With a six-goal lead in the second period Friday night, University of Denver coach Jim Montgomery began a five-minute power play with a show of class. He, of course, allowed his players to attack the Colorado College net but without his highly skilled power-play units intact.
Montgomery, who is beginning his second season steering the ship for DU in the Gold Pan rivalry with the Tigers, rolled his lines immediately after CC’s Scott Wamsganz was ejected for charging and officials broke up a 4-on-4 melee against the boards.
“Half the game was left, but to me you never embarrass an opponent,” Montgomery said of rolling his lines during the power play. “We want our program to resemble Duke basketball, and this is what Denver hockey has been about for years already.”
Montgomery’s gesture might have been the only positive thing first-year CC coach Mike Haviland saw unfold at Magness Arena. His Tigers went on to lose 8-1 on a night when DU senior Joey LaLeggia (one goal) had three points and became the eighth defenseman in school history with 100 points in a career.
Freshman Danton Heinen (two goals), senior center Danny Doremus (one goal, three assists) and junior defenseman Nolan Zajac (one goal, one assist) also contributed as DU jumped out to leads of 4-1 after the first period and 7-1 after two. The Pioneers (6-3, 3-2 National Collegiate Hockey Conference) received goals from Heinen, Zajac and Doremus to take a 3-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game, That chased CC sophomore goalie Tyler Marble.
Colorado College (2-7, 0-5) lost for the seventh consecutive time. The Colorado Springs World Arena was unavailable Saturday to complete a weekend home-and-home series, so the second game of the four-game Gold Pan series is Feb. 6. The longtime Front Range rivals also meet Feb. 20 (in Colorado Springs) and Feb. 21 (Denver). CC reclaimed the Gold Pan last season by going 2-1-1 against the Pioneers.
Montgomery’s goodwill Friday didn’t lead to more of the same. The game was chippy from start to finish. Each team had a player ejected, and Doremus and CC captain Peter Stoykewych were assessed 10-minute misconducts.
Pioneers senior defenseman Josiah Didier sparked the second of three major scums early in the third period with a elbowing major and game misconduct. Didier delivered his hit in the neutral zone and was then cross-checked into the boards by CC’s bench, and several Tigers on the bench grabbed him as he fought off skaters coming at him.
With less than 10 minutes to play, multiple players from each team were assessed 10-minute misconducts and escorted off the ice.
“That’s as combative of a college hockey game as I guess you’ll see,” said Montgomery, who was irate his own player, Emil Romig, for shooting a puck after a whistle that triggered the third scrum. “I told (Romig) that if that’s pro hockey, you got five fists coming at your face.”
For the game, there were 104 penalty minutes handed out — 53 for DU, 51 for CC.
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or
PIONEERS 8, TIGERS 1
Colorado College 1 0 0 — 1
Denver 4 3 1 — 8
First period — 1, Denver, Heinen 4 (Moore, Doremus), 1:23. 2, Denver, Zajac 3 (Arnold, LaLeggia), 1:46. 3, Denver, Doremus 2 (LaLeggia, Zajac), 7:23 (pp). 4, Colorado College, Wamsganz 1 (unassisted), 8:27. 5, Denver, Heinen 5 (Moore, Doremus), 19:24.
Second period — 6, Denver, Marcinew 2 (unassisted), 5:57. 7, Denver, Levin 1 (Marcinew, Plant), 11:59. 8, Denver, LaLeggia 5 (Shore, Loney), 13:03.
Third period — 9, Denver, Moore 3 (Doremus), 16:04.
Shots on goal— CC 9-5-12 — 26. DU 12-15-8 — 35. Power-play opportunities — CC 0-of-4. DU 1- of-3. Goalies — CC, Marble 5 shots-2 saves (7:23), Perry 30-25 (52:37). DU, Cowley 26-25. A — 5,286.
