Pioneers’ winless start softened by stellar play of star freshmen
The preseason No. 4- ranked University of Denver hockey team is 0- 3 with another showdown with top- ranked North Dakota on Tuesday at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb. But make no mistake, Pioneers coach David Carle loves his team — particularly his two 18- year- old freshmen from St. Albert, Alberta.
Forward Carter Savoie and defenseman Mike Benning, born 18 days apart in the Edmonton suburb in 2002, are tied in National Collegiate Hockey Conference scoring with five points. Savoie is tied with a conference- high four goals and Benning is tied with an NCHC- high five assists.
They both have had outstanding performances in DU’s three one- goal losses inside the NCHC pod, where the Pioneers are scheduled to play 10 games in 18 days before returning home for Christmas.
“They’ve got ice in their veins,” Carle said of Savoie and Benning, both selected in the fourth round of the NHL draft in October. “They love the game of hockey. They’re gamers. They want to be on the ice in big moments. They know when to move the puck, where to be on the ice offensive. It’s really impressive and it gives our bench, our team, a lot of confidence when they’re out there.”
Benning assisted on Savoie’s power- play goal with just 2: 52 remaining in regulation to force overtime against North Dakota on Friday. The Fighting Hawks went on to win in the 3- on- 3 OT, and Denver lost again the following night, 4- 3, to St. Cloud State.
Despite the condensed 26game NCHC- only regular season, Carle said there is no panic within his highly talented team that includes 19- year- old freshman defenseman Antti Tuomisto, the Detroit Red Wings’ 2019 second- round draft pick.
He will remain in Omaha after being passed over by Finland for the upcoming World Junior Championship in Red Deer, Alberta.
“We’re trying to remain positive and focus on some things to build upon,” Carle said.
“There is a lot to like with our game, our team, and our focus is on our process and to not get distracted by results. And also talk about adversity hitting at different times and a lot of time you don’t get to choose when that happens.
“It’s not a bad thing, to run into some adversity. It just so happens we’re doing it right out of the chute.”
DU began 0- 2 in 2016- 17 before sweeping No. 1 Boston University for its first two wins and finishing 33- 7- 4 with the program’s eighth national championship. Like that team, there is a lot to build on with a deep senior class and a handful of NHL- bound freshmen.
Savoie and Benning played together on Edmonton- area youth teams before joining the juniorA Sherwood Park Crusaders of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Fittingly, they were selected within five picks of each other in the fourth round of the NHL draft — Benning going 95th overall to the Florida Panthers and Savoie 100th to his hometown Edmonton Oilers.
Savoie, who led the AJHL with 53 goals in 54 games last season, committed to Denver before Benning joined the class. Benning was named the 2019- 20 AJHL and Canadian Junior Hockey League defenseman of the year.
“I’ve played with Mike a long time. I know what he’s capable of. He knows what I’m capable of. We just fit in nicely here. We found our way on the ( No. 1) power play and we’re making the most of it,” Savoie said Monday.
Footnotes. DU will be without star sophomore forward Bobby Brink for the next 7- 9 games. Brink has reported to the U. S. World Junior camp in Plymouth, Mich. Tuomisto, already a toppair defenseman for DU, probably wasn’t named to Finland’s WJC roster because he hadn’t played games like his countrymen back home. “Their loss is clearly our gain, that we get to keep him the whole time here in the pod,” Carle said of Finland and Tuomisto. … DU completed first- quarter finals last week and now it’s all about hockey in Omaha. “We all have our own rooms. The hotel has been good to us,” Savoie said of pod life. “Been pretty good meals and just really good spending time with the guys, hanging out, playing poker, watching football, playing ping- pong and all that. It’s been really good so far.”