No. 2 Denver hockey secured two wins over Colorado College (CC) on Dec. 2 and 3, winning both games 3-1. The victories guaranteed Denver their third consecutive Gold Pan Trophy, awarded to the winner of the annual four-game series between DU and CC.
The successful weekend extended DU’s unbeaten streak to 14 games (11-0-3) and their dominance over nearby rival Colorado College, going 10-0 in the clubs’ last 10 meetings.
The weekend’s first matchup took place at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs.
Denver was unable to capitalize on two early game powerplays, as the teams skated to a 0-0 result after the first period.
As senior defenseman Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wisconsin) surged down the right boards in the second period, he dropped the puck for a patient Troy Terry (Denver) deep in the zone. Terry was able to wind and fire a wrister far-side for the game’s first goal, giving DU a 1-0 advantage.
Roughly three minutes later, sophomore Jarid Lukosevicius (Squamish, British Columbia) took a pass from San Jose Sharks prospect Dylan Gambrell (Bonney Lake, Washington) mid-stride in the neutral zone. Able to slip past the defense with speed, Lukosevicius roofed a slick backhand top-shelf to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead.
CC kept the game competitive, scoring at 12:16 of the second period and cutting Denver’s lead in half. It was the lone goal surrendered by junior Tanner Jaillet (Red Deer, Alberta), who made 20 saves on the night.
DU earned its third goal after freshman defenseman Michael Davies (St. Louis, Missouri) centered the puck from the lower-corner of the zone. Senior winger Evan Ritt’s (Lakewood, Colorado) shot was blocked, but defenseman Tariq Hammond (Calgary, Alberta) hammered home the rebound in the slot, securing Denver’s final 3-1 lead.
The second game of the series on Dec. 3 saw the action swing back to Denver at Magness Arena. The Pioneers allowed an early goal at 5:32 of the first period, as senior Evan Cowley (Evergreen, Colorado) was unable to stop a shot centered to the slot. Cowley made 19 saves on the night.
Less than 30 seconds later, Gambrell responded with his patented twisted wrister from the slot.
The goal beat the goaltender glove-side, with assists going to Butcher and sophomore defenseman Blake Hillman (Elk River, Minnesota).
A pair of special teams goals put Denver ahead, as senior Evan Janssen (Green Bay, Wisconsin) fired a one-timer home on the powerplay and sophomore Logan O’Connor (Calgary, Alberta) stuffed the puck in shorthanded.
The Pioneers survived five second period penalties called against them, during which CC fired off seven shots. DU skated into the third period with a 3-1 advantage before finally earning the victory. The result guaranteed at least a tie in the four-game season series with Colorado College, thus securing the Gold Pan Trophy for the third consecutive year.
“I liked the way [Cowley] played. I liked the way our team played in front of him. I thought we played a really good game, played with a lot of speed and good puck support,” said head coach Jim Montgomery. “I thought that was probably the best we’ve played in a little bit here, especially with players moving without the puck.
All eyes in college hockey will be fixated on Magness Arena when No. 1 ranked University of Minnesota-Duluth visits Denver for a two game series on Dec. 9-10. A rare occurrence, it’s only the second time in school history that Magness Arena has hosted the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams.
