Colorado Springs, Colo. – The No. 6 Denver Pioneers hockey team (20-9-6, NCHC 10-8-5-4) accomplished a pair of goals in its 2-2 tie against Colorado College on Friday at the Broadmoor World Arena. The Pioneers reclaimed the Gold Pan and secured home-ice advantage in the first round of the NCHC playoffs. Denver's place in the conference standings was the only variable in question when Chris Wilkie scored his second goal of the game to erase the Pioneers' once-two-goal lead and tie it 2-2 with eight seconds left in regulation.
 
Wilkie scored for the Tigers on the power play at 14:24 of the third period, then sent the game to overtime at 19:52 when he took a pass from Alex Berardinelli in the right circle and scored the game-tying goal. Denver had a power play in NCAA overtime. Colorado College had a power play in NCHC three-on-three overtime. Neither team converted, so Brett Stapley's goal in the first round of the NCHC shootout decided the extra point in the conference standings. The shootout goal kept the Pioneers (3^rd) ahead of Western Michigan (4^th) by one point in the NCHC standings and in control of their destiny as it relates to postseason seeding.
 
"At the end of the day there's two realities to what happened," Richard and Kitzia Goodman Head Coach David Carle said. "We clinched home-ice, we got the Gold Pan and we got two of three points… Then the other reality is we're up 2-0 going into the third period and they make a push and we unravel in some big moments."
 
As eventful as the third period was for the Tigers, the second was equally as productive for the Pioneers. First, in another game of interest, Minnesota Duluth defeated St. Cloud State to secure Denver home-ice for the conference quarterfinal. Minutes later, at 10:45 of the period with the teams skating four-on-four, Magnus Chrona stopped Nick Halloran's breakaway and Ian Mitchell converted in transition to make it 1-0 for the Pioneers. Mitchell's 10^th goal of the season was a pass intended for Kohen Olischefski that deflected off a defenseman and into the net. Denver's second opportunity of the period came with only 31 seconds left in the frame as a play off a faceoff set up a one-timer for Stapley and rebound for Tyler Ward. Ward's goal marked the first shot Matt Vernon faced after replacing Ryan Ruck, who left the Colorado College net injured.
 
Denver entered the third period with home-ice advantage assured and a two-goal lead in a game where only a point was needed to take a 14-13 lead in the all-time series for the Gold Pan.
 
"It was a really weird hockey game in a lot of ways," Carle said. "There's some good with the result and bad with the process in the third and how we went about our business."
…
 
Magnus Chrona made 38 saves…Denver went 0/4 on the power play and 2/3 on the penalty kill…The Tigers outshot the Pioneers, 38-37…

UP NEXT: Denver Hockey presented by Centura Health is set to close its regular season on Saturday, March 7
 
NCHC QUARTERFINAL TICKETS ON SALE: Tickets for the NCHC Quarterfinal Series from March 13-15 in Magness Arena are on sale now!

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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