GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Sophomore forward James Reeder scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and freshman goaltender Quentin Miller made 33 saves to lead the No. 9 Denver Pioneers hockey team to a 3-2 victory against the No. 5 North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Saturday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
 
Junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp helped Denver (13-10-2, 9-5-0 NCHC) tie the game at 2-2 in the second period, and Reeder tallied the only power-play goal of the weekend for either team with 8:41 remaining in the third frame.
 
Freshman forward Kristian Epperson recorded a multi-point night with a goal and an assist for the Pioneers. Boston Buckberger, Clarke Caswell, Sam Harris and Samu Salminen each had an assist in the outing.
 
DU and North Dakota (18-6-0, 10-4-0 NCHC) were facing off in their only series of the season, and the teams split the weekend set after the Fighting Hawks won in a shutout on Friday. NoDak and Denver are the top two teams in the NCHC standings with 10 games to go in the regular season.
 
Miller made 11 saves in the first period, stopped 14 shots in the second and denied all eight pucks in the third to help the Pioneers end a six-game winless streak (0-5-1). The Hawks outshot the Pios 35-17 overall.
 
Epperson began the scoring for DU with 5:51 left in the opening period, but Dylan James tallied 3:30 later to even the score at 1-1 going into the first break. The score was 2-2 after two periods of play, with Pohlkamp burying a wrist shot at 12:53 and about four minutes after Jake Livanavage found the back of the cage to give UND its only lead of the night.
 
Reeder netted his sixth goal of the season off a rebound from Harris's shot while Fighting Hawks goalie Jan Spunar was sprawled on the ice trying to make the save. Spurner saved 14-of 17 shots faced on the night..
 
The Pioneers went 1-for-4 on the power play and killed off all three of UND's man advantages on Saturday, finishing 7-for-7 on the PK on the weekend.
 
UP NEXT: Denver returns home and begins its second four-game homestand of the season next Friday and Saturday against St. Cloud State at Magness Arena. DU hosts Minnesota Duluth in their only meeting of the season the following week on Jan. 30-31.

 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Denver is now 4-2-0 in its last six games against UND and 9-5-0 in the past 14 contests. The Pioneers are 5-3-0 in their past eight games in Grand Forks.
• North Dakota was the third NCHC squad that Denver concluded its season series with (Western Michigan, four games; Miami, two games).
• Eric Pohlkamp scored his 14th goal of the season, taking sole possession of ninth place in program history for goals by a defenseman in a single season. It is the most goals by a DU blueliner since Mike Benning tallied 15 times in 2021-22.
• Kristian Epperson recorded his second multi-point game of the season (Nov. 1 vs. Alaska Anchorage).
• After blocking a season-high 18 shots on Friday, DU sent a new best with 19 blocks on Saturday
• Freshman forward Payton Nelson was celebrating his 21st birthday on Saturday while junior goaltender Paxton Geisel turns 22 years old on Sunday.
• Denver improved to 10-2-0 when scoring first, 4-5-1 when tied after the first period and 2-2-1 when tied at the end of two periods this season.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
14:09 DU (1-0) – Clarke Caswell forced a turnover behind the goal line and found Kristian Epperson with a pass in the slot, and Epperson hit twine with a wrist shot.
17:39 UND (1-1) – Dylan James tallied on a backhand shot from the right side off a rebound.
 
2nd Period
8:43 UND (1-2) – Jake Livanavage scored on a low wrister from the left circle during a 4-on-4.
12:53 DU (2-2) – Eric Pohlkamp sent a wrister from the left circle that went high and far-side into the net.
 
3rd Period
11:19 DU (3-2) – PPG, James Reeder buried the puck on a rebound in front as UND goalie Jan Spunar was sprawled on the ice in his crease.


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