The Denver Pioneers defeated the top-ranked St. Cloud State Huskies to complete the sweep after a very physical series
DENVER, CO– 56 penalty minutes is a statistic that is a pretty clear indicator as to what kind of game the No. 3 Denver Pioneers and No. 1 St. Cloud State Huskies had Saturday night. After a very close game Friday won by Denver 4-2, Saturday night’s game quickly got out of hand. The Pioneers scored three goals in the 2nd period and two more in the 3rd to knock off the top-ranked Huskies.
The game included several hard hits, major penalties, and a heated skirmish at the end of the game when emotions boiled over for the Huskies. After going 7-0-0 to start the season, the Huskies weren’t ready to hand the top ranking back to Denver after just one week. Messages were sent and there is clearly some unfinished business between the two division rivals. The next time St. Cloud and Denver meet is in St. Cloud February 23rd and 24th.
Before the season started, Denver was picked by most to be a heavy favorite to repeat as National Champions. However, last weekend the Pioneers were swept by the Western Michigan Broncos in an unexpected series loss. Denver quickly got back on track with these wins against St. Cloud, but they aren’t in the clear just yet. Next weekend, the Pioneers host the University of North Dakota who was ranked No. 2 overall in last weeks USCHO poll.
? Redirection ➡️?
Dylan Gambrell makes it 4-1 @DU_Hockey on the power play. #NCHCHockey pic.twitter.com/HMzT3ILW3S
— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) November 12, 2017
After the game Saturday night, The-Rink caught up with Denver’s Dylan Gambrell, a San Jose Sharks prospect, who tallied a goal and an assist Saturday night.
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
Interview with Dylan Gambrell from the University of Denver
Talk about tonight’s win and what it means to beat top-ranked St. Cloud State a couple nights in a row.
Honestly it’s exciting when you have a chance to take on the #1 in your own building. I think we brought it yesterday and we improved tonight. You can see that in the results.
Head coach Jim Montgomery talked on Friday about the Pioneer forwards needing to be more physical on the forecheck with St. Cloud. How much did that contribute to tonight’s game plan?
I think it was huge. When you take the body on Friday, it definitely takes a toll coming into Saturday. We came out early and we we’re definitely more physical which led to our success this weekend.
We saw you use the spin-o-rama move on your breakaway. When’s the last time you used that in a game?
(laughs) Uh… a long time. I was trying to do something just to get to the net, but it almost worked out.
Adam Plant played a really strong game tonight. Talk about his leadership role on the team, especially with captain Tariq Hammond out of the lineup.
Adam’s great on the power-play, he’s really good at shooting through traffic, and is really good at finding the net. Putting pucks on net clean is always useful for our team.
It got pretty heated at the end of the game. What do you expect from St. Cloud State the next time Denver plays them?
They’re going to be ready, and we’re going to be ready for them. They’re going to want to come back and get some redemption. We have to be at our best because we know they’re going to bring theirs.
What have you been working on this season as far as development that you and the Sharks talked about over the summer?
We talk a little bit, but development wise I’m just trying to do all the little things right. Sharpen up my play in the offensive zone and neutral zone. I want to do the little things right and just play hard.