The No. 2 DU Pioneers extended a pair of impressive streaks on Friday night, earning their ninth straight win over the CC Tigers and lengthening their unbeaten streak to 13 games (10-0-3) with a 3-1 victory at Broadmoor World Arena. Denver (10-2-3, 4-0-3-2 NCHC) can now retain the Gold Pan Trophy with a win against Colorado College (3-10-0, 1-4-0-0) Saturday night at Magness Arena.
Pioneers head coach Jim Montgomery was pleased with his team’s performance on Friday.
“I thought we managed the puck well and did a good job of protecting our net tonight,” Montgomery said post-game. “It was a good team effort for us in a tough arena to play in on an (Olympic-sized) ice surface we’re not accustomed to. The Tigers played hard and were very physical against us in this one and we expect more of the same from them tomorrow. Hopefully we can take advantage of our first opportunity to hoist a trophy this season and retain the Gold Pan in front of our great fans at Magness Arena.”
Following a scoreless opening period, Anaheim Ducks prospect Troy Terry (Denver, Colo.) gave Denver a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute of play, finding the back of the net for the fifth game in row during a 2:00-long four-on-four session. Sophomore forward Jarid Lukosevicius (Squamish, B.C.) then converted on a well-placed backhand shot to put the Pioneers up 2-0 midway through regulation.
After Sam Rothstein scored for the Tigers to cut the home team’s deficit in half, junior blueliner Tariq Hammond (Calgary, Alta.) tallied an insurance marker for Denver early in the third period, burying a rebound produced by an Evan Ritt (Denver, Colo.) shot to register the first goal of his season. The assist gave Ritt the first point of his NCAA career. Junior netminder Tanner Jaillet (Red Deer, Alta.) and the stalwart DU defense were able to keep CC’s offense at bay from there on out, with the visitors ultimately taking the decision by a 3-1 final.
Featured Image Credit: denverpioneers.com