Given both coaches are former defensemen, Friday’s Wild West shootout at Magness Arena couldn’t have sat well in either locker room. So you were almost guaranteed Saturday’s rematch between No. 3 Denver and No. 3 North Dakota would take on a more defensive posture.

That it did. The Pioneers took a 3-2 overtime win when Carter King cleaned up a rebound of Massimo Rizzo’s shot on a 2-on-1 with Zeev Buium 2:06 in to take two of the three NCHC points.

Carter King cleans up to give the Pioneers the victory in overtime!#GoPios pic.twitter.com/cacYZloS9W

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) December 3, 2023

That result, while short on style points, more accurately reflects what the Pioneers (11-4-1, 4-2-0) can expect to see a lot more of as the calendar flips into a new year.

“I’m glad we won the game, but regardless of the outcome, I thought we showed a lot more battle to be in a tight-checking hockey game,” DU coach David Carle said. “That was a real good experience for us to go through (because) we haven’t had many like that this year. That was an excellent team on the other side. We showed a lot of maturity.”

In other words, it demonstrated that a youthful DU team is capable of playing tough defense against an elite opponent. And that includes freshman goaltender Freddie Halyk, who made 29 saves one night after allowing seven goals.

Denver Manages Momentum Better

Friday’s affair was a momentum catastrophe for both teams. DU took 4-1 and 5-3 leads, then North Dakota rang up four goals in a row to close out the win.

On Saturday, the Fighting Hawks (12-3-1, 5-1-0) twice took leads, but DU twice battled back.

“We didn’t manage (momentum swings) very well (Friday) night,” Carle said. “Tonight, we had that one poor shift in the second and we strung two or three shifts together to fight back and retake the momentum or at least even it out.”

North Dakota scored first after freshman Sam Harris was ejected for a check from behind, giving the guests a five-minute power play. Six shots and 4:18 into it, Cameron Berg scored from the right circle.

Still, Halyk was solid in the first, making 13 saves.

Sophomore Aidan Thompson got DU on the board 4:38 into the second during one of the few times the Pioneers were able to activate their transition game in the first two periods.

The sequence started with a save by Halyk and continued with a pass from Sean Behrens up to Jared Wright on the right wing. Wright’s circle-to-circle sauce pass hit Thompson on the tape, and the sophomore ripped his third goal of the season (second in three games) past Ludvig Persson (19 saves) 4:38 into the second.

“I felt good out there,” said Thompson, who is one of the few Pioneers who hasn’t exceeded his offensive pace from last season. “I’ve had a few chances this year. They come in bunches, so I just have to continue to make plays and get shots on net and they’ll go in.”

Aidan Thompson buries his 3rd of the season for tonight's @Safeway Goal of the Game. pic.twitter.com/rVv5ED2UO2

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) December 3, 2023

Berg figured in North Dakota’s second goal as well. His centering pass from below the DU goal line found Hunter Johannes alone in the slot just 3:08 into the third period. Those two and Persson were three of the seven transfers in the Fighting Hawks’ lineup.

That seemed to further light a fire under the Pioneers, who steadily played better as the third period progressed. North Dakota generally kept the neutral zone clogged enough that the Pioneers couldn’t generate speed through it. The guests also kept the middle of their zone clogged and rarely allowed DU extended stays of sustained attack time until the final 15 minutes or so.

“We just continued to use our speed,” Thompson said. “We can catch teams. Chip and chase is all we can do when they clog up the neutral zone.”

Buium re-tied the score off a pass from Thompson to the inside of the left circle with 8:55 to play.

“(Thompson) managed the puck well,” Carle said. “He was able to back people off with his speed, cut back and maintain possession. That’s when he’s at his best when he’s moving his feet, attacking and possessing.”

Halyk Takes a Giant Step

Halyk’s three shutouts have come against Air Force and Yale (twice), so it’s not a stretch by any means to say Saturday’s 29-save gem against the No. 2 team (and justifiably so) in the nation was his best performance of the season.

“I’m really happy for Fred for the way he responded,” Carle said. “To get the opportunity again after letting in seven, for a freshman to have to do that and play as well as he did, with a five-minute major, it was really a good sign as well.”

Halyk’s teammates said his workmanlike approach all season led to this.

“He got put in a tricky situation here,” King said. “Having to play a lot as a freshman goalie is not an easy situation. We trust him. We see the growth. He’s been working his ass off.”

Zeev Buium Serves Further Notice

Halyk and Thompson had help on Saturday from Buium, who put on a clinic in the third period and overtime.

“He’s got unbelievable talent,” Thompson said. “His feet are great. he’s making plays out there left and right.”

This has been an ongoing project from the defenseman, who doesn’t even turn 18 until Dec. 7. The Hockey Coaches Association selected him as their co-player of the month for November after he posted 14 points (11 assists) in eight games. He started this month with three more, including Saturday’s two.

And they’re not meaningless ones. His goal sent the game into overtime, and his patience on the play with Rizzo in OT led to King’s winner.

“He’s a really competitive kid,” Carle said. “He sees red sometimes. There’s a line when he’s at his best, he’s right on that line. When it goes overboard it can turn undisciplined and reckless at times. When he’s up to that line, boy is he an excellent hockey player.

“He took the game over at times in the third period. Doing it as the second-youngest player in college hockey. Everyone’s talking about the (Macklin) Celebrini kid out East, well there’s a pretty good young player out here at Denver.”

Notes

Friday’s 7-5 loss was Denver’s first by more than a goal this season. … Shai Buium reached 50 career NCAA points with his three-point effort Friday. … Freshman forward Miko Matikka, who has a nine-game point streak that includes seven goals, was not in Saturday’s lineup due to an illness.

©First Line Editorial 2023