by Nevan Costello, Special to USCHO
LOVELAND, Colo. — Denver got exactly the start it wanted and never looked back.
The Pioneers scored four times in the opening period and rolled past defending national champion Western Michigan, punching their ticket to the Frozen Four.
Sam Harris, Kyle Chyzowski, Samu Salminen and Brendan McMorrow all scored in the first period as Denver seized control early and forced the Broncos to chase the game the rest of the night.
Harris opened the scoring just 2 minutes into the game, finishing a rebound in front to give Denver a 1-0 lead. Chyzowski doubled the advantage less than three minutes later when he broke behind the Western Michigan defense on a breakaway and beat Broncos goaltender Hampton Slukynsky.
Western Michigan answered quickly. Zach Bookman, a Merrimack transfer, battled through Denver defenders and found a loose puck in front to cut the deficit to 2-1.
But Denver responded again and continued to exploit open ice. James Reeder created a 2-on-1 chance off a turnover and set up Salminen, restoring the Pioneers’ two-goal lead. Denver’s speed through the neutral zone created repeated rush chances in the opening period, and its third line added to the outburst with five minutes left in the frame when McMorrow buried another rebound.
By the end of the first, Denver had built a 4-1 lead with production from each of its top three lines. Two of the Pioneers’ four goals came off turnovers in the Broncos’ end.
Broncos coach Pat Ferschweiler pointed to the opening period afterward and credited Denver for capitalizing on Western Michigan’s mistakes.
“There execution was higher than ours no doubt, felt like they took advantage of our young D-Core.”
After a wide-open first period, the second settled into more of a special-teams battle.
Both teams generated chances, and Western Michigan began to clean things up defensively while pushing for a way back into the game. Denver goaltender Johnny Hicks stood tall during the Broncos’ push, turning aside several quality chances.
An early Western Michigan power play was cut short when Bookman went to the box for tripping, creating a stretch of 4-on-4 play. Later in the period, William Whitelaw was called for roughing after a post-whistle scrum, giving Denver another man-advantage opportunity.
Western Michigan’s penalty kill helped keep the game within reach, clearing pucks, blocking shots and getting key stops from Slukynsky. Even while trailing, the Broncos regained more possession and started to look more like themselves, playing with the pace and physicality that carried them through much of the season.
Still, Western Michigan entered the third period needing a major push.
The Broncos finally broke through at 11:24 of the third when defenseman Theo Wallberg scored off a setup from Bobby Cowan, trimming Denver’s lead to 4-2.
Any thought of a comeback was short-lived.
Denver coach David Carle spoke afterward about the importance of depth scoring against a team like Western Michigan.
“Were playing single elimination hockey, so to rely on one line is really challenging, to have guys step on any given night and everyone was going tonight.”
Just two minutes later, Kieran Cebrian answered for Denver, finishing off a feed from Chyzowski, who recorded his third point of the night. The goal restored the Pioneers’ three-goal cushion and effectively ended Western Michigan’s rally.
A late high-sticking penalty against the Broncos gave Denver another advantage, and with Western Michigan’s net empty, Eric Pohlkamp added the finishing touch as the Pioneers closed out the win.
Denver’s explosive first period proved to be more than enough, and the Pioneers are now headed back to the Frozen Four.