Grand Forks, N.D. – The Denver Pioneers fell 5-2 to the No. 1 North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Saturday at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Turning Point
Moments after the expiration of a five-minute Pioneer penalty kill midway through the third period, North Dakota scored to take its first two-goal lead of the game.
Quotable
"I liked the start of our game. I thought we had some urgency. They seemed a little sleepy to start the hockey game and obviously they got going as the game went on. Ultimately, we gave them too much life."- Richard and Kitzia Goodman Head Coach
David Carle
First Period
Denver's penalty kill was its biggest asset in the opening period, limiting North Dakota's 14
th-ranked power play to only two shots in 5:50 of the man advantage. That defense led to offense at 7:42 when
Jake Durflinger stepped out of the penalty box, took a flip pass through the neutral zone from
Antti Tuomisto and converted on a breakaway to tie the game 1-1. North Dakota scored the first goal of the game at 4:58 on Jasper Weatherby's deflection.
Second Period
The Fighting Hawks' offense stayed muted, but not silent. Bounces dictated the period as Shane Pinto and Collin Adams each benefited from pinballing pucks to give North Dakota a 3-2 lead through 40 minutes. At 7:43, Jacob Bernard-Docker's shot off the post created a rebound in the crease
Magnus Chrona could not locate.
Justin Lee's attempted clearance was thwarted and Pinto buried the loose puck to make it 2-1. Four minutes later, Denver took advantage of an errant pass and transitioned to offense with a give-and-go that led to
Carter Savoie's team-leading 11
th goal of the season. Savoie's goal tied the game for the second time. North Dakota went ahead again on the power play at 15:55 as Adams' centering pass from behind the net hit
Griffin Mendel's skate and caromed past Chrona. Shots were 6-5 for the Fighting Hawks, bringing North Dakota's total to only 11 through two periods.
Third Period
The timing of Weatherby's second goal of the game put Denver in a precarious position. Eight seconds after the Pioneers came back to full strength from
Carter Savoie's five-minute major for checking from behind, Judd Caufield entered the zone off the rush and fired a pass off Chrona's right pad for Weatherby to make it 4-2. Denver failed to convert on its best chance back in the game with 1:21 of a five-on-three at 15:42 of the third. North Dakota added an empty netter to seal the game.
Significant Stats
-
Carter Savoie scored his team-leading 11
th goal of the season
-
Antti Tuomisto led Pioneer skaters with five shots for the second straight game
-North Dakota outshot Denver, 21-20
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