DENVER Kyle Ostrow (Calgary, Alberta) scored twice and added an assist to lead the No. 2 University of Denver Pioneers (4-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) to a 3-1 triumph over the Ohio State Buckeyes (1-3-1, 1-2-1 CCHA) tonight in front of 6,041 fans at Magness Arena.

 

Anthony Maiani (Shelby Township, Mich.) notched a goal and one assist for DU, while sophomore netminder Marc Cheverie (Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia) turned aside 41-of-42 shots to pick up his fourth victory of the season.

 

“We finally broke the game open in the second period with a pair of goals, but we can get better. Our decision-making with the puck was very poor tonight,” Denver head coach George Gwozdecky said. “Ohio State’s forwards were really good, as we knew heading into the game. The bottom line is that we won the game and Marc Cheverie was very good tonight.”

 

The teams went scoreless in the first period, but it wasn’t for a lack of action. Cheverie recorded 14 saves in the opening frame, while Ohio State netminder Dustin Carlson stopped 11 shots.

 

“It’s always big to get off to a good start,” Cheverie said, regarding his first period performance. “It’s a huge confidence builder. I think it was more how the team played defensively. Everyone picked up their guys, eliminated scoring chances and made my job much easier.”

 

DU got on the scoreboard at the 10:48 mark of the middle frame with a 5-on-3 power-play goal from Maiani, whose shot from the slot hit the crossbar before dropping into the net.

 

Ostrow stretched the lead to a pair of goals heading into the third period when he one-timed a Brian Gifford (Moorhead, Minn.) feed at 16:36. Patrick Mullen (Pittsburgh, Pa.) also picked up his team-best seventh assist on the play.

 

The Buckeyes recorded a 5-on-3 tally of their own six minutes into the final frame, as Matt Bartkowski found the back of the net to cut DU’s lead in half, 2-1. The goal was the first of the freshman’s career.

 

However, Ostrow recorded his second tally of the evening at 8:17 off a feed from Maiani to round out the scoring.

 

The Buckeyes out-shot the Pioneers by a 42-36 margin in tonight’s game. Ohio State went 1-for-6 on the power play, while Denver scored on one of its seven chances.

 

The teams will finish up their weekend set tomorrow night at Magness Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 7:07 p.m.

 

Notes: The Pioneers last started the season with a 4-0 record during the 2003-04 campaign...Both Ostrow and Maiani recorded their second straight multi-point games, while the three-point effort from Ostrow marked a career-high...Ostrow, Maiani, Mullen and Luke Salazar (Thornton, Colo.) each extended their season-opening point streaks to four games...Tonight’s game was the first meeting between the Buckeyes and Pioneers in over five years...In their last matchup, DU topped OSU by a 5-2 count at the Lefty McFadden Invitational on Oct. 3, 2003...The Pioneers honored the University of Denver Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2008 during the first intermission of tonight’s game...That group, which includes the 1957-58 NCAA championship hockey team, was inducted into the Hall of Fame Thursday night in a ceremony at the Westin Tabor Center in downtown Denver.