{"id":102664,"date":"2020-01-09T06:00:57","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T12:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?p=102664"},"modified":"2020-08-24T11:02:22","modified_gmt":"2020-08-24T16:02:22","slug":"denver-starts-second-half-of-season-on-right-foot-looking-to-treat-every-opponent-the-same","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2020\/01\/09\/denver-starts-second-half-of-season-on-right-foot-looking-to-treat-every-opponent-the-same\/","title":{"rendered":"Denver starts second half of season on right foot, looking to ‘treat every opponent the same’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hank<\/a>
Hank Crone has collected two goals and 10 points in 19 games this season for Denver (photo: Candace Horgan).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Going into last weekend, Denver fans might have had cause for concern.<\/p>\n

The Pioneers had struggled mightily in November and early December, and while a sweep of arch-rival Colorado College to close the first half was a bright spot, it was unclear if Denver had righted the ship. Further, the Pioneers were facing a very good Massachusetts team, one that had ended Denver\u2019s season last year in the Frozen Four.<\/p>\n

According to Denver coach David Carle, that loss wasn\u2019t something the players dwelled on.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe maybe said it one time on Saturday going into the week, but once we were in our game-prep mode for the week, we didn’t talk about last year at all, because we’re different, they’re different. We try to treat every opponent the same. It wasn’t a focal point for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

In both games, Denver trailed. On Friday, the Pioneers rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the third period, and on Saturday they rallied from a 2-0 second-period deficit. Carle sees some similarities with the Frozen Four game, though this time Denver came out on top.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought our guys just really stuck to our game plan. I think we believed that we were going to get chances and opportunities if we just kept playing the right way and doing our thing. It wasn’t dissimilar to last year. We were down 3-1 in the third against them, and we felt like we just stuck with it. We eventually got rewarded, got the game tied and into overtime. We didn’t have the end result we wanted, but we gave ourselves a chance. So, I think the same thing happened this weekend. Our bench was really undeterred by a lot of the adversity that came at us, and they just continued to stick with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

One Denver player who has come on of late is sophomore Cole Guttman, who has scored in five straight games.<\/p>\n

Guttman has made a habit of scoring against UMass. In the Frozen Four, he scored two goals in the third to tie it and send it to overtime. Last weekend, he scored two points and the game-winning goal in each game against UMass. Friday\u2019s was a beauty, a backhand from the goal line that he banked in off UMass goalie Filip Lindberg\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

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WHAT ANGLE IS THAT?! #PioneerTogether<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/gVACmZdCVb<\/a><\/p>\n

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) January 4, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n