There is nothing wrong with No. 4 Denver’s offense that a little movement can’t solve. That was the consensus opinion this week at Pioneers practice.

The Pioneers, who play host to No. 9 Providence on Friday and Saturday (alumni weekend, complete with a championship banner raising on Saturday), managed just two goals with an extra attacker during 120 minutes at Massachusetts last weekend. That came on the heels an eight-goal weekend to open the season.

So what gives?

For one, DU hasn’t had great scoring balance thus far. Six of the 10 goals have come from wings Carter Mazur and Casey Dornbach, who were paired with center Massimo Rizzo until Saturday night. Two more linemates – Jack Devine and McKade Webster also have a goal each.

For another, the defense, which averaged almost three points per game last season has generated five points total (1.25 per game). That’s notable because the blue line not only is deep and experienced but it often is a driver for the offense.

“Defensively we’ve got to take away time from (opponents),” junior Mike Benning said. “It’s better for us to take the puck out of their hands and put it in our forwards’ hands. That’s what drives our offense, taking time away.

“For us, it’s moving our feet. We’ve got an agile group back there. We’ve got Magnus (Chrona) back there who’s a wall. Keeping it unpredictable, always moving around, joining the rush. That makes it hard to defend.”

When DU’s D can accomplish that, the transition game gets out of park. Giiven all the high-gear speed on this roster it can make a big advantage seem like a colossal one against most teams.

Here is one example of the transition game in action, Webster’s goal against Notre Dame:

🗣️Webster!

The assistant captain doubles the @DU_Hockey lead late with an #NCHCTopPlay nominee #NCHChockey // #GoPios pic.twitter.com/l6Zw8HCU0R

— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) October 8, 2022

“We all trust our feet and our skills enough,” said assistant captain Kyle Mayhew, like Benning a defenseman. “We really harp on managing the puck, not throwing it away. We can all protect it with our body, at our feet. We don’t need to make last-ditch plays toward the net. We can be poised and then make plays when they’re there.”

A great example of that would be Benning’s goal against Maine. He receives the puck in the left (his off wing) circle, skated to where he had a better angle and snapped home a doozy of a goal. Mazur had one from almost the same spot to the far post when the Black Bears goalie moved.

We like Mike! 🚀

Benning with a laser to put @DU_Hockey in front in the Ice Breaker championship

📺: @AltitudeTV
💻: https://t.co/ZyUdpPrI2J #NCHChockey // #GoPios pic.twitter.com/KmZvUeC7ec

— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) October 9, 2022

Those goals were made possible by another component the Pioneers are addressing.

“(In Friday’s 4-2 loss to UMass) there was definitely a lot of perimeter play,” coach David Carle noted. “It’s OK to have three guys outside the dots, two of them are defensemen, if they’re moving their feet. It’s critical we have two guys inside the dots, and one of them at the net front.

“(Last) Friday night that was not really existent. Saturday it was better, and I didn’t think we got rewarded for our efforts. Their goalie played really well and made some saves. That’s certainly a lesson.”

That’s one of many the youthful Pioneers (the seventh-youngest team in Division I) are in the process of getting a handle on.

“It’s not a surprise with how many new people we have,” Carle added. “We need to work on our offensive chemistry. It’s not a panic, but we need to continue to work on our offensive game.”

To that end, expect to see more mixing and matching of line combinations. Freshman Jared Wright, who could be a stunt double for the Road Runner, moved to a line with Mazur and Rizzo, while Dornbach spent time with sophomore Carter King and freshman Rieger Lorenz. Another line was shuffled due to Webster’s injury (he’s questionable for the weekend).

Expect still more changes when freshman Aidan Thompson is able to return. The center, who was a third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks last summer, has resumed skating but is a few weeks away from making his NCAA debut.

Going forward, it’s incumbent upon the Pioneers to utilize a time-tested formula, Mayhew said.

“We’re focused on how we can get to the net fronts, getting one-timers, getting the puck off our sticks as quick as we can,” he said. “We might have been overhanding things vs. UMass. We do get cycling upside with the D. We just need a guy in the middle taking away the goalie’s eyes. It’s something we’re working on, and we’ll get there.”

©First Line Editorial 2022