Several positives emerged from a non-victorious result Friday for the University of Denver hockey team.
In a 1-1 overtime tie with Minnesota at Magness Arena, the Pioneers snapped a two-game losing streak and collected a point for the first time in their past four Western Collegiate Hockey Association games.
In the all-important PairWise Rankings, DU remained tied with North Dakota for fifth, with nine regular-season games left. The top 12-14 PairWise teams will be assured berths in the 16-team NCAA Tournament, which concludes with the Frozen Four at the Pepsi Center.
DU senior goalie Peter Mannino, who has lost his past four starts, was terrific. He made 34 saves and nearly became DU’s all-time shutout leader, but he never saw the puck that tied it 8:59 into the third period.
A slap shot above the right circle by Gophers defenseman R.J. Anderson got past a screened Mannino, who remains tied with former DU standout Gerry Powers with 13 career shutouts.
Freshman Tyler Bozak got DU’s goal, a breakaway short-handed tally 11:04 into the second period. Bozak’s 13th goal — the result of a head fake and shot through goalie Alex Kangas’ legs — tied him with former teammate Brock Trotter for the team lead. Trotter officially left the program Thursday, but still leads the team in assists (18) and points (31).
“Big-time play,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said of Bozak’s goal, which came during Mannino’s interference penalty. “He anticipates a pass to the flank, intercepts it and goes down and makes a real nice move on the goaltender. That’s a goal-scorer’s move.”
Gwozdecky admittedly has had a tenuous two weeks, with his team losing four of its past five games and Trotter’s untimely departure. But the effort was just what he wanted to see.
“I wanted to see our team come out and try to reestablish the game that we’re effective at, our identity, so to speak,” he said. “I think we took a real positive step forward. We competed hard. We played with intensity. We made mistakes, but certainly not out of a lack of effort.”
Denver stands at 18-8-1, 12-6-1 WCHA heading into Saturday’s two-game series finale with the Gophers (12-12-7, 6-10-5). If nothing else, look for another overtime contest in Game 2.
Minnesota on Friday played in its 10th overtime game of the season, including fourth in a row. It was DU’s first time in OT.
Both teams looked exhausted in the third period and beyond. DU was playing with makeshift forward lines because of the absence of Trotter and sophomore Tyler Ruegsegger (stomach injury), who is third on the team in scoring.
Gwozdecky said Ruegsegger might be ready for Game 2.
Minnesota 0 0 1 0 — 1
Denver 0 1 0 0 — 1
First period — None. Penalties — Kaufmann, UM (unsportsmanlike conduct), :52; Hoeffel, UM (hooking), 4:07; Fischer, UM (interference), 12:01; Rakhshani, DU (hooking), 15:44; Ostrow, DU (holding), 17:56; White, UM (checking from behind), 19:00.
Second period — 1, Denver, Bozak 13 (unassisted), 11:04 (sh). Penalties — Mannino, DU (interference), 10:53; Rakhshani, DU (holding), 16:13; Bickel, UM (double-minor, roughing), 18:50; Jackson, DU (double-minor, roughing), 18:50.
Third period — 2, Minnesota, Anderson 5 (Wehrs, Barriball), 8:59. Penalty — Bickel, UM (hooking), 3:50.
Overtime — None. Penalties — None.
Shots on goal — UM 12-5-15-3—35. DU 9-7-6-4—26. Power-play opportunities — UM 0 of 4. DU 0 of 5. Goalies — UM, Kangas (5-5-7) 26 shots-25 saves. CC, Mannino (17-8-1) 36-35. A — 6,076.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
