Denver's Back In National Championship Form After Sweep Over Arizona State

David Carle and the Denver Pioneers showcased this past weekend what makes them such an elite team. They swept Arizona State this past weekend, and a few clear factors explain why.

They took game one 6-3 after giving up the first goal, but they answered right off the opening faceoff with a nice entry that led to a Sam Harris one-timer. 

In the first game, Denver applied strong pressure off the forecheck, which became a staple of their play. They played fast and aggressively, and they wanted the puck more. 

In my eyes, the player of the game was Daxon Rudolph, who scored two goals in this one and showed more defensive presence than he did in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders.

The Buffalo Sabres’ fourth overall pick has scored one of the nicest goals so far this season, has fully come into his own, and is now dominating, with 6 goals and 12 points in 10 games for the Pioneers. 

Rudolph’s dominance didn’t end after the first game either. It was 0-0 in overtime, and Rudolph was the third man in the zone for Denver; he got a slight drop pass, walked in, ripped the puck far side, and won the game for Denver to complete the sweep. He then threw the forks down as he skated down the glass, a very similar moment to Gavin McKenna winning a game for Penn State last year against Arizona State. 

Another notable player from this series was freshman defenseman Ryan Lin, who has come into his own and is playing with insane confidence. In the WHL for the Vancouver Giants, that was a huge part of his game, and in how he’s adjusted to the college game, Lin is one of the best puck movers and offensive play drivers in the entire country. 

Denver didn’t dominate the entire six-and-a-half periods of this series, but they showed a lot of flashes of an elite team, and this squad might be the most talented David Carle has had since becoming the program’s head coach. 

And when you add starting goalie Johnny Hicks to the mix, they have everything you could ask for in a championship-level team.