The Denver Pioneers vs. The Hodgepodge Elite
Special to Lets Go DU
By DJ Powers
The second game of the Snoopy Tournament for the Denver Pioneers became a one-sided affair against the Hodgepodge Elite. Bill Pettinger and Pat Halas each tallied four goals as the Pioneers crushed the Elite11-0 in the early Saturday morning contest.
The Hodgepodge Elite, made up of a mish-mash of players from other teams in the tournament, had a somewhat different lineup versus Denver than they did in their contest against the University of Michigan 60s on Wednesday.
While the slow pace to start the game was not unexpected, considering the 6am start time, the Pioneers would get things going quickly. It also didn’t take long before the Pioneers got on the board. Just 3:24 in, Halas would get Denver on the board going top-shelf on the Elite goaltender for the score. Norm Kvern drew the lone assist.
Throughout the game, the Pioneers got great goaltending from Tom Jones. While Jones did not see as much rubber as his counterpart at the other end, he did make a number of quality saves when he had to.
Denver’s next goal came at the 7:17 mark, when Pettinger’s shot snuck in underneath the Elite netminder to extend their lead. Tom Miller drew the lone assist.
One of the things that frustrated the Elite throughout the game was the Pioneers’ control of the neutral zone and the blueline. While the Elite did manage to get into Denver’s zone at various times throughout the game, they weren’t able to sustain any real pressure for an extended period of time the way the Pioneers were able to do.
Pettinger and Miller would figure once again on Denver’s next goal at the 15:06 mark. The goal was the result of a nice two-on-one play between the two linemates with Pettinger finishing the play by tucking the puck behind the Elite netminder. Miller and defenseman Bob Peers drew the assists.
One of the few quality opportunities for the Elite came about two minutes after Denver’s third goal on a two-on-one play that was stopped by Jones.
The second period proved to be slightly better for the Elite, but they had nothing to show for it. Denver, meanwhile, came out of the gate strong and notched their next goal just one minute in when Halas got his second of the game. He banged home the loose puck that the Elite goaltender had trouble corralling with traffic in front of him. The goal was unassisted.
Halas would complete the hat trick on Denver’s next goal at the 4:17 mark when his shot went in just inside the post for the score. Miller and John “Johnny Mac” MacMillan would draw the assists.
The Pioneers continued to apply good pressure in the offensive zone, but the Elite would get their chances.
The first came at the 7:20 mark when defenseman Peter McEwen was called for interference, giving the Elite the game’s first man-advantage. However, they wouldn’t get the full power play time as one of their players was called for a hold at the 9:43 mark.
Both teams successfully killed of their penalties and Denver was back to business and controlling the game.
At the 14:52 mark, defenseman Wayne Smith would push the Pioneers’ lead to 6-0. Smith jumped into the play to create an odd-man situation with Halas and with the Elite goaltender out of position, Smith tucked home the shot into the empty side for the score. Halas and defenseman Blake Emery would draw the assists.
Around the 16-minute mark, the Elite would have a partial breakaway opportunity, but Emery did an excellent of job of staying with the puck carrier and prevented him from getting a shot on goal.
The Elite however, would get another crack at the Pioneers at the 16:17 mark when Don Cameron would be sent off for a trip.
Denver once again successfully killed off the penalty, but the Elite managed to get a few quality chances, only to have Jones shut the door on them.
The final stanza became the Denver Pioneers show and the fatigue factor began to really set in on the Elite. The Pioneers dictated nearly every facet of the game and area of the ice.
In the five-goal outburst of the period, Halas got things started at the 9:13 mark with his fourth tally of the game. Halas tapped in a rebound just inside the post for the score. Smith and Bill Goodacre drew the assists.
Just under two minutes later at the 11:54 mark, Pettinger completed Denver’s second hat trick after slipping the loose puck underneath the Elite netminder for the score. Miller drew the lone assist.
The Pioneers would score again under a minute later at the 12:36 mark off of the stick of MacMillan and Pettinger would make it 10-0 at the 18:26 mark.
Perhaps the best goal of the game came on Denver’s final tally at the 18:42 mark. Miller posted his first goal of the Tournament on a beautiful wraparound to put the frosting on the cake for the Pioneers. Pettinger and MacMillan drew the assists.
Tom Miller led Denver in scoring in the contest with six points (one goal, five assists). Pat Halas and Bill Pettinger each posted five points (four goals, one assist) and John MacMillan posted four points (one goal, three assists).
The Pioneers went 0-for-1 on the power play while the Elite went 0-for-2 on the power play.
