It took No. 2 Denver a period to get its game back, but when it did the Pioneers steamrolled host Arizona State, 8-4, on Saturday night.

Down 3-0, the Pioneers (7-2-1) scored five consecutive goals, then three of the final four. Jack Devine had two of them, while Miko Matikka and Carter King scored for the second night in a row. McKade Webster, Jared Wright, Rieger Lorenz and Boston Buckberger also scored.  Freddie Halyk, starting his fifth game in a row, rebounded from a rough Friday to make 29 saves.

DU’s Resilience on Display

Down 3-0 just 6 minutes into the second period, things could have gone sideways for the Pioneers. Arizona State had all the momentum, including its third power-play goal of the weekend (by Lukas Sillinger).

But DU had other plans. It typically adjusts well in second periods and uses the longer change to its advantage. So it did.

Webster got one goal back just a minute after Tyler Gratton scored 5:59 in. Then the Pioneers rattled off three more in a  5:31 stretch — a rip from the left circle by Matikka and two by Devine, the latter on a power play. The first was set up by Massimo Rizzo, giving him 100 points in his DU career.

Halyk bounced back in the period as well, stopping 10 shots. That was crucial because the Sun Devils kept the pressure on, and because until Matt Davis returns from injury the net is Halyk’s.

Plenty for Pioneers to Work On

There were tense moments in the third, even after Wright extended the lead to 5-3. That’s because of a few correctable factors that continued to reappear.

He's the Wright man for the job!

Denver has now scored 5 unanswered!#GoPios pic.twitter.com/V4bdxU5eUY

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) November 12, 2023

ASU (7-2-1) continued to draw penalties and continued to make DU pay for them, striking again midway through on Matthew Kopperud’s power-play goal that made it 5-4.

That kept the heat on until the very end, when Denver scored three goals in the final 1:27 (two into an empty net) to remove all doubt.

It behooves the Pioneers to take fewer penalties with a diet of NCHC foes upcoming.

Denver’s defensive zone coverage improved as the game went along, but Arizona State still generated a lot of chances (33 shots on goal resulted).

Saturday’s outcome yielded some good feelings, but the fact is Denver still gave up 10 goals on the weekend, a development no coach would be pleased with.

And, DU gave up the first goal for the second night in a row. That’s never a great recipe either, especially with a young team on the road.

The good news is DU bounced back.

Friday Night Fight

The Pioneers gave up four leads and lost in overtime, 6-5. King scored two shorthanded goals, giving him three in three games and four for his career. Matikka also chipped in two goals. Freshman defenseman Zeev Buium scored and his brother Shai added two assists.

REPLAY: Carter King buries his 3rd career short-handed goal (it was onside).#GoPios pic.twitter.com/UixB7AZCI5

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) November 11, 2023

Special teams played a key role in the outcome. DU got a power-play goal (Matikka) in addition to King’s short-handers, while the Sun Devils cashed in two of their three power plays. One of Dylan Jackson’s three goals came on the man advantage, while Ty Jackson had the other. Gratton scored the winner 2:55 into OT.

Halyk made 19 saves for DU, while T.J. Semptimphelter had 35 for ASU.

Notes

Captain McKade Webster played his 100th game for DU Friday night. … King’s four shorties tie Logan O’Connor for 11th most in program history. … DU will play host to Omaha next weekend.

©First Line Editorial 2023