Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.  – Brett Edwards' net drive and Ryan Barrow's finish with 20 seconds remaining in regulation was the difference as the No. 2 Denver Pioneers (4-0-0, 0-0-0-0) beat the Lake Superior State Lakers (2-2-0, 0-0-0-0) 4-3 on Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena.

Lake Superior State erased Denver's two-goal lead midway through the third period, but Barrow's team-leading third goal of the season helped the Pioneers stay perfect on a 10-day road trip to start the season.

"I liked a lot of what we did," Richard and Kitzia Goodman Head Coach David Carle said. "We didn't give up much for most of the night. Would we have liked to close it out a little simpler, for sure, but I'm happy with our resiliency to push back and ultimately find a way to win."

For the second straight night, the Pioneers fell behind in the first period and responded. Only 1:20 after Ashton Calder scored for the Lakers, Slava Demin threw a puck on net and the redirect beat Mareks Mitens to tie the game 1-1 before the first intermission.  

Denver established its lead at 15:55 of the second. Only 12 seconds into a Pioneer power play, Ian Michell fed Bobby Brink for a shot from the top of the right circle for Brink's second goal of the season and Mitchell's fourth point. Denver's momentum from the go-ahead goal led to its third goal less than a minute and a half later as Liam Finlay fired a wide-angle shot and Hank Crone tucked the rebound to make it 3-1.  

The two-goal lead held until 13:02 of the third when the Lakers scored twice in quick succession.  First, Max Humitz used a fortunate bounce off the end boards to cut Denver's lead, then Dustin Manz's unassuming shot from the boards tied the game exactly two minutes later. Tied 3-3 with 4:58 remaining, the Pioneers settled and went on the offensive with the line of Edwards, Brett Stapley and Barrow each picking up a point on the final goal.
…
Magnus Chrona made 20 saves…Denver went 1/3 on the power play and 4/4 on the penalty kill to improve to 19/19 on the penalty kill this season…Ian Mitchell is on a four-game point streak…Hank Crone, Liam Finlay and Brett Stapley had two-point games…Hank Crone scored his first goal as a Pioneer…Brett Edwards recorded the first point of his career…The Pioneers went 38-29 in the faceoff circle…

UP NEXT:
Denver returns to Magness Arena for Homecoming on Oct. 18-19 vs. Boston College.
 
2019-20 SEASON TICKETS:
Season tickets for the 2019-20 season are on sale now, and can be purc­­­hased here. Check out the complete 2019-20 schedule here. 
 
SHOP PIONEERS:
Get dressed for Game Day! Get your Pioneers gear at ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.
 
OUR JOURNEY:
Fans interested in making a donation to the men's hockey program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.   

-OUR JOURNEY, OUR TIME- 
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