OMAHA — Lately, playing with the man-advantage has been like playing with fire for the University of Denver.
The sixth-ranked Pioneers have turned pathetic on the power play.
DU blew a chance to separate itself from Nebraska-Omaha and tie North Dakota atop the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings Friday night, but the Pioneers went 0-of-5 on the power play and allowed two short-handed goals in a troubling 5-2 loss to the Mavericks at the Qwest Center.
A week earlier, DU was 0-of-4 with the man-advantage while allowing two short-handed goals in a 3-2 loss to lowly Michigan Tech. The Pioneers (19-9-5, 15-7-3 WCHA) are 3-4 in their past seven games and have allowed four short-handed goals in their past three games while giving up just three in their previous 30 games.
“There were times, 5-on-5, where we took it to them pretty good,” said DU sophomore center Drew Shore, who scored his team-leading 20th goal early in the third period to forge a 2-2 tie before a crowd of 8,948 in the two-game series opener. “But when you obviously don’t score (on the power play) and give up two (short-handed goals), that’s the difference.”
UNO (20-11-2, 16-7-2) leapfrogged DU for second place in the WCHA with just three games remaining. The Mavericks, who got their short-handed goals from forwards Rich Purslow and Matt White, were terrific at responding to DU goals.
Twenty-nine seconds after Pioneers junior Luke Salazar tied it at 1-1 early in the second period, Johnnie Searfoss made it 2-1 with a bad-angle, short- sided wrist shot over the shoulder of goalie Adam Murray (27 saves).
Defenseman Andrej Sustr made it 3-2 just 2:19 after Shore’s goal.
White’s ensuing short-handed breakaway goal came less than four minutes later, and Purslow added an empty-net goal with 0.07 seconds left.
“Throughout the game, we fought back. I mean, we tie it up in the third period with 10 minutes to go. That’s exactly where we want to be against a very good team on the road,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said. “It’s just disappointing, the offensive execution, whether it’s even strength or, certainly, on the power play. . . . When the puck is not in our possession in the offensive zone, some of our young guys are still moving to offensive positions rather than sliding to defensive positions, and that’s why we’re giving up those opportunities.
“It’s a matter of experience, a matter of patience, and to realize that, hey, if we can’t score on the power play, that’s one thing, but let’s not create any further damage.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
