Oxford, Ohio  –  The No. 5 Denver Pioneers hockey team (16-4-5, 6-3-4-3) recovered from an early two-goal deficit with an efficient power play and Griffin Mendel's game-winner at 6:15 of the third period to beat the Miami RedHawks 3-2 and extend its unbeaten streak to a season-high 10 games on Friday at Steve Cady Arena.
 
Kohen Olischefski scored twice on Denver's first two power plays of the night, allowing the Pioneers to tie the game by 2:26 of the second period and eventually take the lead in the third. Denver went ahead for the first time in the night with Mendel's second goal of the season at 6:25 of the final frame, a wrist shot from the point that slowly tricked through the five-hole.

"It shows the maturity of our team and how far we've come that we don't get deterred by the obstacle of being down by two," Richard and Kitzia Goodman Head Coach David Carle said. "We stay positive and we keep grinding away. The power play comes up with two really big goals for us."
 
The Pioneers started the game with an offensive burst, clanking a shot off the post in the first three minutes, but the RedHawks extinguished Denver's momentum with two goals by 11:00 of the first period. Carter Johnson buried the rebound from Chase Pletzke's shot at 5:20, then Miami extended its lead six minutes later as an immobile puck along the boards sprung into the faceoff circle for Matt Barry, who slid a pass to Bray Crowder alone in the left circle.
 
Trailing 2-0, Denver went to its first power play at 12:58 of the first period and made short work of the man advantage. Halfway through the power play, Olischefski took a pass from Bobby Brink at the net front, spun and tucked a shot five-hole on Ryan Larkin. Olischefski's scored his second of the night by burying away a loose puck from Cole Guttman's one-timer. The elusive natural hat trick nearly materialized for Olischefski twice more before Mendel's game-winner.  
 
…
 
Bobby Brink has three goals and six assists in his last eight games…Denver went 2/3 on the power play and 1/1 on the penalty kill…Magnus Chrona made 21 saves…The Pioneers outshot the RedHawks, 33-23…
 
UP NEXT: Denver Hockey presented by Centura Health will close its weekend series with Miami on Saturday, Jan. 25.
 
FROZEN FACEOFF TICKETS: Tickets for the 2020 Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Minn. are on sale now. More information is available here.
 
2020 DENVER ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME RECEPTION: Denver announced its 2020 Athletic Hall of Fame class in January. The inductees will be honored on the DU campus May 16. For more information, registration for the reception and donation information, click here. 

DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the 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.  
 
SHOP PIONEERS: Get dressed for Game Day! Get your Pioneers gear at ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.

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