No. 7 Pioneers clobber Seawolves

Mostly, the Seawolves' penalty-killing crew has a penchant for self-inflicted wounds.

That was the case again Friday night, when No. 7-ranked Denver used two power-play goals to build a four-goal cushion and cruise past visiting UAA 6-2 at Magness Arena in Colorado.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association game was UAA's 19th of the season -- and the 19th league game in which it allowed at least one power-play strike. In 12 of those matches, the Seawolves have allowed two or more power-play goals.

So it is that the Seawolves rank 56th among 58 Division I teams in penalty killing, burning off 76.5 percent of opposing power plays. That's a problem for a team that allows opponents an average of seven power plays per game courtesy of an average of 19.3 penalty minutes per game, which ranks ninth in the nation.

Friday, the Pioneers enjoyed 10 power plays and the Seawolves surrendered a season-high 42 shots on goal, which turned Jon Olthuis' crease into a shooting gallery. That shot total was particularly noteworthy because UAA entered holding opponents to a stingy average of 24 shots per game.

Friday's result further illustrated that these two teams are headed in different directions.

League-leading Denver (16-7-3, 12-5-2 WCHA) has now gone 8-1-1 in its last 10 WCHA games. UAA (8-11-4, 5-10-4 WCHA), which sits ninth in the 10-team league, is winless in its last four games (0-2-2) and is 1-7-2 in its last 10 games, all in league.

There's a trend there too. In three-plus seasons under head coach Dave Shyiak, UAA has gone 6-44-8 in games played after Jan. 1.

After Luke Salazar's power-play goal furnished the Pioneers with a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission, Anthony Maiani and Kyle Ostrom padded DU's lead to 3-0 within the first five minutes of the second period. Patrick Wiercioch scored on the power play 15 minutes into the second period to stake Denver to a 4-0 cushion -- it never lost that four-goal advantage.

UAA, which has struggled on the power play, got a man-advantage marker out of defenseman Trevor Hunt late in the second period. And although winger Sean Wiles scored a third-period goal at even strength, the Pioneers sandwiched goals from Brandon Vossberg and Joe Colborne around that goal.

The Pioneers played without bench boss George Gwodecky, who served a one-game suspension. Gwozdecky was ejected from a game at North Dakota last week, but communicated with his assistants after his ejection, which is prohibited.

Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.

UAA 0 1 1 -- 2

DU 1 3 2 -- 6

First Period -- 1, DU, Salazar 13 (Ostrow, Testwuide), 18:45 (pp). Penalties -- Vidmar, UAA (interference), 1:44; Mullen, DU (tripping), 11:44; Denver bench minor (too many men), 14:03; Parkinson, UAA (slashing), 17:47; Lunden, UAA (boarding), 19:15.

Second Period -- 2, DU, Maiani 9 (Jackson, Wiercioch), 1:19; 3, DU, Ostrow 8 (Jackson), 5:194, DU, Wiercioch 9 (Rakhshani, Ruegsegger), 14:59 (pp); 5, UAA, Hunt 3 (Parkinson, Lovdahl), 17:40 (pp). Penalties -- Gifford, DU (tripping), 5:19; Robinson, UAA (tripping), 8:59; Lovdahl, UAA (slashing), 10:44; Testwuide, DU (holding), 12:11; Grant, UAA (hooking), 12:38; Robinson, UAA (holding), 14:35; Ryder, DU (hooking), 15:38; Nutini, DU (cross-checking), 15:54; Testwuide, DU (roughing), 16:43; Grant, UAA (roughing), 16:43; Vossberg, DU (roughing), 16:43; Crowder, UAA (roughing, contact to head), 16:43; Lee, DU (roughing, contact to head), 16:43; Lunden, UAA (roughing, contact to head), 16:43.

Third Period -- 6, DU, Vossberg 4 (Jackson, Gifford), 2:42; 7, UAA, Wiles 3 (Lovdahl), 8:48; 8, DU, Colborne 6 (Maiani, Mullen), 14:40. Penalties -- Rakhshani, DU (hooking), 6:13; Haddad, UAA (unsportsmanlike conduct), 13:52; Ruegsegger, DU (delay of game), 14:15; Hunt, UAA (tripping), 14:48; Tuton, UAA (holding), 18:52.

Shots on goal -- UAA 4-10-12--26. DU 9-15-18--42.

Power-play Opportunities -- UAA 1 of 6; DU 2 of 10.

Goalies -- UAA, Olthuis 5-7-1 (42 shots-36 saves). DU, Cheverie 16-7-3 (26-24).

A -- 5,018 (6,026). T -- 2:25.

Referees -- Brett Klosowski, Brian Thul. Assistant referees -- Butch Mousseaux, Bob Keltie.