The stalemate wasn’t so stale for the University of Denver.
In a game between teams that have combined to win the past four NCAA hockey titles, the Pioneers rallied from a two-goal deficit Friday night and tied the Minnesota Gophers 3-3 before the 24th consecutive sellout crowd at Magness Arena.
Denver, the two-time defending national champion, got consecutive goals from Ryan Helgason and Matt Carle to tie at 2 and get the crowd of 6,092 back into the opening game of the two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series. After Minnesota, the 2002 and 2003 NCAA champion, went ahead on a Justin Bostrom goal 8:09 into the second period, Denver native Steven Cook produced his first career goal as a Pioneer to forge another tie.
Neither team posted an overtime shot and DU improved its OT unbeaten streak to 14 games (5-0-9) since 2003.
“We obviously didn’t have the kind of start that we wanted to,” said DU coach George Gwozdecky, whose team is 5-4-2 (3-2-2 WCHA) heading into tonight’s two-game series finale. “But to be down 2-0 against a pretty good team, and be able to respond and get back into the game – twice – I thought it was a pretty good effort for us.”
Cook, a graduate of Colorado Academy who transferred to DU from Air Force, played left wing on two “all-Colorado” lines in just his second career game in a Pioneers sweater. He began the game on the fourth line with center Ted O’Leary of Arvada and Brock McMorris of Cherry Hills. But Cook, who has had seven surgeries in college, finished playing with center Geoff Paukovich of Englewood and J.D. Corbin of Littleton.
Cook was spot shifting for All-American Gabe Gauthier when he took a push-ahead pass from Carle and wrapped the puck around Kellen Briggs.
“I’ve been waiting to play for a long time, so I’m just happy to get out there,” Cook said. “I’m not sure what happened on the line change (before my goal). (Mike) Handza told me to go out there, and the puck just popped to me.”
Minnesota (5-3-3, 5-2-2 WCHA) got goals from Phil Kessel and Mike Howe at 5:14 and 13:46 of the first period. Kessel’s goal was the result of his centering pass redirecting off Carle’s skate and through the legs of goalie Glenn Fisher (27 saves). Howe made a nice top-shelf shot after a Derek Peltier slap shot caromed hard off the end boards and onto his stick from the opposite side of where Fisher was favoring.
“They had some good bounces and took advantage of them, and you can’t blame them for that,” said DU wing Tom May, who fired the wrist shot Helgason deflected to make it 2-1. “They came after us hard. It’s never bad getting a point out of a game, but we know we can play better than that.”
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
