DENVER The Denver Pioneers (16-7-3, 12-5-2 WCHA) didn’t have the guidance of head coach George Gwozdecky Friday night when they hosted the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (8-11-4, 5-10-4 WCHA), but it hardly seemed to matter. The Pioneers scored the game’s first four goals en route to a 6-2 win over the Seawolves tonight in front of 5,018 fans at Magness Arena.

 

Assistant coach Steve Miller served as acting head coach in the absence of Gwozdecky, who was serving a one-game suspension for violating an NCAA rule that does not allow an ejected coach to communicate with or contact team personnel until a game is completed.

 

“I thought we had great energy from the start of the game and Marc Cheverie played great in goal,” Miller said. “We had a great week of practice and that’s where it started.” 

 

Kyle Ostrow (Calgary, Alberta), Patrick Wiercioch (Maple Ridge, British Columbia) and Anthony Maiani (Shelby Township, Mich.) each recorded a goal and an assist, while Dustin Jackson (Omaha, Neb.) totaled three helpers on the evening. Marc Cheverie (Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia) made 24 saves to pick up his 16th victory of the season.

 

Luke Salazar (Thornton, Colo.) staked the Pioneers to a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission with a power-play goal at 18:45. Stationed just outside the crease, Salazar deposited the rebound of an Ostrow point shot for his team-leading 13th goal of the season.

 

Maiani expanded the lead to two goals 1:19 into the second when he put a forehand attempt top shelf while Alaska Anchorage goaltender Jon Olthuis (36 saves) was sprawled on the ice. Ostrow then made it a 3-0 game at 5:19 on a high shot that was not initially ruled a goal, but was credited to the Pioneers following a review.

 

The Seawolves had a golden opportunity when Craig Parkinson sprung loose for a breakaway 8:30 into the middle frame, but Cheverie was able to make the stop and Wiercioch cleared away the rebound.

 

Wiercioch added a power-play goal at 14:59 on a point shot, but the Seawolves answered back with a power-play marker from Trevor Hunt at 17:40 to make it a 4-1 contest heading into the third period.

 

Brandon Vossberg (St. Paul, Minn.) and Joe Colborne (Calgary, Alberta) sandwiched third-period tallies around a Sean Wiles goal for the Seawolves to account for the 6-2 final.

 

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

 

Notes: Tonight marked DU’s ninth straight win over UAA...Denver outshot Alaska Anchorage by a 42-26 margin...DU finished 2-of-10 on the power play, while UAA went 1-of-6...The Pioneers are leading the WCHA with 26 points, two points ahead of second-place Wisconsin...With the victory, the Pioneers moved into a tie with Northeastern University for seventh place in the latest PairWise Rankings...Rhett Rakhshani (Huntington Beach, Calif.) extended his point streak to eight games (4-5--9) with an assist tonight...Wiercioch is riding a five-game point streak (2-5--7)...Jackson’s three assists set a career-high, while his three points matched his career-best.