Next up: “The Clash of the Titans II” versus the University of Michigan Wolverines 60s on Sunday.
The Hodgepodge Elite, made up of a mish-mash of players from other teams in the tournament, had a somewhat different lineup versus Denver than they did in their contest against the University of Michigan 60s on Wednesday.
While the slow pace to start the game was not unexpected, considering the 6am start time, the Pioneers would get things going quickly. It also didn’t take long before the Pioneers got on the board. Just 3:24 in, Halas would get Denver on the board going top-shelf on the Elite goaltender for the score. Norm Kvern drew the lone assist.
Throughout the game, the Pioneers got great goaltending from Tom Jones. While Jones did not see as much rubber as his counterpart at the other end, he did make a number of quality saves when he had to.
Denver’s next goal came at the 7:17 mark, when Pettinger’s shot snuck in underneath the Elite netminder to extend their lead. Tom Miller drew the lone assist.
One of the things that frustrated the Elite throughout the game was the Pioneers’ control of the neutral zone and the blueline. While the Elite did manage to get into Denver’s zone at various times throughout the game, they weren’t able to sustain any real pressure for an extended period of time the way the Pioneers were able to do.
Pettinger and Miller would figure once again on Denver’s next goal at the 15:06 mark. The goal was the result of a nice two-on-one play between the two linemates with Pettinger finishing the play by tucking the puck behind the Elite netminder. Miller and defenseman Bob Peers drew the assists.
One of the few quality opportunities for the Elite came about two minutes after Denver’s third goal on a two-on-one play that was stopped by Jones.
The second period proved to be slightly better for the Elite, but they had nothing to show for it. Denver, meanwhile, came out of the gate strong and notched their next goal just one minute in when Halas got his second of the game. He banged home the loose puck that the Elite goaltender had trouble corralling with traffic in front of him. The goal was unassisted.
Halas would complete the hat trick on Denver’s next goal at the 4:17 mark when his shot went in just inside the post for the score. Miller and John “Johnny Mac” MacMillan would draw the assists.
The Pioneers continued to apply good pressure in the offensive zone, but the Elite would get their chances.
The first came at the 7:20 mark when defenseman Peter McEwen was called for interference, giving the Elite the game’s first man-advantage. However, they wouldn’t get the full power play time as one of their players was called for a hold at the 9:43 mark.
Both teams successfully killed of their penalties and Denver was back to business and controlling the game.
At the 14:52 mark, defenseman Wayne Smith would push the Pioneers’ lead to 6-0. Smith jumped into the play to create an odd-man situation with Halas and with the Elite goaltender out of position, Smith tucked home the shot into the empty side for the score. Halas and defenseman Blake Emery would draw the assists.
Around the 16-minute mark, the Elite would have a partial breakaway opportunity, but Emery did an excellent of job of staying with the puck carrier and prevented him from getting a shot on goal.
The Elite however, would get another crack at the Pioneers at the 16:17 mark when Don Cameron would be sent off for a trip.
Denver once again successfully killed off the penalty, but the Elite managed to get a few quality chances, only to have Jones shut the door on them.
The final stanza became the Denver Pioneers show and the fatigue factor began to really set in on the Elite. The Pioneers dictated nearly every facet of the game and area of the ice.
In the five-goal outburst of the period, Halas got things started at the 9:13 mark with his fourth tally of the game. Halas tapped in a rebound just inside the post for the score. Smith and Bill Goodacre drew the assists.
Just under two minutes later at the 11:54 mark, Pettinger completed Denver’s second hat trick after slipping the loose puck underneath the Elite netminder for the score. Miller drew the lone assist.
The Pioneers would score again under a minute later at the 12:36 mark off of the stick of MacMillan and Pettinger would make it 10-0 at the 18:26 mark.
Perhaps the best goal of the game came on Denver’s final tally at the 18:42 mark. Miller posted his first goal of the Tournament on a beautiful wraparound to put the frosting on the cake for the Pioneers. Pettinger and MacMillan drew the assists.
Tom Miller led Denver in scoring in the contest with six points (one goal, five assists). Pat Halas and Bill Pettinger each posted five points (four goals, one assist) and John MacMillan posted four points (one goal, three assists).
The Pioneers went 0-for-1 on the power play while the Elite went 0-for-2 on the power play.
Next up: “The Clash of the Titans II” versus the University of Michigan Wolverines 60s on Sunday.
- DJ Powers Staff Writer - NCAA
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[And your humble DU Snoopy Tournament correspondent]
1 comment:
Maybe they should consider dropping 'Elite' from their name and just go with 'Hodgepodge'...
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