Photo by: Mike Sasser
GRAND FORKS, N.D.- It was a weekend of sub-freezing temperatures, punches, a comeback and, most of all, disappointment for the Denver hockey team. It was hoped to be a weekend when the Pioneers would continue their momentum from the Minnesota series. Instead, the sweep by the Fighting Sioux – their first over DU in nearly a decade -at glittering Ralph Engelstad Arena capped a nine-game stretch when the Pioneers were just 2-6-1. Although DU remains near the top of playoff seedings as a result of its strong season start, the team is seeking to regain the all-important momentum with just six games remaining in the regular season.
On Friday evening, Denver jumped to a 4-1 lead, before North Dakota came back for a heart-breaking 5-4 victory. On Saturday night, you expected the Pioneers to come out angry from the night before, but instead they were a flat and turnover-prone team that found itself significantly outshot and 4-1 losers in a game that included an exciting brawl.
“I think that we will keep learning as we go and hopefully this will be that last wakeup call,” said senior Tom May, following the first game. “We need to realize that we need to come out hard every shift of every game. Hopefully we won’t be taking [off] any more shifts of this season.”
The Pioneers knew the trip would not be an easy one, as they were short two of their key offensive weapons: Brock Trotter, who recently signed with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, and Tyler Ruegsegger, out with an abdominal injury. Nevertheless, the crucial weekend series started promisingly. Freshman Anthony Maiani put the puck top shelf past UND goalie J.P. Lamoureux on the power play 13 minutes into the first period for an early 1-0 DU lead. The goal snapped the Fighting Sioux’s streak of 16-straight penalty kills.
Minutes later, UND’s Andrew Kozek began his big night and weekend with a one-timer off the stick of senior goalie Peter Mannino to tie the game.
Just a minute into the second period, freshman Jesse Martin put the Pioneers back on top as he shot the puck at Lamoureux on a two-on-one fast break and it dribbled through the goalie’s legs for a 2-1 Denver lead. Two minutes later senior Tom May shot the puck over a fallen Lamoureux and into a wide open net for a 3-1 advantage.
The Sioux found themselves on the power play moments later and with a couple of great chances, including a Robbie Bina slap shot that looked like it found its way into the net, but was ruled no goal by the officials.
Later in the period sophomore Matt Glasser found the puck lying in the crease and poked it in for what seemed to be an insurmountable 4-1 lead.
The Pioneers’ domination suddenly evaporated in the final minute of the middle stanza as Chay Genoway ripped a shot past a crowded goal and Mannino to cut the lead to 4-2. Less than a minute later, Mannino tried to slide the puck up the board, but it went to the stick of Ryan Duncan who hit it home. At the end of two periods UND had energized the 11,793 fans and grabbed the momentum by trailing by just one goal at intermission.
Denver entered the third period 16-0-1 when leading after two periods and UND entered 0-24 when trailing after two periods, but that was all about to change.
Eleven minutes into the period, the Pioneers turned the puck over in their own zone and Kozek buried a slap shot past Mannino to tie the game.
Then four minutes later Kozek again lit the lamp, notching his first career hat trick, as the puck bounced off the post and he then put it into the net for a 5-4 UND lead.
“We had a lot of turnovers. We got away from what we were doing so well in the first 35 minutes of the game. We weren’t taking care of the puck and they capitalized on all of our turnovers,” said senior defenseman Andrew Thomas.
DU found itself on the power play in the final couple minutes but could not take advantage and were victims of the frustrating 5-4 loss.
Having ridden many an emotional roller coaster before as he guided two previous DU teams to national championships, Head Coach George Gwozdecky showed the team that something positive could come from the unpleasant experience.
“There is no question that it is a disappointing loss. Nonetheless, I told [the team] that there are going to be many games like this when there are momentum swings. I think we can learn from this. The difference in the game was in the end of the second period,” Gwozdecky said.
“I think we really just got to come out pissed off about the game and coming to battle against these guys for all 60 minutes,” said May, after game one.
That attitude didn’t manifest itself in the first period Saturday for the Pioneers, as Joe Finley of UND took advantage as he put a rebound past Mannino for an early 1-0 lead.
“That knuckle ball that went in to make it 1-0 was exactly what the doctor ordered for North Dakota and exactly what we didn’t need happen. We got outplayed for the better part of two periods,” said Gwozdecky.
Two minutes later a Genoway shot ricocheted off the skate of Joe Finley Continued on page 17.
and behind Mannino for a 2-0 Sioux lead.
Denver managed just three shots on goal in the first period to North Dakota’s 13.
Kozek, fresh off his three-goal outburst from the prior night kept things going with a blast from the faceoff circle for a 3-0 UND lead. The goal extend the consecutive scoring to 7-0 in favor of UND.
DU finally answered just over a minute later when May’s shot caromed off a UND skate and onto the stick of sophomore Brian Gifford who put it in for his second goal of the season.
To say the least, the second period ended with a bang, as physical play and fighting words reached the boiling point. As the DU players were heading off the ice, a couple of Sioux players skated by their bench and the rest, as they say, is history. Mannino got in a strong push and then sophomore Brandon Vossberg became the main event as he was getting walloped by Kyle Radke near center ice. Gwozdecky then came running onto the ice and pushed sophomore Cody Brookwell towards the scene to break things up, which then prompted the officials to get into the middle of things. Vossberg ended up getting __ stitches as a result of the fight.
The Pioneers could never get things going in the third period and the Sioux capped off the weekend with T.J. Oshie’s empty-netter and a 4-1 victory.
“It was a very disappointing weekend for us. I thought last night probably took more of a toll on our team than I thought it would. We really came out and struggled and were very flat,” said Gwozdecky.
As the second half of the season continues to be a struggle for the Pioneers, they will have a great chance to realign things this weekend when they host last-place Alaska Anchorage Friday and Saturday night in Magness Arena.
