Denver got the season sweep after a dominant weekend, winning 5-1 on Friday and 5-2 on Saturday to get a much-needed six points in conference play.
After last week’s injury scare, senior goaltender Matt Davis started in goal for Denver and made 18 saves on 19 shots for a strong game back from injury.
The offense got started early in the first period of the weekend; at 9:38, a turnover by the Miami netminder Ethan Dahlmeir gave the puck to freshman forward Jake Fisher, who made a move and outwaited Dahlmeir to roof the puck in the net and give Denver the 1-0 lead.
At 18:06, Miami took a holding penalty, putting DU on the powerplay for the first time of the night. The Crimson and Gold didn’t waste any time and at 19:38; freshman forward James Reeder scored a tap-in goal from the side of the net off a setup feed from junior forward Samu Salminen to give DU the 2-0 lead heading into the middle period.
The middle period was quiet until the midway point of the frame at 10:42. An odd-man rush goal from sophomore defenseman Garrett Brown was a short-side snipe that beat Dahlmeir over the right pad. Brown’s first collegiate goal gave DU the 3-0 lead.
At 12:30, Miami took a cross-checking penalty putting DU on the powerplay for the third time. Jack Devine got in on the scoring with a one-timer shot that beat a sliding Dahlmeir to put DU up, 4-0, with 13:45 on the clock.
At 19:35, DU took a tripping penalty that carried into the final period of the night.
At 1:10, the Miami powerplay answered and Colby Ambrosio got a rebound in front of Davis and took a shot that jumped over Davis and into the net to cut the Miami deficit to 4-1.
18 seconds later at 1:28, DU answered right back and the Denver captain senior forward Carter King scored his 100th career point for Denver. A Miami defensive zone turnover led to a 3-on-1, and Devine slid the puck to junior forward Aidan Thompson, who then moved the puck back to King sitting net-front, who pounded home the goal into a wide-open net. The goal gave DU a 5-1 lead that Denver held onto for the rest of the night and got the much needed Friday night win they’ve had difficulty doing in the previous weekends.
Saturday’s game was more of the same as Friday with DU dominating offensively and forcing Miami to make mistakes.
Sophomore goaltender, Freddie Halyk got the start, giving Davis the night off. Halyk made 21 saves on 23 shots.
At 9:55, a corner pass from Thompson to sophomore defenseman Boston Buckberger wired a shot on goal and a rebound popped out in front of King, who finished it off and gave DU a 1-0 lead.
At 16:41, sophomore forward Kieran Cebrian got a cross-ice pass from junior forward Jared Wright on an odd-man rush, and Cebrian tapped it in and gave DU a 2-0 lead late in the first period.
The middle period started fast, and at 5:33, Miami’s Hampius Rydquist beat Halyk on a wraparound goal to cut the Miami deficit to 2-1.
Late in the middle frame at 18:33, sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium scored on a one-timer from a Devine pass on the left dot and gave DU the 3-1 lead.
The assist from Devine was his 150th career point in a Crimson and Gold uniform. This is the first time since Rhett Rakshani in 2010 that a player has reached 150 points in his career with DU.
In the final minute of the period at 19:18, Miami answered back. A Connor Hutchison shot from the left corner beat Halyk’s five-hole from an awkward angle to cut the DU lead to 3-2.
The Crimson and Gold played a shutdown third period all while continuing their offensive strength. At 10:30, Fisher scored his second goal of the weekend on a rebound from a point shot and gave DU a 4-2 lead.
At 17:47, Thompson scored an empty net goal from the blue line to give Denver the 5-2 win.
Denver Hockey is back in action at home on Feb. 28 and Mar. 1 against St. Cloud State, an all-important weekend for the Crimson in Gold to fight for home ice in the NCHC playoffs.
