Box Score DENVER – Senior Luke Salazar (Thornton, Colo.) scored 1:40 into overtime to propel No. 3 seed Denver past No. 10 seed Wisconsin, 3-2, in game three of the first round of the WCHA Playoffs Sunday night at Magness Arena. With the win, the Pioneers advance to the WCHA Final Five Tournament in St. Paul, Minn., for the fifth consecutive year.
Ty Loney (Valencia, Pa.) and Nick Shore (Denver, Colo.) added goals for the Pioneers (23-12-4) and junior co-captain Drew Shore (Denver, Colo.) assisted on all three goals in the win. Sam Brittain (Calgary, Alberta) earned his second win of the series with 24 saves.
Mark Zengerle and Tyler Barnes scored for Wisconsin (17-18-2) and Joel Rumpel made 30 saves in the loss.
“It’s a terrific feeling anytime you can win a playoff game or a playoff series and this series was extended right to the limit,” DU head coach George Gwozdecky said. “Sam (Brittain) did not have a very auspicious start tonight. Both goals were goals that he knows he stops 99 out of 100. But, we had to continue to fight back. Our power play finally scored a goal against these guys and it couldn’t have come at a better time. From that point, everyone is biting their nails, waiting to see who is going to make the big play.”
Salazar gave the Pioneers the win at 1:40 of the extra frame with a wrap-around goal that beat Rumpel stick side. Drew Shore and Scott Mayfield (St. Louis, Mo.) added the assists on the game-winning goal.
“Luke Salazar has played the best hockey of his career the last four weeks,” Gwozdecky added.
Zengerle gave the Badgers a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 6:40 of the middle frame. Wisconsin was killing a five-minute major and game misconduct penalty assessed to Brendan Woods following a boarding penalty on Paul Phillips (Darien, Ill.).
Loney knotted the game at 1-1 at 11:17 of the second period, firing a Salazar rebound past Rumpel. Drew Shore also assisted on the goal.
Barnes regained Wisconsin’s lead with a goal at 12:32 of the second stanza to put the Badgers up 2-1.
Nick Shore tied the game at 2-2 with a power-play goal at 2:01 of the final frame, burying a Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev.) rebound. Drew Shore picked up his second assist of the night on the play.
Denver outshot Wisconsin 33-26 and went 1-for-3 on the power play. The Badgers were 0-for-1 on the man-advantage.
Denver plays Michigan Tech in the first game of the WCHA Final Five in St. Paul, Minn. on Thursday, March 15. Puck drop is set for 1:07 p.m. MT.
Notes: DU is 12th in the latest PairWise Rankings. Brittain improved to 6-2 in the postseason. Drew Shore had his second three-assist game and leads Denver with 50 points (21g, 29a). Salazar scored both game-winning goals for Denver in the series. The Pioneers are seeking their 16th WCHA playoff championship.
