Box Score Denver needs to win to win to keep season alive DENVER -- Despite scoring the game's first three goals in the opening period, the University of Denver hockey team could not hold the lead, yielding six straight goals to the University of Wisconsin and dropping game one of a best-of-three Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff game, 6-4 to the Badgers in Madison, Wis., Friday.
Â"I liked the way we started the game but I thought we became tentative and gave them too much room to make decisions and too much room with the puck,Â" said Denver head coach George Gwozdecky. Â"For a team we feel we are faster than and quicker than, we allowed them to skate. Things we are really good at, we did not do well tonight. I donÂ't want to take anything away from them, but I thought, for the first time in a long time, our young team got rattled. We know there is still a lot of hockey to play.Â"
The Pioneers opened the scoring quickly and often, scoring first, 7 minutes, 38 seconds into the game. With the gameÂ's first power play, freshman Connor James (Calgary, Alberta) found junior Chris Paradise (St. Paul, Minn.) at the point. Paradise ripped a shot from the blueline that UWÂ's Grahame Melanson stopped but could not control. The puck rebounded to freshman Ryan Caldwell (DeLoraine, Manitoba) who put the puck in the back of the net. On the ensuing faceoff, senior Kelly Popadynetz (Calgary, Alberta) won the draw and sophomore J.J. Hartmann (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Hartmann found sophomore Greg Barber (Kelowna, British Columbia), who hit a streaking Popadynetz in the UW zone. Popadynetz chipped the puck past Melanson as Denver had notched two goals in 13 seconds. Just 38 seconds later, on an odd-man rush, Barber found sophomore Kevin Doell (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) at center ice. Doell skated in on net and took a shot from the left faceoff circle. Melanson again made the initial save but could not control the puck. Freshman Max Bull (Faribault, Minn.) crashed the net and slipped the puck in to notch his second goal of the season, giving Denver a commanding 3-0 lead. Wisconsin did not finish fifth in the WCHA by giving up early and notched its first tally at the 14:30 mark. On a two-on-one breakaway, Rene Bourque gained the blueline, drew two defensemen and found a streaking Dany Heatley, who beat PioneersÂ' netminder Wade Dubielewicz (Invermere, British Columbia). Less than 90-seconds later, on another odd-man rush, the Badgers cut DenverÂ's lead to one goal as Matt Hussey slipped the puck by Dubielewicz. That was how the first stanza would end, with Denver leading the home team 3-2 at the first break.
The Badgers continued to pressure Denver, scoring three goals in the second period to take a 5-3 lead into the middle intermission. After giving up his fourth goal of the night to UW at 9:32, Dubielewicz was pulled from net in favor of freshman Adam Berkhoel (Woodbury, Minn.). Despite playing well and making 10 saves, Berkhoel yielded his first goal of the contest at 17:42. At that point, Gwozdecky decided to go back to his sophomore, re-inserting Dubielewicz between the pipes. Through 40 minutes of play, the Pioneers managed just 13 shots on goal, while the Badgers peppered DenverÂ's netminders with 29, including a 19-6 advantage in the middle stanza.
In the final period, Wisconsin continued to play great at both ends of the ice. The Badgers added their sixth goal of the game at the 6:45 mark as David Hukalo beat Dubielewicz on a UW power play. The Pioneers had chances with three power plays including a five-on-three opportunity but could not solve the Badger defense until late in the contest. With just 19 seconds remaining, Denver managed to post its fourth goal of the game as senior Judd Stauss (East Grand Forks, Minn.) beat Melanson on a power play.
Denver (19-15-4) will attempt to keep the season alive with game-two of this first round playoff series Saturday. The Pioneers and Badgers will drop the puck on the second game at 6:05 p.m. MST. If necessary, game three will be played at 6:05 p.m. MST Sunday (Mar. 11).
