Photo: Courtesy of Denver Athletics
Denver faced a wounded opponent but could not put them away in a gritty and, sometimes, listless 1-1 tie.
UND played without its top two centermen — juniors Rhett Gardner and Nick Jones along with defenseman Gabe Bast and suspended Cole Smith. DU’s Griffin Mendel replaced Adam Plant. With only 11 forwards available for the game, UND moved defenseman Casey Johnson to forward for the first time in his college career.
First Period
- Early in the contest, DU outshot UND 6-0 and held the fighting hawks without a shot until 13:52
- DU Freshman Kohen Olischefski beat UND goalie Can Johnson for a sloppy goal at 7:21
Second Period
- UND controlled possession and tempo in the second period
- The Fighting Hawks Christian Wolainin tied the game with a power-play goal at 9:36
- The Pioneers offense could not get untracked during the period
Third Period
- Scoreless with few ‘Grade A’ scoring chances on either side
- A late Pioneer penalty gave the Fighting Hawks opportunities and carried over to the first OT period but no damage done
OT
- Scoreless in first overtime with few opportunities on either side
- Second OT, Denver earned two conference points on a 3-on-3 goal by DU defenseman Ian Mitchell in a 2-on-1 rush at 1:19.
Summary
DU had a chance to put away a wounded, reeling opponent but could only muster 23 shots on goal to 22 for UND. By holding off Denver, the Fighting Hawks moved into a tie for 3rd place and must see this series as a ‘win’ heading into a bye week and the return of injured players for the final 8-game Stretch. Denver leaves Grand Forks with a solid 4 points but an empty feeling of what might have been – with the sudden absence of scoring – especially from stars Troy Terry, Dylan Gambrell and Henrik Borgstrom.
I agree. Let’s hope we don’t look back on this series and regret that we did not finish off the Hawks. Still, tough to go to Grand Forks and come away with four points.
It doesn’t get any easier from here.
While 4 points against a high quality opponent, especially in a hostile environment, is nice, I thought DU took a step back this weekend. After the emphatic showing and back-to-back shutouts against Omaha, I really thought the Pios were poised to go into Grand Forks and get a sweep, especially against an undermanned Sioux team. Just didn’t see enough effort and commitment.
Only 8 games left, starting with next weekend’s series against a very talented Duluth team. Time to put the pedal to the metal.
I’ll agree with Twister. Yes – Grand Forks is a tough environment, but this UND team was undermanned and not as skilled as we are used to seeing there. The Pios played mostly a notch below and got the results they deserved this weekend – as the Pios were the better team about half the time, and half the time, they weren’t. Pios got two bonus points in the 3 on 3 for having a bit more skill, but 3 on 3 is not really what the sport is about, as it removes the physical dimension.
Pios needs to put out a more consistent level of effort if they have NCAA dreams.
If they play like they did this weekend in the NCAAs, they will get beaten.
I agree. Let’s hope we don’t look back on this series and regret that we did not finish off the Hawks. Still, tough to go to Grand Forks and come away with four points.
It doesn’t get any easier from here.
While 4 points against a high quality opponent, especially in a hostile environment, is nice, I thought DU took a step back this weekend. After the emphatic showing and back-to-back shutouts against Omaha, I really thought the Pios were poised to go into Grand Forks and get a sweep, especially against an undermanned Sioux team. Just didn’t see enough effort and commitment.
Only 8 games left, starting with next weekend’s series against a very talented Duluth team. Time to put the pedal to the metal.
I’ll agree with Twister. Yes – Grand Forks is a tough environment, but this UND team was undermanned and not as skilled as we are used to seeing there. The Pios played mostly a notch below and got the results they deserved this weekend – as the Pios were the better team about half the time, and half the time, they weren’t. Pios got two bonus points in the 3 on 3 for having a bit more skill, but 3 on 3 is not really what the sport is about, as it removes the physical dimension.
Pios needs to put out a more consistent level of effort if they have NCAA dreams.
If they play like they did this weekend in the NCAAs, they will get beaten.
Under the age-old adage of ‘sweep at home and split on the road’, four points in a tough barn like the Ralph could be considered a positive EXCEPT:
1) NoDak was a depleted squad
2) This is the time of the season to get serious
3) DU should have just stayed on the plane for that first period on Friday…. totally uninspired play!
Under the age-old adage of ‘sweep at home and split on the road’, four points in a tough barn like the Ralph could be considered a positive EXCEPT:
1) NoDak was a depleted squad
2) This is the time of the season to get serious
3) DU should have just stayed on the plane for that first period on Friday…. totally uninspired play!
Any update on Plant’s condition?
No word yet Bill. I imagine we might learn something this week during the Coaches show Wednesday night.
Any update on Plant’s condition?
No word yet Bill. I imagine we might learn something this week during the Coaches show Wednesday night.