DENVER – The No. 3-ranked Denver Pioneers hockey team secured its spot in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff next weekend with a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in Game 2 of the NCHC Quarterfinals on Saturday night at Magness Arena.
 
No. 2-seed Denver (26-9-3, 15-7-2 NCHC) wins the best-of-three series 2-0 over No. 7-seed Duluth (12-20-5, 8-14-2 NCHC) and advances to the conference semifinals for a 10th time in its history. The Pioneers' opponent on Friday, March 22 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, has yet to be determined, as they could play No. 3-seed St. Cloud State, No. 4-seed Colorado College or No. 5-seed Omaha based on the results of two Game 3s in the NCHC on Sunday.
 
DU used a three-goal second period to pull away from UMD after a scoreless opening frame and then sealed Game 2 with a pair of empty-net markers late in the third.
 
Sophomore forward Rieger Lorenz scored twice, while junior defenseman Sean Behrens and junior forward Tristan Broz each finished with a goal and an assist each. Sophomore Aidan Thompson also tallied for Denver.
 
Goaltender Matt Davis made his 20th consecutive start and was perfect through the first 47 minutes of the game. He finished with 28 saves and added an assist on Behren's goal, which ended up as the game-winner.
 
DU opened the scoring early in the second period with its quickest two goals of the season. Thompson poked the puck into the net in a scramble around the crease with one second left on a power play at 3:53, and Lorenz found twine 27 seconds later to give the Pioneers a 2-0 advantage before the five-minute mark.
 
Behrens added to Denver's lead on a wrister off a zone entry from Broz with 5:58 remianing in the second frame.
 
Luke Loheit ended Davis' perfect night at the 7:00 mark of the third period. The Pioneers netminder had been on a career-long shutout stretch and reached 127 minutes and 19 seconds that dated back to last Saturday versus Colorado College.
 
Kyle Bettens scored while the Bulldogs had an extra attacker with 2:04 remaining, but Broz and Lorenz netted empty-net markers in the last 77 seconds to allow the Pioneers to punch their ticket to the NCHC's final four. Denver own Friday's Game 1 by a 4-0 score.
 
Minnesota Duluth goaltender Matthew Thiessen ended the night with 25 saves on 28 shots faced.
 
DU has made the trip to Minnesota in March an annual excursion, as the theam is the only NCHC program to reach the Frozen Faceoff in all 10-held tournaments. The Pioneers will be going for their third conference title after previously winning in 2014 and 2018.
 
UP NEXT: Denver will play a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals on Friday, March 22 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The conference championship game is the next day, Saturday, March 23.
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Denver is now 26-9-1 all-time in the NCHC Tournament and is 19-2 in quarterfinal games after winning its 11th straight contest in the in the conference's elite eight.
• DU improved to 5-2 all-time in the NCHC Tournament vs. UMD and 4-0 in quarterfinal matchups.
• Matt Davis posted a career-long 127:19 shutout streak that began in the second period of last Saturday, March 9 vs. Colorado College until Luke Loheit scored at 7:00 of the third period.. His previous personal best came this past month when he stopped every shot in 105:44 across three games from Feb. 23-March 1.
• Davis has started 20 consecutive games since returning from injury following the holiday break (14-4-2), the longest stretch of his career and the longest since Magnus Chrona started 25 straight contests from Nov. 5, 2021-Feb. 25, 2022.
• Aidan Thompson and Rieger Lorenz each scored in a matter of 27 seconds in the second period, the fastest two goals by the Pioneers this season. Carter King and Lorenz previously had the fastest at 34 seconds on Nov. 11 at Arizona State.
• Jack Devine stretched his point streak to five games (5g/2a) after recording an assist
• Sam Harris had an assist and is on a three-game point streak (2g/3a).
• Matt Davis recorded his third assist of the season.
• Kieran Cebrian now has three assists in his last four games and seven points (1g/6a) in the last seven contests.
• Sean Behrens picks up his second game-winning goal of the season.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
No Scoring
 
2nd Period
3:53 DU (1-0) – PPG, Aidan Thompson poked the puck into the cage with one second left on a power play after Sam Harris got a piece of the puck in the crease.
4:20 DU (2-0) – Rieger Lorenz spun and scored with the puck near the crease after Jared Wright's outside shot was blocked in front.
14:02 DU (3-0) – Sean Behrens fired a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that hit the post and landed in the back of the net.
 
3rd Period
7:00 UMD (3-1) – Luke Loheit spun out of a DU defender and scored five-hole.
17:56 UMD (3-2) – Kyle Bettens knocked in a rebound near the crease while UMD had its goaltender pulled for an extra attacker.
18:47 DU (4-2) – ENG, Tristan Broz took a pass from Jack Devine and threw the puck into the gaping net.
19:38 DU (5-2) – ENG, Rieger Lorenz buried a shot into the open cage off a cross pass from Jared Wright.
 
 
QUOTABLES
Junior Defenseman Sean Behrens
On sweeping Minnesota Duluth:
"I mean it's really exciting. That team's really good. They've been really good the last few years, and I think to come out this weekend and play that good defensively—you get a shutout the first night and then limit them to no goals for the last [13] minutes is a really good step in the right direction. That's playoff hockey, and that's how were going to have to play from here on out."
 
On the team's defense: "It's something we've worked on all year. We have a really young team, a lot of freshmen, so I think building our defensive game. It was something that we've made a priority this whole year and to see that paying off, it makes you look back and get really excited about the future and how far we've come."
 
On going to St. Paul for the Frozen Faceoff: "This team is really amped up, really excited to get down there and play for another trophy. Just missing out on the Penrose (Cup) and now having a chance to win the NCHC Tournament is really exciting, and we can't wait to get down there and go compete for that trophy."
 
On his goal: "Just kind of floated it through and hoped it went in. It was a great play by Matty [Davis] and Brozer (Tristan Broz) to work the puck up the ice and get it to me. Just kind of saw some time and space in the shooting lane and shot it and hoped for the best. So thankful it went in, and it ended up being a big goal in the game."