No. 7 Denver has a big problem … and it’s one any other college hockey team wouldn’t mind having.

The Pioneers’ past two series have confirmed that they have not one but two goaltenders capable of stealing games for them. Having Devin Cooley and Filip Larsson healthy and available at the same time presents DU with a rare luxury going into this weekend’s NCHC series against Miami at Magness Arena.

“We have two really good goalies that can win games for us,” coach David Carle said. “It’s a situation not a lot of teams have, and we’re certainly fortunate.”

That situation played out for the second time in two series this past weekend. Seeking to salvage a split at Minnesota Duluth, DU turned to Cooley, who had not played the previous nine games because of his recovery from an injury. The sophomore was superlative in making 27 saves against the defending national champions and helping Denver to a 1-0 win.

“It is hard (to come into that setting after a long layoff), so credit to him,” Carle said. “He could have played potentially against North Dakota, but we didn’t feel it was right to rush him back with the bye week coming. I think that extra week helped him. He was able to focus on a really good week of practice coming into Duluth, and the results showed.”

That gave the sophomore a 9-4-1 record and lowered his save percentage to .933 (third in Division I) and his goals-against average to 1.93 (eighth and second in the NCHC. He’s expected to get the call again Friday vs. Miami.

Two weeks earlier, Larsson allowed two goals – all weekend – as the Pioneers took five of six points from a North Dakota team hot on their heels. Larsson did not play the first 11 games as he recovered from a lower-body injury sustained in the offseason. He’s 7-3-3 with .918 and 2.43 numbers.

“I don’t think there is any question Filip was the best player on the ice all weekend, and it wasn’t even close,” Carle said after the series against North Dakota at Magness Arena.

As the saying goes, two heads are better than one. Or in this case, two masks.

“We want each other to succeed and do well, and we both want our team to win,” Cooley said. “On the road trips we’re always talking about how we felt or a specific goal. We want to make sure each other is doing well mentally, and if things aren’t going right that we’re there to pick each other up.”

Because of their injuries, the two hadn’t spent as much time around each other as they have recently. Now road roommates, the duo’s bond has grown quickly thanks to an old-school, role-playing game.

“The last couple of weeks we’ve been hanging out together a lot,” Larsson said. “We play a computer game together, RuneScape. I think mostly 9-year-olds play it. When I was 6 I started playing it. It’s a nostalgic game for me – it’s fun to play like the good old days (of the early 2000s).”

Cooley, who was selected the NCHC’s goalie of the week after his Duluth gem – two weeks after Larsson won the same honor, added, “We’ve gotten really close. When we first met we didn’t talk much, but rooming on the road has helped a lot.”

One doesn’t get to this level of hockey without a highly competitive spirit, and both netminders possess that. But they’ve found that happy balance between that and building each other up.

“We’re good friends. The best thing for goalies is to help each other and compete and try to get better,” said Larsson, a 2016 draft choice of the Detroit Red Wings. “I try my best every practice because I know he’s doing the same. We always push each other. We also have (Michael) Corson to push us. It makes it a really good environment for each of us to get better.”

Pioneers captain Colin Staub said the team witnesses that improvement every day.

“It’s getting harder and harder to score in practice every day, and I think that’s a testament to them working every day and competing harder every day,” Staub said. “In a way both of them have earned a starting job with their play, and both of them are smart enough to realize that if they’re going to get ice time, get the starts in goal, they’re going to have to compete really well in practice and take the starting role there.”

It’s something both goaltenders want, and the Pioneers are benefitting from the healthy competition.

©First Line Editorial 2017-19