The DU Pioneers extended their win streak in a dominating victory over St. Cloud in the first half of their back-to-back. Magness Arena was a riot of cheers as the team exploded offensively, with 11 total players registering a point. The team also registered a season-high 48 shots on goal.
The team, as a whole, dominated play through all three periods, with all five skaters active across the zones. Captain Ian Mitchell was a huge part of that success, registering two assists and a stunning shorthanded game-winner. Forward Hank Crone joined Mitchell in leading the scoreboard with two goals on the night, including the icebreaker and a powerplay goal in the third.
You can watch Mitchell’s highlight-reel goal here:
This is Ian Mitchell at his best. #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/4ARdBCEA4q
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) January 11, 2020
Scoring went back and forth through the first two periods before Mitchell went coast-to-coast on the shorthanded game-winner. That opened the third period to an offensive onslaught from the Pioneers, who scored twice more to solidify a decisive victory over the Huskies. Hank Crone and Kohen Olischefski opened the Pioneer scoring in the first; Ryan Barrow tallied the sole Pioneers goal of the second; and Mitchell, Crone, and Liam Finlay closed it out in the third. St. Cloud’s goals came courtesy of Jack Poehling, Easton Brodzinski, and Chase Brand.
The Pioneers let their special teams shine in the second and third, going 2-for-3 on the powerplay and 1-for-3 on the penalty kill.
The entire game was characterized by the Pioneer’s excellent puck possession in the offensive zone, helped by the fact that the entire team was skating with speed. They unleashed a season-high 48 shots on goal, though the majority of the goals were scored by excellent puck movement in front of the net and by taking advantage of rebounds.
Mitchell summed the game up perfectly when asked about the team’s offensive explosion: “When we play like that we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”
It was the sort of game that the Pioneers needed. Mitchell admitted in the postgame that the team had dug themselves a bit of a hole in the first half in the standings. The team is now on a six-game win streak after sweeping St. Cloud, and they now sit at 15-4-3, 5-3-2-1.