The Denver Pioneers looked like a team with some rivalry-induced nerves and execution issues in the first period Friday night at Magness Arena.
They looked like a national championship contender in the final two periods.
A dominant effort in all three phases propelled the Pioneers to a 6-1 win in the first meeting with Colorado College in front of 7,021 fans — a record for hockey at this arena. Denver can lock up a fifth consecutive Gold Pan with a win Saturday night in Colorado Springs.
The Pioneers (5-1-1) bombarded Colorado College goalie Kaidan Mbereko with 23 shots on goal in the middle period. After a choppy first 20 minutes that had more post-whistle scrums than scoring chances, the second was a lot of one-way traffic in the Pioneers’ favor.
It didn’t get much better in the final period. Denver outshot Colorado College 48-20 for the game, and had 39 of the 52 shots on net in the final 40 minutes.
Shai Buium found Denver’s first goal at 4:56 of the second near the end of a power play. Mbereko sold out to his left for a shot that never made it to him, but it did end up Buium’s stick in the slot. His younger brother, Zeev Buium, was credited with the primary assist, the second time they’ve both been part of a goal this season.
Tristan Broz put the Pioneers in front at 7:32 of the period. Garrett Brown cut to the middle of the ice and laid off a pass for Broz, who didn’t miss with a one-timer for his third goal of the season.
Carter King added Denver’s third tally of the period at 10:23 while the Pioneers were shorthanded. Jack Devine scored twice in the final period — first on a tip-in and the second after an incredible end-to-end rush by Massimo Rizzo — to make it a runaway.
Freshman goalie Freddie Halyk made 19 saves in his second career start. No. 1 netminder Matt Davis did not dress. He’s considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
The Tigers were off to a 5-1 start, their best record after six games in 11 years. They also looked like an upset-minded bunch in the first 20 minutes.
Evan Werner opened the scoring for the Tigers at 6:09 of the first. He cut from left to right in the middle of the Pioneers’ zone and snapped a shot back against the grain past Hayk.
The Denver bench was not happy with the lack of a penalty call on the play that led to Werner shaking free — Sean Behrens had the puck along the right wall near the Pioneers’ bench, and coach Matt Carle felt he was separated from it illegally.
The rest of the first period had some hallmarks of a rivalry showdown — plenty of big hits, scrums after nearly every whistle … and a lot of misplaced passes and pucks bouncing off sticks.
Once both teams settled in, the Pioneers — ranked No. 2 in both of college hockey’s national polls entering the weekend — took complete control.
The Tigers will need to group. Denver only needs a split of the four-game series to retain the Gold Pan. The two sides play Saturday night at Ed Robson Arena and then have another home-and-home at the end of the regular season in March.
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