University of Denver sophomore right wing Colin Staub was one of 12 players in the Pioneers’ lineup for a 5-0 National Collegiate Hockey Conference win over Omaha at Magness Arena on Saturday night who are older than Nathan MacKinnon, the Avalanche’s 21-year-old representative at the NHL all-star festivities in Los Angeles this weekend.
Staub, who had two power-play goals and an assist in the Pioneers’ romp, will turn 23 on March 26.
As reflected by the wide range of ages on rosters — they can range from 18 to the mid-20s — NCAA hockey can be about biding time between high school and college, often in the United States Hockey League.
In Staub’s case, his hiatus came after he graduated from Palmer High in Colorado Springs and involved three full seasons with the North American Hockey League’s Wichita Falls Wildcats, and then he was all set to enroll at the Air Force Academy and play for Falcons coach Frank Serratore. But then he was diagnosed with a progressive eye disease, keratoconus, a thinning of the cornea that eventually can make a corneal transplant necessary. It didn’t rule out him playing hockey, but kept him out of the academy.
It turned out to be a break for the Pioneers, who — with Serratore, the former DU coach, advancing Staub’s cause — offered the Coloradan a partial scholarship on what amounted to a make-good basis. He has made good, and he has been a solid contributor for the Pioneers, starting out with five goals in 32 games as a freshman.
On Saturday night, Staub provided the spark as the third-ranked Pioneers (18-6-4) pulled into a first-place tie at 35 points with Minnesota-Duluth in the NCHC and knocked off Omaha for the second straight night after winning the Friday opener of the set 5-3.
Staub had chances at a hat trick in the final minute, but couldn’t get the puck past Omaha goalie Evan Weninger again.
“At the end (Evan Ritt) made a really nice play,” Staub said of his linemate. “I think that probably was as close as I might get in my whole career here to get a hat trick. Right at the end there, I had some really good chances and I was just happy to get two goals tonight.”
Staub helped get the Pioneers off to a quick start, scoring from the slot at 6:07 of the first period and then getting an assist on the second goal when Weninger made the initial save on his shot, but Matt Marcinew had an open net look to knock in the rebound. Staub’s second goal, at 13:30 of the second period, made it 5-0. Both his goals came when he was out with the Pioneers’ second power-play unit.
Does Staub ever marvel at how this turned out after he had to give up on attending Air Force?
“This is a dream come true and I’m kind of riding the ride right now,” Staub said. “I’m making sure I’m contributing. … If I had gone to Air Force, that also would have been a dream come true and I would be trying to help Air Force win a national championship. But I’m fortunate to be here and in the position I’m in.”
He said of the cornea issue: “I really haven’t done anything to take care of it because it’s not bothering me. When it does, I’ll take care of that. Right now, it isn’t an issue and I don’t think it will be for some time to come.”
Logan O’Connor and Matt VanVoorhis also scored for the Pioneers, who fired 43 shots on Weninger, and DU goalies Tanner Jaillet (16 saves) and Evan Cowley (6) combined for the shutout.
“We played great all weekend,” said Jaillet. “Sixteen shots tonight and maybe only one was a scoring chance. That’s all you can ask for as a goalie. It was awesome.”
Said DU coach Jim Montgomery: “The first period was unbelievable. Omaha came out with a push, they were mad from last night. They came at us hard and we just moved pucks past them with great puck support, played with great speed. I mean, our power play, the first unit, (Dylan) Gambrell and (Henrik) Borgstrom both missed open nets or it could have been a lot more. But yeah, that first period’s definitely the best period of hockey we’ve had all year.”
The Pioneers ended up with four power plays in the two wins over Omaha, and Montgomery praised the work of senior defenseman Will Butcher, the Avalanche draft choice who played Saturday with former Colorado defenseman and current development consultant Brett Clark watching. (Clark met with Butcher briefly after the game.) “He’s taking ownership of that first power play,” Montgomery said. “He brings them out early before practice to work on things. You can see the rhythm on the power play. They know what they want to do and then if all else fails, just get the puck to Borgstrom.”
The Pioneers next have a weekend off before facing Colorado College in a home-and-home, on Feb. 10 in Denver and on Feb. 11 in Colorado Springs.
“The team’s evolving, we’re getting better,” Montgomery said. “Hopefully after a week off here, we get back to work and we can go to even another level here down the stretch.”
DU again played without standout sophomore forward Troy Terry, who missed his fifth game after suffering an upper body injury Jan. 13 against Western Michigan.
“In two weeks, he goes back to the doctor,” said Montgomery. “He’s going to see how well everything’s healed up … He’s already been given the OK to skate. He’s able to skate for conditioning, but he’s not able to play hockey right now. Who knows? Two guys have come back early from injuries and out doctors here and out athletic staff do a fantastic job. If they can get him back for CC, that would be great, but I’m not holding out hope on that.”