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HKY v Lethbridge (1 OCT 17) - Highlights
HKY v Lethbridge (1 OCT 17) - Full Game
HKY v Lethbridge (1 OCT 17) - Post Game

DENVER - The University of Denver Pioneers used a two-goal first period to surge past the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns in a 3-1 exhibition win on Sunday night at Magness Arena.

Despite going shorthanded early in the game, the Pioneers opened the scoring on an odd-man rush at 4:30 of the first period. Logan O'Connor helped set up the shorthanded goal with a pass through the neutral zone to Tyson McLellan, who finished the play with a toe drag and wrist shot over the glove of Pronghorns goalie Garret Hughson.

Denver extended its lead to 2-0 halfway through the first period when Adam Plant found Liam Finlay alone in the right circle for a power-play goal. Jaako Heikkinen had the secondary assist. The two-goal advantage held through the first intermission.

After Tanner Jaillet started the game, freshman goalie Dayton Rasmussen replaced him in the second period and was tested early. Rasmussen helped preserve the Pioneers' lead with a glove save on a breakaway in the early moments of the frame, then, at 5:30 of the second, Troy Terry put the Pioneers back on the board. Dylan Gambrell and Jarid Lukosevicius had the assists on Terry's move from the corner to the front of the net.

The Pronghorns scored their first goal of the night at 16:56 of the second period when Brandon Clowes took the puck up the left-wing boards and fired a shot through Rasmussen's legs to make it 3-1. The Pioneers' two-goal lead stood through a scoreless third period.

The Pioneers finished 1/3 on the power play and 6/6 on the penalty kill. Denver outshot Lethbridge, 37-31. Jaillet finished with eight (8) saves, Rasmussen finished with 14 and Devin Cooley made four (4) stops in the final 10:18 of the third period.

Denver is set to open the regular season on Oct. 13 at Notre Dame.

JIM MONTGOMERY POSTGAME INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Q: What was your overall assessment of tonight's game?

Montgomery: I really liked the way they played the first thirty minutes. I felt we took too many needless penalties, but early in the year, guys have to get used to what's being called. You know, like the hook on Terry was not - would not have been a penalty last year - but it is this year and we have to get used to that. I thought that took the momentum out of us and we got on our heels a little bit. We have to learn from that. But the biggest takeaway is that it's early in the year and we're not in game-shape and we have to put the pedal to the metal here and get in game-shape.

Q: What were you most pleased with?

Montgomery: Just how fast we played when we were playing the right way. I think that's what I was most pleased with…the creativity I saw from a lot of different players and a lot of defensemen. You know you can't coach creativity, so that's the nice thing we're seeing.

Q: You said during the week that your sophomore class has improved exponentially. Your overall view of the sophomores and how much they've improved over the last year…

COACH: Yeah, you can tell there's just a little more confidence to them. I mean, I thought Mike Davies looked like Ray Bourque out there tonight. I mean, he let five one-timers go, you know? (Davies) was just breaking up plays all over the place and you can just…him and McLellan and like you said, Finlay and Borgström (played well).

DENVER ATHLETICS TICKETS:

Single-game tickets went on sale to the general public on Sept. 14. Season tickets and hockey four packs also remain on sale. For more ticket information, click here, or call 303-871-4625.

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