DENVER – The No. 3 Denver Pioneers hockey team used three goals in the second period on Friday night to defeat the No. 6 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs 5-3 at Magness Arena and stretch its season-long winning streak to nine games.
 
The Pioneers (21-5-1, 14-3-0 NCHC) also moved their unbeaten stretch to 11 outings in a row (10-0-1) and remain without a loss on home ice this year, improving to 14-0-1 in their friendly confines. DU's last defeat this season came against the Bulldogs (14-11-3, 7-6-3 NCHC) back on Dec. 11 in Duluth.
 
Senior Cole Guttman, junior Bobby Brink and sophomore Mike Benning each contributed a goal and an assist, and freshman Carter King and sophomore McKade Webster also found the back of the net in the contest. Freshman Massimo Rizzo had two assists and goaltender Magnus Chrona made 16-of-19 saves to improve his own career-long streaks; he has guarded the pipes in each of the last 21 games.
 
Guttman's tally was the 50th of his career, making him just the 60th player in DU history to reach the half-century mark in goals. Brink's two points gives him 43 on the season to take over the national scoring lead (10g/33a) and extend his own assist/point streak to a career-long 11 games.
 
"During my time here we have had a lot of good teams, and it's an honor to get to that achievement," Guttman said of his 50 career goals. "Every year we have a lot of good players that I've been fortunate enough to play with, and I think that leads to [that milestone]."
 
The teams were tied after the first period, as King found the back of the net for Denver at 11:05 after stealing the puck behind the UMD goal on a forecheck and then banking a shot off goaltender Ryan Fanti's skate. The marker came shorthanded, the Pios' third goal with the man disadvantage this year.
 
DU's lead was short-lived as Blake Biondi scored for Duluth 62 seconds later, but the Pioneers got back in front with a trio of markers in the middle frame. Benning began scoring spree with a one-timer on the power play midway through the period before Guttman scored his milestone marker with 6:58 remaining during 4-on-4 play. Webster registered his fifth goal of the season nearly four minutes later as his shot to a fortunate deflection, going off a UMD player and fluttering over the goalie and into the net.
 
Brink's tally came via the empty net with 1:26 left in the third period, as the Pioneers played solid defensively in the last regulation frame by only allowing four shots on Chrona.
 
"I thought we did a much better job in the third of managing the puck and making them come through us," Richard and Kitzia Goodman Head Coach David Carle said. "I don't think it's a secret anymore, but we're becoming a very good defensive team, as far as taking away time and space with our angling and puck pressure. It's a really good sign for the group that they've accepted that challenge and they're executing.
 
Minnesota Duluth added late goals in both the second and third stanza but were unable to cut the deficit any further.
 
The Pioneers went 1-for-4 with the power play, while the Bulldogs were 50 percent on their two opportunities. DU has now scored with the man advantage in eight straight games.
 
Denver wraps up its weekend series against Minnesota Duluth on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT. It will also be the final contest of the season series between the teams and the last one of a four-game homestand.
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Denver improved to 128-86-13 all-time and 78-38-5 when hosting the Bulldogs.
• Antti Tuomisto and Connor Caponi each played in their 50th career games.
• Carter King netted his first short-handed goal his career and the third for the Pioneers this season (McKade Webster and Connor Caponi, Nov. 20 vs. Miami).
• Cole Guttman scored his 50th career goal in the second period.
• Bobby Brink now has an assist in 11 straight games (18) and has a point in 18 of the last 19 games (7g/27a)
• Cameron Wright has a point in four of the last five games (4g/1a).
• Denver has scored a power-play goal in season-best eight straight games.
• DU improved to 20-1-1 when scoring four or more goals, 17-1-1 when scoring first, and 20-2-1 when outshooting opponents.
• Sean Behrens had his career-long eight-game point streak come to an end. It was tied for the second-longest streak by a defenseman in conference history (UMD's Andy Welinski, 2013-14) and the longest ever by a freshman blueliner since the NCHC's inaugural campaign in 2013-14.
• The Pios improved to 8-5-0 against ranked opponents this season and are 5-0-0 against top-10 teams at Magness Arena.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
11:05 DU (1-0) – SHG, Carter King fought for the puck from behind the net on a forecheck and threw it toward the net where it went off the goalie's skate and in.
12:07 UMD (1-1) – PPG, Blake Biondi scored from the top of the slot.
 
2nd Period
9:31 DU (2-1) – PPG, Mike Benning found twine on a one-timer from the left circle
13:02 DU (3-1) – Cole Guttman took a pass from Bobby Brink and scored from the slot during a 4-on-4.
16:58 DU (4-1) – McKade Webster's shot from the left side deflected off a UMD player and fluttered over the goalie and into the back of the cage.
19:10 UMD (4-2) – Casey Gilling scored on a rebound in front.
 
3rd Period
18:34 DU (5-2) – ENG, Bobby Brink battled for the loose puck, took a pass from Cole Guttman and scored into an open net.
19:12 UMD (5-3) – Tanner Laderoute's shot from the wall got through traffic and found its way in.
 
 
TICKETS: Single-game tickets for the 2021-22 campaign are on sale and 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.

DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the Pioneers Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will transform the lives of our student-athletes by giving them the first-class resources needed to excel in the classroom and beyond. Thank you for Building Pioneers for Life!
 
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Hockey on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Hockey on Twitter
Follow @DenverPioneers and @DU_Hockey on Instagram