Following an emotional win on Jan. 30, the Pioneers were unable to hold their ground on Jan. 31 to complete the sweep against the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (UMD).
DU took the Jan. 30 game 3-2, jumping out to a quick lead on a goal by senior center Daniel Doremus 30 seconds into the first period. Denver scored early in the second period as well, capitalizing on momentum to score again a few minutes later to take the lead on senior Joey LaLeggia’s ninth goal of the season.
The game was fast-paced all the way through, and ended up being closer than DU expected. With eight minutes remaining in the third period, DU appeared to score on a five-minute power play, but the goal was revoked after review due to interference.
“I didn’t think that our tempo on the power play was very good,” Denver head coach Jim Montgomery said after the game. “I think guys were wondering what the next guy was going to do instead of getting open.”
Nevertheless, Denver’s defense was able to stop the Bulldogs from mounting a comeback.
Following the Jan. 30 game, DU jumped to fifth in the Pairwise rankings—a predictor of the NCAA tournament—one spot off the regional seed. However, they fell to ninth after the loss to the Bulldogs (15-10-1; NCHC 9-6-1) on Jan. 31.
Tensions were running particularly high on Jan. 31, with both teams playing even more physically than the night before, and DU eventually fell 4-2 to split an important NCHC series.
DU was tied 1-1 with UMD to finish the first period, but the Bulldogs scored twice in the second to pull ahead.
With only 16 minutes remaining in regulation, junior and Denver native Quentin Shore’s eighth goal of the season and second goal of the series brought the Pioneers within one of UMD. However, Denver was unable to take of advantage of a pair of late power plays to tie up the game.
The Pioneers pulled goalie Evan Cowley with 1:33 remaining in a last-ditch effort to try and tie the game, but the Bulldogs used it to their advantage, scoring the final goal of the game to defeat DU 4-2.
“Both teams spent a lot of emotion and we didn’t have as much in the tank,” Montgomery said. “There was a lot of turnovers as compared to the other night, a lot more scoring chances.”
“UMD is such a high quality opponent. It’s disappointing not getting the sweep because I thought that would have catapulted us into a spot to challenge for first overall in our conference,” he continued.
Turnover at goaltender is something that DU will likely deal with the rest of the season. Both goalies got playing time this weekend, with freshman Tanner Jaillet starting on Jan. 30 and sophomore Cowley starting the Jan. 31.
Jaillet was never pulled from the game Friday, netting 28 saves. He also replaced Cowley for 15 minutes in the second period Saturday night. However, Cowley was put back in, and stayed in for the rest of the game after Jaillet allowed the Bulldog’s eventual winning goal. DU determines which goaltender will start each game on a week-to-week decision based on that week’s practice.
“I’m really happy with the way Cowley responded,” Montgomery said. “When he came back in, he was rock solid, and he looked like that goaltender who stoned North Dakota for 32 shots.”
With only nine games remaining on their schedule, the Pioneers (15-9-1; NCHC 8-7-0) are currently ranked tenth by USA Today. Denver is also standing in fifth place in their conference, two games behind first place University of Nebraska Omaha.
DU’s next game is Feb. 6 against Colorado College (5-18-1; NCHC 1-13-1), in Colorado Springs. The last time DU and CC met, DU skated to an 8-1 victory over the Tigers.
“We’ve got to be ready, and we’ve got expect that we’re going to have our hands full on Friday [Feb. 6] night,” said Montgomery.
The game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
