “It’s a joke.”

Brink, who is from the Twin Cities suburbs, has a strong history playing at the Xcel Energy Center. He helped Minnetonka win a Minnesota High School Hockey championship in 2018, and in a bit of irony in light of this weekend, his team beat Duluth East.

“It’s exciting. We don’t get a lot of games in the Cities,” Brink said. “I have a lot of good memories here.”

He and Denver will try to create one more this weekend.

©First Line Editorial 2022