Box Score DENVER - Shawn Ostrow (Calgary, Alberta) tallied a goal and two assists and Dustin Jackson (Omaha, Neb.) and Nate Dewhurst (Johnston, Iowa) added a goal and an assist each to power No. 14 Denver past No. 1/2 Minnesota, 5-3, in front of a sellout crowd of 6,030 Friday night at Magness Arena.
Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Chris Knowlton (Colorado Springs, Colo.) also netted goals for Denver and Joey LaLeggia (Burnaby, British Columbia) added two helpers. Sophomore netminder Sam Brittain (Calgary, Alberta) recorded 31 saves as the Pioneers improve to 16-9-4, 11-6-4 WCHA, knocking the Gophers to 19-10-1, 15-6-0 WCHA.
“I thought we were very effective tonight, we got pucks into the paint,” DU head coach George Gwozdecky said. “But, we know Minnesota is not going to go away. I felt that Sam played a good game, but they cashed in on our mistakes. It was an important win for us, a win that our guys feel good about.”
Nate Condon staked the Gophers to a 1-0 lead at 9:08 of the opening frame, converting a DU turnover at the Minnesota blueline and beating Brittain stick-side.
The Pioneers responded just 40 seconds later to knot the game at 1-1 as Ostrow fired a Jackson rebound past Minnesota netminder Kent Patterson (29 saves). Dewhurst also recorded an assist on the play.
Jackson netted his first goal of the season as he sent a shot past Patterson from the left circle to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead at 12:37. Ostrow picked up the assist on the tally. Dewhurst added a goal to give Denver a 3-1 lead with just over two minutes left in the first. John Ryder (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Josiah Didier (Littleton, Colo.) assisted on Dewhurst’s goal.
Kyle Rau brought the Gophers within one goal at 3-2, as he fired Nick Bjugstad’s rebound past Brittain for a power-play goal at 1:56 of the middle stanza. Zucker regained the Pioneers two-goal cushion at 4:02, sending the puck off Patterson’s pads and into the back of the Minnesota net. Scott Mayfield (St. Louis, Mo.) and LaLeggia recorded the assists.
Rau was assessed with a five-minute major and game misconduct penalty for boarding on Zucker at 6:38 of the second period. Knowlton made it 5-2 for Denver at 11:53 with a backhander over Patterson’s blocker just after the ensuing five-minute power play expired. Ostrow and LaLeggia assisted on the goal.
Zach Budish made it 5-3 at 15:19 of the second with a shot from the point.
The Pioneers and the Gophers managed 34 shots each and both teams went 1-for-4 on the power play.
Denver and Minnesota complete the series tomorrow night at 7:07 p.m. MT.
Notes: DU is 10th in the latest PairWise Rankings. Denver improves to 5-1 in the last six games against the Gophers. The Pioneers are 5-4-3 against ranked opponents. Dewhurst has three points (2g, 1a) during his two-game point streak. Zucker did not return to the game following the hit from Rau.
