A game top-ranked Denver dominated statistically for two periods got a lot more interesting in the final 20 minutes, but the Pioneers passed their opening-night test en route to a 5-2 victory against No. 9 Notre Dame on Friday night at Magness Arena.

Up 2-0 until late in the second period, the Pioneers twice withstood Irish rallies to close the gap to one goal. Twice Denver had to kill off third-period penalties with a 3-2 lead.

DU ultimately sealed the outcome when McKade Webster finished a two-on-one with Owen Ozar with 3:39 to go. Grad transfer Casey Dornbach left no doubt about the outcome when he eluded two Notre Dame defenders near center ice and hit an empty net for his second goal of the the game just 45 seconds later.

“I loved the pushback we had when things didn’t go right,” Denver coach David Carle said. “You look up at the shot clock and it’s lopsided, they score a goal, they score another goal. We didn’t get down on the bench. That’s a really good sign early for our team.”

DU’s defensive dominance pays off in the end

A crucial part of Denver’s ability to withstand Notre Dame’s third-period push – the Irish registered nine of the first 10 shots on goal after being outshot 21-6 through two periods – was the Pioneers’ defensive effort in the first 40 minutes.

Rarely could Notre Dame sustain attack time. Entries into the DU zone were contested and usually short-lived. That was particularly important given the Irish’s size advantage. Extended stays probably would have worn down DU eventually.

“We rolled four lines generally five on five. All the D were really good,” Carle said. “When you don’t have to spend a ton of time in your own end the game’s a bit easier. That helped us in the third when we had a few longer in-zone stints because the hardest part physically is having to chase pucks and defend in your own end.

“Because we did such a good job the first two periods, we had a little bit more legs than we would have had in the third on a Day 1 game.”

The top D pair of Kyle Mayhew and Sean Behrens in particular did a good job blocking shots (they had nine combined) and advancing pucks to awaiting forwards.

“It’s a testament to our depth,” Dornbach said. “That’s on our forwards and our D. We know if Magnus (Chrona) was getting more shots he’s going to stop them.

“It’s definitely something to build off of.”

Special teams were the story early

The first three goals of the game were power-play tallies.

Dornbach’s first goal came during Denver’s second power play in the first period. Defenseman Shai Buium’s shot from just above the circles hit the post to Ryan Bischel’s right. The puck might have by grazed by Carter Mazur, but Dornbach was stationed a few feet outside the blue paint and buried the loose biscuit. That came with 6:51 to go.

“Any time a power play can keep pounding pucks and work the puck around and keep getting shots like that, eventually a PK gets tired,” Dornbach said. “I think (initial) shot squirted through the five hole. I think Mazur might have touched it back. It was just right there at the right time.”

DU struck again on the power play with 7:50 to play in the second when freshman Rieger Lorenz drove down the left wing drew Bischel to the left side of the net and dropped a pass into the slot, where Jack Devine tapped it in.

The Irish, however, weren’t going to go quietly. Ryder Rolston made it a one-goal game on Notre Dame’s fifth shot on goal, rifling a one-timer from the top of the left circle past Magnus Chrona (18 saves) with 4:02 to play.

“That goal that beats him on the power play, that’s a hell of a shot for him to put it post and in on the far side, through our block and through their screen,” Carle said.

Mazur restored the two-goal lead on a snipe from left circle off a cross-slot pass from Ozar with 40 seconds left. The fourth goal of the game was the first scored at even strength.

“I really didn’t look,” Mazur said. “I just shot with my head down.”

Denver digs deep in the third

Notre Dame ratcheted up the intensity in the third period, and again pulled to one goal 3 minutes in when 13th forward Chase Blackmun scored on a wraparound goal after Chrona and DU’s defense had a rare lapse, failing to gain control of a loose puck down low.

From there, Denver twice had to kill penalties before fourth-line winger Ozar made one of the plays of the game. He collected the puck along the bench side of the boards in the neutral zone, chipped it past an Irish defender and regained control just over the blue line. The defender stayed with him, and Ozar, who also assisted on Mazur’s goal, sauced a pass across to Webster. Bischel had no chance, and that was that.

The Irish threat was real. They had a 14-6 shots-on-goal edge in the third.

“We were pounding them in (the first two periods),” Mazur said. “We played the game the right way. They had only six shots going into the third. They responded so we responded back really well.”

Given Denver’s youthful lineup, that response is the most encouraging part about Friday’s victory.

Three stars

1. DU’s defense. Fine, we’ll split it six ways – all six defensemen kept Irish stays in the zone at a minimum and advanced pucks quickly to DU’s fleet forwards.
2. Owen Ozar. The sophomore set up the winning and clinching goals.
3. Casey Dornbach. Welcome to DU. The grad transfer scores the first and last goals among his team-high four shots on goal.

Notes: Tristan Broz, who was out with a lower-body injury for last weekend’s exhibition, made his DU debut, playing on the second line with Webster and Devine. … The Irish dressed just six underclassmen out of their 22 skaters. Denver dressed just eight upperclassmen. … The Pioneers will play host to Maine, which defeated Air Force 4-1 on Friday, on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Magness Arena. The winner of the game will win the Ice Breaker trophy.

©First Line Editorial 2022