ORONO, Maine – Goaltender Matt Davis made 29 saves and defenseman Cale Ashcroft scored the game-winning goal in the last minute of regulation to lift the No. 6 Denver Pioneers hockey team to a 2-1 victory at the No. 7 Maine Black Bears in front of a sold-out crowd at Alfond Sports Arena on Friday night.
 
Denver and Maine each wrap up their non-conference schedule for the season on Saturday in Orono. The series finale begins at 4:30 p.m. MT, and it will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
The Pioneers picked up their first road victory in Maine since 1985 after Ashcroft's shot from the high slot reached the back of the net with 20 seconds remaining in the third period. Junior Rieger Lorenz provided a screen in the low slot to help the sophomore D-man tally his third game-winning goal of the season and of his career—Ashcroft also tallied the decisive goal in the Pios' previous regular-season contest on Dec. 14 against Colorado College
 
Senior forward Carter King opened the scoring in the game with a power-play marker 2:53 into the second period. Sophomore blueliner Eric Pohlkamp had two assists, while senior forward Aidan Thompson and sophomore forward Kieran Cebrian each produced a helper.
 
King's team-leading 12th marker of the year came five seconds into a 5-on-3 power play for DU after Sully Scholle was called for tripping at 2:28 and Taylor Makar went off for a boarding penalty at 2:48.
 
The Black Bears evened the score on their lone power-play chance of the game. Frank Djurasevic tallied eight seconds into UM's man-up opportunity and with 83 seconds left in the second period.
 
Maine outshot Denver 30-24 overall, with Davis stopping all 10 shots he faced in the opening stanza and each of the 11 pucks in third frame. Black Bears netminder Albin Boija made 22 saves in the loss.
 
Maine blocked 20 shots in the contest, including 11 in the third period.
 
UP NEXT: The Pioneers conclude their series at Maine on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MT. DU resumes NCHC play next weekend, Jan. 8-9 when it hosts the Miami RedHawks at Magness Arena.
 
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Junior Rieger Lorenz played in his 100th career game. He is the first DU player to reach the century mark this season.
• Denver improved to 9-2-0 when scoring first, 6-1-0 when tied after the first period and 5-0-0 when tied after the second period.
• The Pioneers have played in five straight one-goal games and their second consecutive 2-1 contest. The Pios' only such 2-1 outings last season came in three straight games during the NCAA Tournament.
• DU is now 5-2-0 in the last seven games in the series against Maine and 10-12 overall.
• The Pioneers are now 3-6-0 all-time in games in Orono, ending a six-game losing streak in Maine. Their last victories were Dec. 11 and 12, 1985.
• Cale Ashcroft's three game-winning goals rank second on the team.
• Eric Pohlkamp had his third multi-point game and second multi-assist contest of the season.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
No Scoring
 
2nd Period
2:53 DU (1-0) – PPG, Carter King knocked in the puck from the left side just five seconds into a 5-on-3 man advantage after Aidan Thompson shot from the right circle caromed off the end wall and right to his stick.
18:37 Maine (1-1) – PPG, Frank Djurasevic tallied from the left circle after the puck came to him eight seconds into the power play.
 
3rd Period
19:40 DU (2-1) – Cale Ashcroft's shot from the high slot got through traffic and into the back of the net while Rieger Lorenz was providing a screen in front of the Maine goaltender.


QUOTABLES
Senior Goaltender Matt Davis
On the arena atmosphere: "It's a super fun atmosphere. The fans are incredible. It's hostile, but that's the way we love it. It's awesome. I love it."
 
On playing the puck: "I've always looked to myself as someone that can handle the puck really well and help the guys really anyway possible. Just trying to get the puck out of the zone as fast and as smooth as possible. That is something I have been doing all my life."
 
On the win: "It reminded me of (NCAA) regionals last year in Springfield. It was just a war. Everyone was battling. Both sides played really good hockey games I think. It came down to us wanting it more, I guess. It was a super fun game to be a part of. Hats off to them."
 
Sophomore Defenseman Cale Ashcroft
On the Pioneers' game-winning goal: "It's having that shot-first mentality. That was our message all night, was to get pucks on the net. I had a lane, and I took my shot and it went in."
 
On Maine blocking shots: "The main goal was to get it past that first layer. Their guy was coming out, and we just did a good job of having forwards at the net. That was the goal all night, to get puts on the net."
 
On the playoff-type feel of the game: "I think it's really important to play games like this coming out of the Christmas break. Having a game like this to get us going again is really important for us, and I think it sets us up for success."


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