DULUTH, Minn. – The No. 11 University of Denver hockey team fell 6-2 to the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Saturday night at Amsoil Arena in the Pioneers' final game before the holiday break.
 
The loss ended DU's season-long, seven-game winning streak, three-game road winning streak and five-game conference winning streak. It was the first weekend split of the season for Denver, which dropped to 11-5-0 overall and 5-3-0 in NCHC play.
 
Freshman Carter Mazur had a goal and an assist for DU, while senior Cameron Wright also scored. Senior Kyle Mayhew and freshman Massimo Rizzo added assists in the outing as well, and junior goaltender Magnus Chrona made 21 saves in the loss.
 
Jesse Jacques and Kobe Roth both scored twice for UMD, and goaltender Ryan Fanti stopped 29-of-31 shots faced. Noah Cates and Blake Biondi also tallied for the Bulldogs.
 
Duluth (11-6-1, 3-3-2 NCHC) jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the first period and never relinquished the lead in the contest.
 
Wright got the Pioneers on the board midway through the second period as he buried a shot in front after receiving a feed from Mazur, who intercepted the Bulldogs' clearing attempt.
 
Moments earlier, Chrona made a key save to keep DU withing striking distance as he stretched out his left pad to deny Dominic James' rebound attempt after a lively bounce off the end wall.
 
Biondi tallied 79 seconds into the third period to extend the Bulldogs' lead to 4-1, but Denver answered right back as Mazur scored 16 seconds later with a strong wrister off a pass from Rizzo. However, UMD added two markers more in the final frame, including an empty-netter by Roth in the final four minutes of regulation.
 
The Pioneers will now have nearly three weeks between games as they next play on New Year's Eve against the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks at Magness Arena.
 

POSTGAME NOTES

• The Pioneers' consecutive penalty-kill streak ended at 17 after Jesse Jacques scored with the man advantage early in the first period. It was the first power-play goal DU has allowed since Nov. 19 vs. Miami.
• Carter Mazur extended his career-long point streak to eight games (7g/6a) with a goal and an assist. It was his sixth multi-point outing of the season and his fourth in the last five games.
• Kyle Mayhew is on a three-game assist/point streak (0g/3a), tying his season long (also Oct. 8-15).
• Cole Guttman and Bobby Brink had their career-long point streaks end at seven games.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
1:57 UMD (0-1) – PPG, After winning a forecheck battle, Jesse Jacques scored in front to open the scoring.
5:04 UMD (0-2) – Noah Cates found twine on a wrist shot that went far-side while driving toward the net from the left circle.
13:04 UMD (0-3) – Kobe Roth scored on a backhander at the low right circle.
 
2nd Period
12:36 DU (1-3) – Carter Mazur intercepted a Duluth clearing attempt and passed it to Cameron Wright, who scored while stationed all alone at the front of the net.
 
3rd Period
1:19 UMD (1-4) – Blake Biondi opened the scoring in the frame with a wrister.
1:35 DU (2-4) – Carter Mazur took a pass from Massimo Rizzo and hit twine on his shot.
3:46 UMD (2-5) – Jesse Jacques scored on a wrist shot from the slot.
16:32 UMD (2-6) – ENG, Kobe Roth tallied his second of the game, burying a shot into an empty net.
 
TICKETS: Single-game tickets for the 2021-22 campaign can be purchased here.
 
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Masks are required at all indoor athletic events. For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.

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