Belief. It’s easy to say, but not as easy to walk out.

No. 9 Denver believed, and it received what it had sought since it began play in the NCHC’s pod a week ago – a victory. And this wasn’t just any victory. The Pioneers (1-3) took down No. 1 North Dakota, 3-2, on Tuesday afternoon, and in the process gained a measure of revenge against a Fighting Hawks team that rallied to defeat them in overtime on Friday and was on a 5-0-1 heater overall vs. DU.

“That team we just played is a really good hockey team,” Denver coach David Carle said. “We make them better, and they make us better. That was a fun hockey game to watch.”

Freshman Carter Savoie continued what appears might be a season-long reign of terror against opposing goaltenders, notching his fifth goal in four games with 2:02 to play in the third period. Magnus Chrona made 24 saves, and captain Kohen Olischefski and freshman McKade Webster also scored for DU. The Fighting Hawks (3-1) had power-player tallies from Jordan Kawaguchi, who launched Friday night’s dagger, and Collin Adams.

Here are three observations from DU’s first victory of the season:

Back to basics

The Pioneers held a players-only meeting Sunday night. A long meeting, according to Carle, who was not on the guest list.

“I am super proud of how the boys responded,” Olischefski said. “The meetings was about us staying grounded, getting back to simplicity (in our game). We had tough results the first three nights but played good hockey.”

Tuesday’s good vibrations came after what undoubtedly were some heart-to-heart discussions.

“They can have those honest conversations and turn the page and move on,” Carle said.

Savoie the scoring savant

Maybe we shouldn’t be asking what Savoie can do for an encore, but rather what can’t he do?

Consider this: He’s the first DU freshman ever to score a goal in his first four games. And he’s done this against teams ranked No. 1, No. 3, No. 13 and No. 1. Of course Savoie’s prowess with the puck on his stick is nothing new. He scored 53 goals in 54 games for St. Albert of the Alberta Junior Hockey League last season.

“His game’s been awesome, he plays without fear,” Olischefski said. “(He’s got a) ton of confidence. He’s a threat every time he has the puck.”

The Fighting Hawks found that out near the tail end of having kill off a 5-minute major that was interrupted for a 4-on-4 interlude courtesy of a DU tripping penalty.

And in an irony, it was a one-time DU recruit, Brendan Budy, who put his team behind the 8-ball when he checked Justin Lee from behind into the boards. Budy you may recall was brought in to Denver when Logan O’Connor signed with the Avalanche in the summer of 2018. Budy didn’t play much in the first half of the season and returned to junior, first in the United States Hockey League and then last season in Langley of the British Columbia Hockey League.

After a review of the hit on Lee, Budy was given five and a game, and the Pioneers were given a golden opportunity to counter a couple of disheartening losses in pod Week 1.

After some fits and starts early in the 5-minute power play, Webster took a tripping penalty. Less than a minute after its expiration, Cole Guttman entered the North Dakota zone from the left, pulled up and found Savoie blazing down the left wing. Guttman threaded a pass past a UND defender and Savoie’s rising shot beat Adam Scheel (26 saves) on the glove side.

“I’m really proud of our group for how they responded,” Carle said. “That might be one of the better third periods since I became coach. I was impressed with our determination. That’s what you want to see.”

Instant replay?

The Denver power play continued its torrid start, connecting 12:37 into the game when Antti Tuomisto‘s point shot went off the end boards to Scheel’s right and to Webster, who scored short side. One minute later, Olischefski made it 2-0 from the right circle.

However, the fight came back to the Fighting Hawks less than a minute later when Kawaguchi scored from above the right circle. That play, and the one Adams scored on with 25 seconds to play in the second came as a direct result of DU losing face-offs.

If you’re looking for a category to assign a check mark for needs improvement for Denver, that would be it. Only in the pivotal third period did DU outdraw its foe (11-7), but it was on the losing end overall, 24-37 (39 percent). But if we’re splitting hairs over face-offs in a win, well …

“This had the feel of a rivalry game,” Olischefski said. “It felt like we were in the midseason or the playoffs. It was great to see a response.

“Every year we’ve had something like this (slump). Teams in the past have always drawn from it and grown from it.”

The last word

“You don’t get to choose the time of year you see adversity, just how you respond,” Carle said. “We’re a better team than we were a week ago.”

Notes: This was Denver’s first game without forward Bobby Brink, who along with North Dakota defensemen Jake Sanderson and Tyler Klevan, headed to Plymouth, Mich., to attend USA Hockey’s final evaluation camp for the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the upcoming World Junior Championships at Edmonton, Alberta. The final 25-man roster will be announced next Monday.

Up next: Denver will play Miami on Thursday afternoon at 2:35 p.m.

©First Line Editorial 2020