So the answers to the preseason questions of who would replace the scoring of departed pros Carter Mazur and Mike Benning were answered for one night on Saturday.

That No. 4 Denver received two goals from junior Jack Devine wasn’t entirely surprising. But getting two more from sophomore defenseman Kent Anderson in a 7-3 season-opening victory over host Alaska Fairbanks was.

Freshman defenseman Boston Buckberger and sophomore center Aidan Thompson also tallied, and Matt Davis made 2o saves for the Pioneers, who dressed seven freshmen.

Here are a few observations from the win.

Devine Erupts on Top Line

Devine stepped into Mazur’s spot on classmate Massimo Rizzo’s wing and continued his torrid play from the second of last season when Devine had 14 goals (third-most on DU).

Jack Devine goes bar-down for his second beauty of the night and extends Denver's lead to 5-2 with the power-play tally. pic.twitter.com/gl7ESH1dlM

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) October 8, 2023

Devine extended DU’s lead to 4-1 7:47 into the second period then padded it further with a power-play goal in the third. He also added two assists, something Rizzo had three of and the other member of the trio, captain McKade Webster had a goal and an assist.

Anderson Erupts from the 7 Spot

Anderson had two assists in 22 games last season. He was listed as DU’s seventh defenseman on Saturday’s line chart. So of course he scored DU’s first goal in each of the first two periods.

ANDY ADDS ANOTHER!

Kent Anderson tallies his second the game and the second goal of his career and Denver leads 3-1.#GoPios pic.twitter.com/ZRgOeguVzS

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) October 8, 2023

One of just four returnees on a blue line group that dressed all four of its freshmen, Anderson surely created some additional space for himself in the lineup after this outburst.

Special Teams Spotlight

One of our items to watch this season for DU was special teams, and the Pioneers managed that pretty well. After the Nanooks scored their first goal on a power play, DU shut them out the rest of the way. Devine had both of Denver’s power-play goals in its seven chances.

In a penalty-filled game, the hosts took more than their fair share, which bodes well for DU on Sunday because obviously, the man advantage will be an advantage.

Saturday’s Three Stars

1. Jack Devine. Kicks off his junior season with two goals and four points.
2. Kent Anderson. Scores the first two goals of his NCAA career and adds an assist to exceed his point total in 22 games last season.
3. Massimo Rizzo. Two primary assists at even strength and another on a power play.

Notes

Coach David Carle was not with the team because his wife Melissa was due to give birth to the couple’s second child. … Senior assistant captain Connor Caponi played in his 100th NCAA game. …  The second game of the series is Sunday at 7 p.m.

©First Line Editorial 2023