DU men’s hockey (19-11-3, 15-6-1) got off to yet another slow start, as neither Denver nor Omaha could scratch the scoresheet. Denver got off 15 shots, 8 on target, but came up empty-handed against goaltender Simon Latkoczy. Denver also doubled up the Mavs on faceoffs, 11-5. Both teams had a power play opportunity, but zilch to show for the first 20 minutes of effort.

The second period felt like more of the same. Near the midway mark of the game,  Hagan Burrows finally rewarded the Pioneers, unassisted, and Denver grabbed the first lead of the game. Denver’s Clarke Caswell got called for tripping 30 seconds later. Near the end of the penalty, Omaha’s Jeremy Loranger beat Johnny Hicks, 1-1. Later in the period, Omaha was sent to the penalty box for tripping and, later, cross-checking. DU failed to score on the man advantage and a 5-on-3 edge. Denver was clearly outplaying the Mavs (20 SOG to 14) but had little to show for it as the second period expired 1-1. Three unsuccessful man-ups only added to DU’s offensive frustration in the second frame.

Early in the third frame, DU’s Rieger Lorenz took a pass off a faceoff in the offensive end and buried a one-timer past Latkoczy, 2-1. The teams traded punches thru the middle of the third period but the score remained frozen as DU’s Hicks was rock solid in goal. Hicks stoned the Mavs on a powerplay and Omaha kept pressing the action under five minutes. Hicks continued to come up big, save after save, as Omaha was stoned on multiple scoring chances. With a minute and a half remaining, the Mavs pulled Latkoczy but Sam Harris stole a pass and fed Jake Fisher on the break. Fisher took the pass and fed the puck from the blue line into the cage, 3-1, Denver.

Denver continues its late-season surge following the new year swoon. Second-place Denver gained a point on North Dakota and moved up to #8 in NPI rankings after entering the weekend at #11. Denver is off until February 27th, when they conclude the regular season against ASU at Magness Arena.

Top photo courtesy of DU Athletics