Box Score DULUTH, Minn. - Junior goaltender Marc Cheverie (Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia) and No. 2 Denver stopped a Minnesota Duluth 5-on-3 advantage for 1:18 late in the third period en route to a 3-2 win tonight before 4,437 fans at the DECC.

DU improved to 11-4-2 and a first-place mark of 9-2-2 in the WCHA, while Duluth fell to 10-6-1, 7-5-1. The Pioneers lead the WCHA by three points over in-state rival Colorado College, who tied St. Cloud State, 4-4.

Jesse Martin (Edmonton, Alberta), Joe Colborne (Calgary, Alberta) and Kyle Ostrow (Calgary, Alberta) scored for the Pioneers and Anthony Maiani (Shelby Township, Mich.) had two assists. Colborne added an assist for his fourth multi-point game.

After a scoreless first period, Martin rattled home a centering pass from Maiani at 7:50 of the second. Drew Akins tied the score with a power-play tally at 14:25, but Colborne buried another Maiani pass on the power play at 18:07.

Ostrow gave DU a 3-1 with a power-play goal at 7:20 of the third, but Mike Connolly answered with a rebound goal at 10:25.

DU killed off the 5-on-3 with 5:43 left and a 6-on-5 UMD advantage for the final 1:28 to get the win. Cheverie thwarted numerous Bulldog rushes and finished with 28 saves. DU went 2-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

The Pioneers play game two tomorrow night at 6:07 p.m.

Notes: DU improved to 6-2 on the road. DU will be without Patrick Wiercioch tomorrow night. Wiercioch heads to Regina, Sask., for the Team Canada World Junior Selection Camp tomorrow morning. Rhett Rakhshani leads DU with 11-10=21. Rakhshani has a six-game point streak. Martin extended his point streak to five games with the second period goal. Maiani's two assists marked his second multi-point effort. Colborne and Rakhshani lead DU with five PPGs each.