In a playoff atmosphere against a likely NCAA-bound team, No. 4 Denver lost for the second consecutive night. What’s more, Saturday’s 4-2 loss to No. 5 North Dakota saw the Pioneers (17-7-2, 8-5-1 NCHC) fail to reach three goals for a second night in a row after hitting or surpassing that benchmark every game prior.

The Fighting Hawks scored the game’s final three goals — the last two after defenseman Sean Behrens took a major penalty for contact to the head on UND’s Louis Jamernik with 11:25 to go and the score tied.

DU Doesn’t Sustain Stronger Start

North Dakota, which outshot the Pioneers 33-24, did a good job limiting Denver’s looks at the net all weekend. It also played with more energy when needed. The Pioneers had pushes but didn’t seem to sustain them as much as the hosts.

Sophomore Jared Wright scored just 1:46 into Saturday’s game and helped DU to probably its strongest period of the weekend. But UND got the equalizer from Omaha transfer Cameron Berg on a power play with 6:40 left.

Freshman Sam Harris scored on a one-timer 7:17 into the second to re-establish DU’s lead, but that seemed to wake up the Fighting Hawks. Owen McLaughlin’s pass at the DU line led Jackson Kunz into the zone all alone, and Kunz scored on a rebound of his shot.

The tide turned for good when Behrens skated to his left and executed a shoulder-first, open-ice hit. Jamernik’s head snapped back and a minor penalty was called. It was upgraded to a major and a game misconduct after a review.

The Fighting Hawks (18-6-2, 9-4-1) showed patience on the ensuing power play. McLaughlin gave them the lead for good with 1:35 remaining on it and the DU PK gassed. Just 45 seconds later, Riese Gaber added a second strike from the right circle on this power play (UND’s third of the game), and that was that. Denver goalie Matt Davis (29 saves) was screened on the play.

What Does This Mean for Denver?

What does this mean for the Pioneers going forward?

Denver came into the series with the nation’s top offense, scoring more than five goals per game. It managed four all weekend. Division I leading scorer Massimo Rizzo didn’t score and leading goal-scorer Jack Devine (playing in his 1ooth NCAA game) had one assist. Don’t think upcoming foes won’t study this tape on how to slow the Pioneers’ lethal top line.

One has to wonder about the Pairwise implications. Denver is now 4-5-1 against teams in the top 14 in those ratings. It took just two of 12 points from North Dakota. And it took just two of six at Western Michigan, which travels to Denver next weekend.

Then there is the NCHC. Denver is in fourth, one point behind Colorado College, which swept at Western, five back of St. Cloud State and nine behind North Dakota. Of greater concern should be Western Michigan is just two points behind the Pioneers with a chance to drop DU into fifth. Keep in mind, the Pioneers are 8-6 on the road which is where fifth place puts you in the NCHC quarterfinals.

So sound the alarm? Not so fast. One weekend does not a season make, and Denver played better Saturday than it did Friday. But enough has come to the surface that DU should realize it has some work to do before March’s madness begins.

©First Line Editorial 2024