DENVER – Senior captain Justin Lee scored the game-winning goal with 2:27 remaining regulation and the No. 1 Denver Pioneers hockey team held off the Lindenwood Lions for a 5-4 victory on Saturday night at Magness Arena.
 
Denver (16-4-0, 8-2-0 NCHC) now heads into the holiday break on a season-long, seven-game winning streak and has won five straight matchups on home ice. The Pioneers' 16 wins and .800 win percentage at the 20-game mark are the program's best in each category since 2007-08 when the team also started 16-4-0 (.800).
 
Lindenwood (4-12-0) rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the third period, as Mitch Allard scored 22 seconds into the frame while Cade DeStefani tallied his second of the night at 13:33.
 
Lee netted his second goal of the season and his first career game-winner on his own rebound, as his second shot beat Lions goaltender Trent Burnham between the pads. Sophomore Owen Ozar had an assist on the play and provided traffic in front of Lee's shot.
 
Sophomore forward Tristan Broz registered a career-high four points, as he scored in the second period and recorded three helpers, including the secondary assist on Lee's game-winner. Broz is also on a career-long, four-game point streak, recording eight points on three goals and five assists.
 
Defenseman Mike Benning had two markers for Denver while senior Casey Dornbach tallied the night's opening goal while also contributing an assist. Massimo Rizzo had a multi-point outing as well with a pair of helpers to push his point streak to a career-long seven games.
 
DU goaltender Matt Davis started his fourth game of the season and the first time on consecutive days in his collegiate career. After making 19 saves in a 5-0 shutout on Friday, he stopped 17 shots on Saturday to improve his record to 4-0-0 on the year.
 
The Pioneers never trailed in the game, leading 2-1 at the first intermission before doubling their score in the second period with goals from Benning and Broz.
 
DU outshot LU 46-21 overall and by a 14-7 margin in the third period.
 
UP NEXT: Denver now goes on a two-week bye for the holidays and will resume practices after the New Year. The Pioneers continue their season-long, six-game homestand on Jan. 6-7 as they host Alaska Fairbanks in their final non-conference series of the campaign.


POSTGAME NOTES

• Denver recorded multiple power-play goals in a contest for the fifth time this season.
• The Pioneers' seven-game win streak is their longest since a nine-game run last season from Jan. 15-Feb. 11, 2022.
• Mike Benning tallied twice for his sixth career multi-goal game and his second of the season.
• Benning extended his point streak to seven games, setting a new career long (5g/7a). His previous long of six was from Nov. 13-Dec. 10, 2021 (3g/7a). He finished the month of December with 10 points (3g/7a) in six games, recording four multi-point efforts.
• Tristan Broz had a career high with four points (1g/3a) and extended his career-long point streak to four games (3g/5a). His previous best was three points (1g/2a) on Feb. 26, 2022 vs. Wisconsin while playing for Minnesota.
• Massimo Rizzo had two assists to extend his point streak to a now career-long seven games (4g/4a). He has recorded streaks of at least six games now three times in his career
• Aidan Thompson is on his third, three-game point streak of the season (1g/2a).
• Casey Dornbach is on a three-game point streak (2g/2a) while Owen Ozar has registered points in consecutive contests for the first time in his career (0g/2a).
• Matt Davis had a shutout streak of 75:24 come to an end at 10:59 of the first period—the second-longest run of his career.
• Carter Mazur had his three-game goal streak and four-game point streak (3g/1a) end, while Mike Benning's five-game assist streak (tying a career high) also concluded.
• This weekend marked the first-ever series between Denver and Lindenwood, which is in its first season at the NCAA Division-I level.

GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
9:57 DU (1-0) – Casey Dornbach buried a shot from the slot after receiving a pass from Tristan Broz.
10:59 LU (1-1) – Hunter Johannes scored on a 2-on-1 rush.
15:15 DU (2-1) – PPG, After having his shot blocked, Massimo Rizzo regained control and passed the puck over to his left where Mike Benning wristed it into the goal.
 
2nd Period
0:54 DU (3-1) – Mike Benning tallied his second of the game with a wrister at the right circle off a pass from Tristan Broz.
8:39 LU (3-2) – Cade DeStefani tallied on a one-timer from the low, left circle just seconds after a Lindenwood power play expired.
15:22 DU (4-2) – PPG, Nine seconds into a power play, Tristan Broz hit twine from the left circle off a pass from Kent Anderson.
 
3rd Period
0:22 LU (4-3) – Mitch Allard received the puck in the low slot and tallied on a backhand shot that went blocker side.
13:33 LU (4-4) – Cade DeStefani whacked in a bouncing puck near the crease.
17:33 DU (5-4) – Justin Lee gathered his own rebound and beat the goaltender with a shot between the pads from the left circle.
 
 
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