No. 8 Denver hockey team closed out their final regular-season road trip in dominant fashion, sweeping the Omaha Mavericks at Baxter Arena and extending their unbeaten streak to seven games. With the pair of victories, Denver secured home-ice advantage for the upcoming NCHC Quarterfinals during the first weekend in March and continued building momentum at exactly the right time.
Friday night however, did not start in Denver’s favor. Omaha struck first on the power play just over five minutes into the opening period, and the Mavericks held that 1-0 lead for nearly half the game. Despite generating chances, the Crimson and Gold struggled to break through early.
The momentum shifted dramatically late in the second period.
With 4:07 remaining in the middle frame, sophomore forward James Reeder tied the game from the backdoor, finishing a strong offensive sequence to solve the Maverick defense. Then, with just 1.1 seconds left before intermission, freshman forward Clarke Caswell buried his own rebound off a faceoff win to give Denver a 2-1 lead heading into the locker room.
That late burst carried into the third. Freshman forward Kyle Chyzowski extended the lead at 2:23 with a one-timer and Reeder added his second goal of the night at 9:41, finishing off a rush set up by senior forward Samu Salminen. In a 15-minute span bridging the second and third periods, Denver scored four unanswered goals to seize full control of the evening.
Omaha added a late goal, but senior forward Rieger Lorenz responded with an empty-net tally to seal the 5-2 victory.
Denver outshot Omaha 39-25 and received another steady performance from freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks, who stopped 31 of 33 shots to remain unbeaten in his collegiate career.
Saturday’s rematch was tighter and more physical, with both teams trading chances early but neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first period.
Sophomore forward Hagen Burrows opened the scoring midway through the second period, knocking in his own rebound to give Denver a 1-0 advantage. For the second time of the weekend, Omaha answered on the power play with 7:49 remaining in the period, tying the game at one and setting up a tight third period.
It took just 1:22 into the final frame for Denver to reclaim the lead. Off a clean faceoff win by Salminen, Lorenz found space and buried the go-ahead goal. The score extended his career-long goal streak to five games, the longest by a Crimson and Gold player this season.
From there, Hicks shut the door.
The netminder stopped all 13 shots he faced in the third period and finished with 26 saves on 27 shots overall. Omaha outshot Denver 27-24, but Denver capitalized on key opportunities and managed the final minutes effectively. Sophomore forward Jake Fisher iced the game with an empty-net goal with 31 seconds remaining to secure the 3-1 win.
Now 19-11-3 overall, 15-6-1 in NCHC play and ranked second in the NCHC, Denver has recorded five weekend sweeps this season and sits 6-0-1 over its last seven games, marking its longest unbeaten stretch of the year.
With postseason play looming, Denver appears to be peaking at the right moment. Strong goaltending, timely scoring and disciplined defensive play have turned a late-season push into a much-needed run. Denver will have a bye weekend Feb. 20 and 21 but return home to Magness Arena Feb. 27 and 28, before the NCHC postseason begins.
