Not Sioux fast.
North Dakota, stung by goalie Peter Mannino’s dominance Friday, rallied to settle the score Saturday.
The Fighting Sioux got Mannino-like goaltending from senior Jean-Philippe Lamoureux and three special-teams goals to defeat the University of Denver 3-1 and split the two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series at Magness Arena.
“It was a classic goaltenders’ battle all weekend,” Sioux coach Dave Hakstol said. “I thought both guys played extremely well for 120 minutes.”
The offensively gifted teams combined for just five goals in the series. DU won 1-0 on Friday behind Mannino’s 27-save performance that was his third shutout of the season.
“In the big picture, it’s a huge victory to beat Peter and Denver, a top-notch team in our league,” Lamoureux said. “We knew we had to put up a similar effort as Friday, and get more breaks, and we did. Special teams were huge. Both teams had their chances. I knew I had to give up one or none tonight for us to win.”
Lamoureux made 35 saves against a team that dominated puck possession in the second and third periods but failed to convert with the man-advantage and countless other opportunities while trying to rally from a 2-0 deficit. North Dakota took its lead on two power-play goals after drawing six of the game’s first eight penalties.
Junior wing Ryan Duncan, the 2007 Hobey Baker Award winner as NCAA player of the year, had a hand in each Sioux goal, scoring two. His back-breaking, short-handed tally made it 3-1 midway through the second period, and Lamoureux slammed the door the rest of the way, stopping 24 shots in the third.
After making it 2-0 early in the second period, Duncan capped a 2-on-0 Sioux rush during a DU power play, and just 1:10 after Tyler Bozak cut North Dakota’s 2-0 lead in half.
“We got reckless and impatient,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said, referring to his team’s power play right after Bozak’s team-leading eighth goal of the season. “It’s very rare, obviously, when you see a 2-on-0 breakaway short-handed. You got to work pretty hard to create that type of thing.”
The Pioneers (10-4, 7-3 WCHA) went 0-for-7 on the power play to fall to 9-of-74 on the year. The Sioux (7-5-1, 5-5) were 2-of-7.
DU had just two shots in the first period.
“Many times when you are emotionally ready to play, you seem to get a couple more bounces, a couple more breaks, the luck seems to go your way,” Gwozdecky said. “They seemed to play with the urgency that we didn’t, and as a result they scored their first power-play goal on a complete mental breakdown from a penalty killing standpoint, and were able to build on that.”
DU Recap
Three stars
1. Jean-Philippe Lamoureux. Sioux goalie allowed only two goals in the series.
2. Ryan Duncan. Reigning Hobey Baker Award winner had two goals and three points.
3. Chris Butler. DU junior defenseman had nine shots.
What you might have missed
The game’s two smallest players wore No. 16. DU freshman Anthony Maiani is listed at 5-feet-7, 155 pounds. Duncan goes 5-6, 159.
Up next
Friday, at St. Cloud State
North Dakota 1 2 0 — 3
Denver 0 1 0 — 1
First period — 1, North Dakota, VandeVelde 5 (Oshie, Duncan), 4:00 (pp). Penalties — Oshie, UND (hooking), :39; Vossberg, DU (holding), 3:41; Brookwell, DU (interference), 6:09; Mullen, DU (tripping), 10:26; Bina, UND (interference), 10:37; Bozak, DU (slashing), 15:31; Maiani, DU (slashing), 19:40.
Second period — 2, North Dakota, Duncan 4 (Oshie, LaPoint), 1:04 (pp). 3, Denver, Bozak 8 (Trotter), 10:04. 4, North Dakota, Duncan 5 (VandeVelde), 11:14 (sh). Penalties — Gifford, DU (hooking), 3:26; Oshie, UND (tripping), 10:26; Marto, UND (holding), 14:23.
Third period — None. Penalties — Finley, UND (tripping), 3:15; LaPoint, UND (slashing), 11:28; Bina, UND (tripping), 15:21; Trotter, DU (cross checking), 19:47.
Shots — UND 6-12-7—25. DU 2-10-24—36.
Power plays — UND 2 of 7. DU 0 of 7. Goalies — UND, Lamoureux (7-5-1) 36 shots-35 saves. DU, Mannino (10-4) 25-22. A — 6,047.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
