It was a big homecoming weekend for the no. 1 Pioneers as they were able to take both games against a tough opponent in the no. 6 ranked Boston College Eagles. Denver continued their undefeated start with two games in which they looked and played like the better team. It was a tale of two games this weekend, with the contest on Friday night being more of a defensive battle and both goalies stealing the stage. Saturday night was a different story, as both teams were able to find the net throughout the game in a high scoring battle.
As I mentioned earlier, Friday night’s contest was a defensive battle with the final score being 3-0, with two empty net goals scored by Denver in the final minute. The first period was evenly matched with both teams creating some chances but neither side was able to capitalize. The second period was when the Pioneers were finally able to find their stride as they used their speed and puck movement to gain an edge. Sophomore Cole Guttman (Los Angeles, Calif.) was able to find the back of the net on a garbage puck goal in front of the net at 16:39 left in the period.
The rest of the game belonged to freshman goalie Magnus Chrona (Stockholm, Sweden) as he shut down a late push by Boston College. Posting a shutout, he saved all 23 shot attempts put on him. The Pioneers wrapped up the game with two empty net goals by senior Tyson McLellan (San Jose, Calif.) and sophomore Brett Stapley (Campbell River, B.C.) in the final minute to put the nail in the coffin.
While Chrona was able to post a shutout, he looked a little nervous at times and struggled with his rebounds. It was the freshman’s first ever home game at Magness arena and he could have been a bit overwhelmed by the homecoming crowd. As the game went on, he seemed to get more and more comfortable but still struggled a little bit.
The second game on Saturday night was an offensive battle with the Pioneers emerging victorious with a 6-4 win. Boston College’s Alex Newhook scored a shorthanded goal right after the Pioneers went on a power play following penalties by both teams. The Eagles had nonstop pressure right in front of the net that led to the shorthanded goal. McLellan evened the game 11:36 seconds into the game on a back and forth from sophomore Hank Crone (Dallas, Texas). The Pioneers struck again less than a minute later with an even strength goal from junior Jake Durflinger (Walnut Creek, Calif.) on the rebound. Just a little bit over a minute later, after a penalty by freshman Bobby Brink (Minnetonka, Minn.), Boston College evened the game once more off a rebound goal from Aapeli Rasanen. Both teams struggled with bad turnovers and poor defensive zone coverage in this period.
While the first period was evenly matched, the second period belonged to the Pioneers. The Pioneers came out flying and, on a mission, scoring three goals in under three minutes to start the second period. The first goal came courtesy of McLellan, his second of the game at 1:29 into the period. After a bad turnover by Boston College, The Pioneers then went on the power play where junior defenseman Ian Mitchell (Calahoo, Alberta) found the back of the net with a shot from the point. The third goal came from senior Liam Finlay (Kelowna, B.C.) at 4:06 into the period as he found a way to sneak it past goaltender Spencer Knight after a pass from Hank Crone put him right in front of the net. The rest of the second period was more even but Denver still dominated the puck. While Boston College tried to get back, Chrona looked more and more comfortable as the game went on while Spencer Knight of Boston College looked shaken and the three quick goals seemed to have gotten to his head.
The third period played out much like the first game with the teams going back and forth with each having scoring opportunities. As the period went on, it became clear that Boston College was playing more and more frustrated. Their play was erratic, and they started to hit every instance they could. But playing frustrated seemed to work for Boston College as they were able to pull a couple goals back in the third. At 2:49 into the third, Mike Hardman scored to pull the eagles to within two goals. Continuing their late push, the eagles scored with 5:24 left in the game with a shot from the point by Jack McBain that Chrona never saw. That would be the last that Boston College did to push the Pioneers as with a 1:34 left in the game, Brink scored on the power play to seal a DU victory.
While Boston College was a formidable opponent this weekend, it was clear who the better team was. Denver looked more conditioned and composed throughout this weekend. Their speed and puck movement was at times, too much for the Boston defense to handle and it showed. Expect the Pioneers to stay at no. 1 while we expect to see Boston College fall a couple of spots. Next up for the Pioneers is a home series against Niagara on Nov. 1 and 2 on the 70th anniversary weekend.
