MINNEAPOLIS — For the first time since 2014, the Denver Pioneers advanced to the NCHC championship game, care of a 3-1 win over Minnesota Duluth.
It was the sixth straight win for the Pioneers against the Bulldogs, and Denver is 10-1-1 against Minnesota Duluth in the teams’ last 12 games.
While tonight’s was a two-goal win, it was an empty-net goal that sealed it, so it was more like the one-goal margins of the last five games.
Denver came out with a lot of jump, pressuring the puck and generating a lot of shots. The Pioneers struck first thanks to its red-hot top line. Ian Mitchell sent a pass to Henrik Borgström in the left circle, and Borgström ripped a shot top corner glove side at 8:55 while on a power play.
“I thought we had a lot of intensity and pace to our power play,” said Denver coach Jim Montgomery. “The second one, I thought Borgström made the exact same shot and I think it hit Luko’s leg as he tried to get out of the way or it looked like it was going under the bar again. I just thought we had a shot-first attitude. We were winning faceoffs and playing with pace. When we do that with the players we have out there on our power play, usually good things happen.”
Minnesota Duluth came out much stronger in the second, and capitalized on a power play as freshman Scott Perunovich, who did everything but score in the first period, got the puck at the left point, took two strides to drive the lane, then ripped a shot top shelf stick side at 1:37.
However, DU regained the lead at 4:22 when Colin Staub got the puck on the edge of the crease and knocked it in past an outstretched Hunter Shepard. Shepard had made a save on Logan O’Connor’s initial shot, but the puck came right to Staub on the doorstep.
“For a little bit there, they were kind of coming after us a little bit,” said Staub. “My line wanted to go out there and kind of simplify it. ‘OC’ made a really great decision, chipped the puck in the corner. We were trying to get on the forecheck, and Gambrell made a really great read on their defenseman. … From there, we were just trying to get pucks to the net and as many bodies to the net and I was fortunate to kind of catch that rebound and sneak it in there before he could get the pad over.”
After that however, Denver took a series of ill-advised penalties. Duluth had a full minute of five-on-three power-play time, and also had a five-minute power play after Blake Hillman was called for a major and game misconduct for checking from behind. Duluth started the third period with 2:52 of power-play time, but despite all the opportunities, they were unable to score.
“I don’t think we played a good game offensively at all,” said Minnesota Duluth coach Scott Sandelin. “I thought defensively we did a better job. Had opportunities on the power play and didn’t capitalize especially against this team. You go into these games against them, they’re one of the least-penalized teams and they gave us some opportunities and we didn’t capitalize, they did on their opportunities, and that was the difference.”
At the end of the game, a frustrated Duluth took two penalties that prevented them from gaining any momentum, including one by Perunovich for slashing Borgström that put Denver a man up for the last 1:42 of the game. Duluth was able to get the puck in the Denver zone and pull Shepard, but after a clear, Adam Plant picked off a Duluth dump at the blue line and skated across the red line, then iced the game with an empty-netter.
“I was very disappointed in the penalties at the end for sure,” said Sandelin. “It’s a one-goal hockey game. Those are the things you have to learn. It doesn’t matter how frustrated you are, it’s about the team. The team comes first. We were still in a situation and it put us in a real tough situation for the last part of the game.”
The penalties Denver took clearly irritated Montgomery, who feels his team needs to clamp down on the power plays they are giving up, especially in Saturday’s championship game against St. Cloud State.
“I didn’t like the needless penalties we took,” said Montgomery. “That’s not part of our game. We had maybe one five-minute major all year, we’ve had two in four playoff games. We have to get a little bit smarter about that. Tomorrow night, we’re playing a great St. Cloud team, and we’re not going to be able to afford to give them five or six power plays like we did today.”
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