DULUTH, Minn. – Sophomore Aidan Thompson's second goal on Friday night came in overtime to lift the No. 5 Denver Pioneers hockey team to a 5-4 victory at the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at Amsoil Arena.
 
Thompson's ninth marker of the season was also the second of his career in OT, as he also tallied the game-winner in the extra sessions at UMD on Dec. 10, 2022.
 
"These guys are always a hard team to play in their building," said Thompson. "I think over the last two years since I've been here the games are always tough. It's good to get the win and hopefully we do it again tomorrow."
 
Denver (19-8-2, 10-6-1 NCHC) goes for the weekend sweep of the Bulldogs (10-14-4, 6-10-1 NCHC) on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT in Duluth. The game will be broadcast on NCHC.tv.
 
Jumping on the ice following a shift change early in the 3-on-3 overtime, Thompson tallied five-hole on Duluth goaltender Zach Stejskal to end the nationally-televised game at 1:46 of extra time. The Fort Collins, Colorado, native also opened the scoring at 13:05 of the first period to earn his first career multi-goal performance.
 
Junior Tristan Broz and senior McKade Webster both had a goal and an assist, and junior Sean Behrens contributed a pair of helpers. Junior Carter King scored as well for the Pioneers.
 
Denver junior goaltender Matt Davis stopped 32-of-36 shots in the victory.
 
Minnesota Duluth rallied from a two-goal deficit twice in the contest, as the Bulldogs scored two times in the second period to knot the outing at 2-2 and had two markers in a matter of 34 seconds in the final three minutes while Stejskal was pulled for the extra attacker.
 
Stejskal made 35 saves while facing 40 shots. Aaron Pionk and Luke Loheit both found the back of the net in the third period for the Bulldogs to even the score, while Owen Gallatin led all players in the contest with four assists.
 
King scored a go-ahead goal for DU with 2:10 remaining in the second period, and Webster buried his ninth tally of the season on a carom off the end wall at 10:53 of the third frame to double the Pios' lead before the Bulldogs' late rally.
 
The Pioneers went 0-for-4 on the power play, which included a seven-minute man advantage to start the second period. The Bulldogs' Luke Bast was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for spearing and a two-minute minor penalty for cross checking at the end of the first stanza.
 
UMD had two power-play opportunities, with Quinn Olson scoring on one with 4:44 left in the second period.
 
UP NEXT: The Pioneers conclude their regular-season series with the Bulldogs on Saturday at Amsoil Arena before returning home to host the Miami Red Hawks next weekend at Magness Arena.
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Denver improved to 3-1-2 in overtime this season.
• DU has now won three consecutive overtime games in Duluth dating back to Dec. 9-10, 2022 and is 4-1-0 in the last five contests at Amsoil Arena.
• The Pioneers are 5-1-0 in their last six contests against the UMD Bulldogs dating back to the NCAA West Regional Final in Loveland, Colorado, on March 26, 2022.
• Aidan Thompson recorded his first career two-goal game and fifth multi-point contest of the season.
• Thompson tallied his third game-winning goal of his career and his second in overtime (Dec. 10, 2022 at Minnesota Duluth).
• Shai Buium had an assist to stretch his point streak to six games, tying a career long (previously: Nov. 3-19, 2023; 2g/6a).
• Kieran Cebrian returned to the lineup after missing eight-games with a lower-injury, and McKade Webster was also back in game action after not playing on Feb. 3 vs. Western Michigan due to lower-body injury.
• Massimo Rizzo missed his first game of the season with a lower-body injury. He is listed as week-to-week.
• The win ended DU's season-long two-game losing streak.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
13:05 DU (1-0) – After Miko Matikka's point shot was stopped in front, Aidan Thompson whacked in the loose puck in the slot.
15:47 DU (2-0) – Following a penalty kill, Tristan Broz scored short-side at the low right circle off a pass from McKade Webster.
 
2nd Period
7:37 UMD (2-1) – Aidan Dubinsky tallied on a rebound from the right side.
15:06 UMD (2-2) – PPG, Quinn Olson hit iron and twine on a wrister at the top of the slot.
17:50 DU (3-2) – Carter King took a feed from Miko Matikka and scored in the slot after Sam Harris brought the puck into the zone on a rush up the ice.
 
3rd Period
10:53 DU (4-2) – Sean Behrens' shot from the blue line caromed off the end boards and landed near the goalpost where McKade Webster swatted the puck into the cage.
17:41 UMD (4-3) – EA, Aaron Pionk tallied on a scramble in front of the net while the Bulldogs had their own goaltender pulled.
18:15 UMD (4-4) – EA, Luke Loheit went top shelf with a wrister as UMD had an extra attacker on the ice.
 
Overtime
1:46 DU (5-4) – Aidan Thompson scored five-hole while driving to the net after jumping on the ice seconds earlier from a shift change.
 
 
QUOTABLES
Senior Captain McKade Webster
On the game: "It was back and forth. They had a good push at the end. We wanted to put them away earlier, but we won in OT—the extra point, so it's big down the stretch here to get home ice (in the NCHC Playoffs). It's a big point, but we obviously want to finish them out in regulation."
 
On what was talked about before overtime: "It was just, 'Hey fellas, we're fine here. We're good. We've been in this spot before, so let's go get it done.' That is what it was. It wasn't panic or anything like that. We knew we could get it done. So it was just confidence and let's relax here and let's go."


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