It was déjà vu all over again at Magness Arena on Saturday night as the No. 1 DU Pioneers and unranked MU RedHawks skated to a draw for the second night in a row, this time by a score of 2-2. Denver also again captured an extra point in the NCHC Standings by virtue of winning a sudden death post-overtime shootout. The Pioneers’ unbeaten streak now stands at ten (8-0-2) games, while the sellout crowd of 6,026 on hand for the proceedings represented a season high for Magness Arena.
“Our team competed hard this weekend but the bottom line is we need to score more goals,” Denver head coach Jim Montgomery said following Saturday’s tie. “We’ve to get a lot better at capitalizing on our scoring chances and making better decisions with the puck. It’s disappointing not to get a win this series but full credit to Miami – they showed great resolve and stuck to their game plan much better than we did. Hopefully our group learned something from them.”
The hosts took an early 1-0 lead on Saturday as San Jose Sharks prospect Dylan Gambrell (Bonney Lake, Wash.) rifled home the third goal of his season during a DU power play in the fourth minute of play. Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Troy Terry (Denver, Colo.) both picked up assists on Gambrell’s man-up marker.
Miami tied the game early in the second period when freshman winger Willie Knierim scored his first career NCAA goal but Anaheim Ducks prospect Troy Terry (Denver, Colo.) put the Pios back on top at the 14:03 mark of the middle frame, taking advantage of a turnover deep in RedHawks territory and burying his second tally in as many nights. The visitors then produced the equalizer at the 15:51 mark of the third period to send the game to extra time.
After neither team was able to find the back of the net during a pair of overtime periods, Friday’s contest went to a sudden death shootout that Denver won thanks to a goal from Gambrell and four saves from junior goaltender Tanner Jaillet (Red Deer, Alta.). Denver (7-2-3, 3-0-3-2 NCHC) will next face Air Force on Friday night at Cadet Ice Arena.
Feature Image Credit: Denver Pioneers