Huskies and Pioneers Set to Square Off in Mile High Duel
The No. 2 Denver Pioneers are looking to defend Magness Arena this weekend in their duel against the No. 4 St. Cloud State Huskies.
The 6-2 Pioneers are coming off a pair of convincing wins against the Miami Redhawks and are looking to continue their early season NCHC dominance against the Huskies.
Denver is looking to bring home a national championship for the second season in a row. An early season series sweep against St. Cloud will give them even more momentum heading into a difficult NCHC schedule.
The Crimson and Gold are a steady offensive team that rely on the top line to produce almost all of the offense resulting in an average of 3.13 goals per game.
The top unit consists of Carter Mazur, Massimo Rizzo and Casey Dornbach. The trio have 38 points combined, Mazur and Dornbach both with 12 and Rizzo leading the team with 14.
The Denver backend is very deep and is seeing production from sophomores Shai Buium and Sean Behrens. Buium is leading Denver defensemen with six points this season and Behrens has been a sponge early for the Pioneers with 17 blocked shots in this young season.
There’s a good chance veteran netminder Magnus Chrona will be defending the blue paint both games for the Crimson and Gold having started seven of eight this season. A .918 SV% and 1.9 GAA poses a large threat to the Huskies offense.
The 7-1 Huskies have been red hot all season long. The single loss coming last weekend against Bemidji State in a game that they controlled but couldn’t find the back of the net in.
The loss knocked the Cardinal and Black down two spots in this week's USCHO polls, leaving a sour taste in the teams mouth.
The Huskies are looking to reclaim the No. 2 spot in the rankings while also getting back in the win column at Magness Arena after dropping both games there last season.
St. Cloud is led by graduate transfer Grant Cruikshank who has 10 points in eight games. Seniors Kyler Kupka and Jami Krannila have both notched eight points this season while playing significant roles in the teams system offensively and defensively.
The defense is led by senior Dylan Anhorn offensively and defensively. He leads all defensemen and is tied with a team high 10 points while also soaking up 12 shots this season.
Another notable player in the backend is sophomore Jack Peart. Peart is coming off a freshman season that earned him a spot on the US World Junior squad resulting in a showcasing of what type of player Peart can be.
If Anhorn and Peart can shutdown the Pioneers' best line along with the rest of the defense, St. Cloud can walk away with some big wins.
Goalies Dominic Basse and Jaxon Castor have been splitting series all season and will most likely continue that trend this weekend. A combined .936 SV% and 1.5 GAA will be hard for the Denver attack to crack.
Fans of both teams should expect a tight checking battle that could get chippy from two teams that are well coached and play with loads of heart and desire.
Hayden Lewis is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email lewis1818hayden@gmail.com.
