The University of Denver men’s hockey team got a taste of first place in the WCHA over the weekend, but a taste is all it was.
If the Pioneers are to make a main course out of it, they will have to wait the outcome of their home and away series against arch-rival and WCHA-leading Colorado College, March 3 and 4.
The Pioneers opened their final full regular season home series with a thrilling 5-4 victory over visiting WCHA foe Minnesota-Duluth, twice fighting back from 2-goal deficits.
Coupled with CC’s loss at Wisconsin, the win put DU in a first-place tie with the Tigers, though DU also has two games in hand, as the Tigers will have this weekend off.
On Saturday, DU once again spotted the Bulldogs a lead, but this time the advantage held, as the Pioneers lost 6-3.
Meanwhile, CC also was victorious in its weekend set with the Badgers, prevailing 2-1.
Thus, the Tigers restored their two-point league lead over nationally top-ranked Denver.
The Pioneers are now 22-7-2 overall and 17-5-2 in conference.
When Saturday rolled around the Pioneers were due for an off night, having stretched their season-high unbeaten streak to 10 games with the prior evening’s electrifying comeback.
By the second period the Bulldogs had built a 6-0 lead.
Given Duluth’s season-long habit of losing leads late in games, they needed half of that wide advantage to ultimately prevail.
After an appearance against the Pioneers in the Frozen Four last year in Boston, many thought they would see the Bulldogs atop the WCHA this season.
But they have not lived up to that expectation, compiling a record of 12-5-5 overall and 10-13-3 in the WCHA.
Friday night’s contest was remuniscent of the outcome of the Frozen Four match up between Denver and UMD last season.
UMD led in that April game 3-1, before the Pioneers came storming back to win 5-3 and go on to the championship game.
Trailing 1-0 on Friday night, senior Jon Foster got things going for the Pioneers with his team-leading 19th goal of the season.
Trailing 3-1 in the second period fellow senior Luke Fulghum continued his hot streak of late with his 18th goal of the year to make it a 3-2 contest.
After UMD added another goal, senior Kevin Ulanski ended the second period on a good note with his fifth of the season.
Ulanski tied the game at four just a few minutes into the third period with his 100th career point as a Pioneer.
The crowd really got going as junior Gabe Gauthier put in the winning goal with just over a minute remaining to cap off a remarkable comeback and win the game 5-4.
Unfortunately Saturday night was not as thrilling for the fans at Magness Arena as they saw the visiting Bulldogs put up six goals from six different players in the first two periods.
Freshman Paul Stastny got the scoring going for Denver with just a few seconds left in the second period with his 13th of the season.
In the third period freshman Geoff Paukovich and junior Brett Skinner added goals, but it was too little too late.
This weekend the Pioneers will take their final road trip of the season as they will fly to Mankato, Minn., to take on the Mavericks of Minnesota State.
It will then be time to take the short bus ride down to the World Arena in Colorado Springs for the first game of what should be a very exciting series between two teams looking for itineraries that will lead them to this year’s Frozen Four.
