St. Cloud, Minn. – The St. Cloud State Huskies (13-12-6, 10-9-2-1) scored three goals in the second period to sink the No. 6 Denver Pioneers hockey team (19-9-5, 9-8-4-3) 5-1 on Friday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
 
With only three games left in the regular season, the loss carries weight in the Pioneers' pursuit of home-ice advantage for the first round of the NCHC playoffs. The top four teams in the conference host a quarterfinal series. Denver (4^th) leads St. Cloud State (5^th) in the standings by a single point, while Western Michigan (3^rd) has only a one-point lead on the Crimson & Gold.
 
The Pioneers trailed for the majority of the night. It took the Huskies only 13:07 to turn a 1-1 game into their 4-1 lead just past the midway point of the second period. Everything fell into place for St. Cloud State from there forward. The Pioneers outshot the Huskies 13-3 in the final period, but also took three penalties. When Denver pulled Magnus Chrona with five minutes left in regulation, Kevin Fitzgerald scored an empty-netter to seal the Huskies win.
 
"I liked our start," Richard and Kitzia Goodman Head Coach David Carle said. "Our first period we generated (scoring chances), then they pushed in the second period and they scored goals. The puck went in for them and, unfortunately for us, it didn't (for us) in the first period. I felt like the story of the game as the game went on was our penalties…at this time of year, it's disappointing that we're still talking about that."
 
Tyson McLellan and Jake Durfligner each had breakaway chances for the Pioneers before St. Cloud State took a 1-0 lead at 9:42 of the first period. After David Hrenak bailed out the Huskies with a pair of glove saves to keep it 0-0, Jami Krannila left a drop pass as he entered the zone and darted to the net where he received a feed from Jack Achan to give St. Cloud State the lead. 
 
Denver tied it in the first minute of the second period on the power play with Ian Mitchell finding Emilio Pettersen for a one-timer on a cross-ice pass. Pettersen's goal was quickly neutralized as the Huskies regained the lead 1:15 later with Kevin Fitzgerald redirecting Spencer Meier's shot along the ice. St. Cloud State further extended its lead with power-play goals from Zach Okabe and Nick Poehling at 5:29 and 12:57 of the second. Trailing 4-1, the Pioneers replaced Devin Cooley with Chrona.
 
"We have to come back refocused, pay more attention to our details and stay out of the penalty box," Carle said.
…
 
Ryan Barrow played his 100^th career game…Devin Cooley made 15 saves in 32:15...Magnus Chrona made eight saves in 23:13…Denver went 1/5 on the power play and 4/6 on the penalty kill...

UP NEXT: Denver Hockey presented by Centura Health closes its series with St. Cloud State on Saturday, Feb. 28

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.  
 
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