In a game that featured lots of shots and back and forth action, the No. 10 Denver Pioneers edged No. 6 North Dakota, 5-4. Juho Olkinuora made 35 saves, and Denver launched 41 shots at two North Dakota netminders.<\/p>\n
“Any time you win in this league, I think you have to first of all look at your work ethic, and I thought we worked very hard tonight,” said Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky. “I thought we were ready to expend a lot of energy, and we did. We made it tough on ourselves. Certainly Olkinoura was outstanding. Obviously pleased with the win.”<\/p>\n
The first period was a tale of two different games. North Dakota carried the play early, but Denver dominated the last half of the period.<\/p>\n
An aggressive North Dakota forecheck drew two early power plays. While North Dakota didn’t actually score a power-play goal, they might as well have. Just after Paul Phillips got out of the box, North Dakota kept the puck in the zone on a tired Denver defense. First Phillips, then Scott Mayfield, failed to clear the zone. Nick Mattson intercepted Mayfield’s clearing attempt at the left point, then backhanded a pass to Rocco Grimaldi, who unleashed a slap shot that beat Olkinuora far side at 2:59.<\/p>\n
North Dakota continued to dominate the first six minutes, looking much faster than Denver, but everything changed on a harmless looking play when Zac Larraza got the puck on the left side boards near the faceoff circle and turned and wristed the puck on net, beating Zane Gothberg at 5:48.<\/p>\n
The second period started much like the first, as North Dakota came out flying and quickly capitalized when Carter Rowney picked up a rebound in the slot and shot it past Olkinuora at 1:08.<\/p>\n
The lead again didn’t last long, as Denver finally capitalized on a power play when Chris Knowlton’s shot from the right point beat a screened Gothberg. The announcer was still calling the goal when Denver took the lead, as Daniel Doremus’ harmless-looking shot from the right side boards beat Gothberg five-hole.<\/p>\n
“Sloppy play,” said North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol. “That’s my only comment. I thought we were a very sloppy hockey team tonight. It cost us an opportunity and a point. Our play just wasn’t crisp and sharp.<\/p>\n
That was all on the night for Gothberg, as he was replaced by Clarke Saunders, who was immediately tested when Denver broke in two-on-one while short-handed. Sanders made the save, and then Olkinuora made his own strong save, sliding his pad over to deny Corban Knight’s look at an open net from the left post.<\/p>\n
That save loomed large when North Dakota took a penalty at the end of the play. After Denver got its player back and went on a power play, Joey LaLeggia ripped a wrist shot from the middle of the blue line that beat Sanders low stick side.<\/p>\n
North Dakota finally capitalized on its own power play near the midway point of the period when Knight’s rifle one-timer from the left faceoff dot beat Olkinuora at 9:22.<\/p>\n
North Dakota had an excellent chance to tie it late when Knight fed a perfect pass to an open Danny Kristo in the slot, but Olkinuora just got his pad out to stop Kristo’s redirect attempt.<\/p>\n
Early in the third period, North Dakota thought it had tied the game when Brendan O’Donnell beat Olkinuora with a wrist shot just inside the blue line, but the goal was immediately called off as the play was offside. Moments later, Ty Loney made a move and beat Saunders in the slot, but he lost control of the puck as he was skating by Saunders and couldn’t backhand it into the open net.<\/p>\n
However, at 3:45, Nick Shore gave Denver its two-goal lead back when he got to a rebound of a Knowlton shot at the right post and batted it in top corner as he was falling down on the ice.<\/p>\n
“We just got the puck up deep, and Danny (Doremus) made a great play there getting the puck loose; moved it over to Chris and thought he was going to score, but crashed the net and got lucky there,” said Shore.<\/p>\n
Near the midway point of the third, Denver went on a power play, but instead it was North Dakota who scored. Off a Ty Loney turnover at the North Dakota blue line, Knight and Kristo raced up two-on-one. Knight fed Kristo, and he buried a quick shot at 8:29.<\/p>\n
From there, Denver desperately held off North Dakota’s offense, diving for loose pucks and blocking shots.<\/p>\n
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