DENVER — Very interested to see how this game starts. UMD has lost three straight by 4-3 scores, gaining only one of a possible nine points in the NCHC standings. Starting goalie Adam Gajan will leave the team Sunday to join the Slovakians ahead of the Olympics in Italy.
Outside of a third period that featured UMD possessing the puck a lot, Friday’s game featured some pretty poor defensive play from the visitors, combined with some garish turnovers. There’s plenty to build off of after the Bulldogs staged a furious third-period rally, even if it did fall a goal short, but there’s also a lot to improve.
From my eyes, it appears that UMD’s top forwards were trying to be maybe a bit too fine on Friday, shooting pucks to score instead of perhaps shooting to get the puck to the net front and create some havoc, to “cause chaos” as the Carolina Hurricanes like to say. Shot chances from up high take too long to get off at times, allowing defenders to get into the lanes. As a result, Denver blocked 21 of UMD’s 80 shot attempts Friday, with another 24 missing the net entirely. Both those numbers are too high.
UMD got to backup Paxton Geisel, who came on in place of Johnny Hicks. Hicks started Friday and left the game in the third period after making an acrobatic save on Jayson Shaugabay. But the Bulldogs didn’t get nearly enough pucks to him after Ty Hanson scored with just under six minutes left to get them within one.
Denver is not announcing a starting goalie until after the pregame warmup, I’m told, so clearly Hicks will test his injury in the warmup to see if he can dress. Geisel would make his third start of the season if Hicks can’t go.
For UMD, senior forward Scout Truman will sit out with what I believe is an upper-body injury. He left just past the midpoint of the second period, peeling off for a line change and appearing to be in some discomfort.
Oh, and the top line has been broken up. Shaugabay will skate with Callum Arnott and Harper Bentz, the Plantes with Hunter Anderson. Luke Bibby draws in on the fourth line to take Truman’s place in the lineup.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD forwards
Plante (Max) – Plante (Zam) – Anderson
Shaugabay – Arnott – Bentz
Zaremba – Gaffney – Bechen
Shlaine – Kovich – Bibby
UMD defense
Hanson – Kleber
Pionk – Pierce
Cleveland – Siepmann
Bodnarchuk
UMD goalies
Gajan – Dahlmeir – Sheffield
Denver forwards
Chyzowski – Salminen – Reeder
Harris – Caswell – Epperson
Varkonyi – Cebrian – Lorenz
Milburn – Fisher – Burrows
Denver defense
Buckberger – Anderson
Jamieson – Pohlkamp
Ashcroft – Brown
Pitner
Denver goalies
Geisel – Hicks
(Denver’s goalies are listed alphabetically on the chart.)
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