No. 8 Denver received the perfect gift for its recent offensive malaise over the weekend, and it came wrapped in black and gold.

The Pioneers (11-4-3, 3-3-2-1 NCHC) completed an NCHC sweep of rival Colorado College with a 3-1 victory on Saturday night at World Arena.

Denver scored three or more goals for the second night in a row after hitting that mark just once in its previous seven games before the commencement of the 27th Gold Pan rivalry.

Cole Guttman scored for the third game in a row (and the fourth time in that span), giving the Pioneers a 3-1 lead on a power play after Bobby Brink and defenseman Kyle Mayhew struck at even strength. Those were DU’s only even-strength goals of the weekend.

Freshman Magnus Chrona stopped 20 shots as the Pioneers moved into the driver’s seat for reclaiming the Gold Pan.

By the numbers

Not only did DU outshoot the hosts, 37-21, but it won the special teams battle for the second night in a row.

The Pioneers duplicated their 1-for-3 showing on the power play from Friday and they stopped all three Tigers power plays, giving the penalty kill a perfect 5-for-5 weekend.

Denver also dominated CC (6-7-1, 2-5-1 NCHC) in the circle, winning 42 of 59 face-offs (71 percent).

The sweep also was the first of the season in the NCHC for DU, which climbed to third in the league with its third win in four NCHC games.

Sticking it to them

The Pioneers frequently attacked the stick side of Tigers goalie Matt Vernon, and it paid off for them with 9:53 to go in the second when Brink made a slick forehand-backhand move around a defender and snapped a backhander over Vernon’s blocker. The goal was Brink’s team-high seventh, a total Guttman equaled 2:11 into the third period.

Six minutes after Brink’s goal, Mayhew snuck around the CC cage and took a backdoor feed from Emilio Pettersen and shot it – you guessed it – past Vernon’s stick side.

Alex Bernardinelli cut the lead to 2-1 with 1:34 to play in the second, but Guttman ensured the closed gap had a short shelf life.

From there, Chrona did the rest, picking up his eighth victory of the season on a night in which he rarely was tested after the first period.

Fast start to weekend

Pettersen and Guttman propelled the Pioneers to a 3-0 victory at Magness Arena on Friday. Devin Cooley made 24 saves for his third victory in as many starts.

DU broke open a scoreless game early in the third period just 43 seconds after Liam Finlay drew a tripping call on CC’s Nick Halloran less than 2 minutes in.

Pettersen collected a rebound to the right of Vernon (28 saves) and fired a sharp-angle shot from near the goal line into the far upper corner.

Less than 5 minutes later, Pettersen fed Guttman at the left circle and the sophomore used his body to shield a CC defender from the puck as he drove from left to right through the crease. After kicking the puck to his forehand, Guttman beat Vernon above his left pad to make it 2-0.

Freshman Brett Edwards scored an empty-net goal in the final minute for DU. It was only the second time since Nov. 8 that the Pioneers had scored three or more goals.

DU won both games despite the absences of senior defenseman Michael Davies and junior wing Ryan Barrow due to injuries.

©First Line Editorial 2019