Strong play in third period seals win for CU
The CU hockey team defeated the Denver Pioneers Friday night 5-3 in Boulder.
Improving their record to 6-0, the Colorado Buffaloes still were not satisfied in their 5-3 victory.
“We played sub-par,” General Manager Everett Pfeiff said.
The “sluggish” play, according to Pfeiff, may have been a result of jet lag, as the Buffs returned from Michigan a couple days prior to Friday’s game.
“We played well in Michigan,” Pfeiff said. “We seemed fast-paced and intense, but tonight we just looked sluggish.”
In the first period, the Pioneers and Buffaloes exchanged shots and hits, but the game remained scoreless through more than 18 minutes.
With 1:13 left in the first period, forward Conor Williams put the Buffs on the board.
Going into the second, defensemen Scott Cooley fired in a power play goal to put the Buffs ahead 2-0, with his goal at just under 4 minutes into the second period.
The Denver Pioneers climbed back into the game with 10:59 on the clock in the second period with a goal by forward Brad Kluever. Three minutes later, Anton Knapp tied the game for the Pioneers at two apiece with a soft wrist-shot past Colorado goalie Kevin Litinsky.
After the Buffs took the lead once again at 3-2, another soft shot from the Pioneers past Litinsky sent the game to the third period 3-3.
“He’s a very good goalie,” said Paul Sisson, Colorado head coach. “We had no huge adjustments going into the third period for him. We just let him work it out himself.”
Goalie Kevin Litinsky was by far the best goalie coming into the 2007 season for the Buffaloes, and in the third period he gave up zero goals on nine shots.
As for the Colorado team in general, it appeared something had cattle prodded them during the second intermission as they came out with two quick goals in the third to bury the Pioneers.
“It was simple coming into the third,” said forward Chad Wetzel. “We just needed to work harder collectively.”
Unlike the first two periods for Colorado, the Buffs came out in the third showing signs of life on the defensive and offensive ends of the ice as they rolled to a 5-3 win.
“We’re still not where we want to be,” Sisson says. “We’re not even close. But when get where we want to, I think with our talent, we’re going to be a special team.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Brent New at brent.new@thecampuspress.com.
