The DU hockey team visited no. 2 ranked North Dakota (UND) this past Valentine’s weekend, playing games on both Feb. 13 and Feb. 14. Although it was Valentine’s Day weekend, there weren’t many roses exchanged as the two teams battled for ground in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference standings.

DU called upon freshman Tanner Jaillet (Red Deer, Alberta) in net for the team’s first game. Hobey Baker Memorial Award candidate senior Joey LaLeggia (Burnaby, British Columbia) kicked the scoring off with a goal in the second period, assisted from freshman Danton Heinen (Langley, British Columbia) and sophomore Trevor Moore (Thousand Oaks, California), but North Dakota tied the game before the period was over.

The Pioneers were outshot for the majority of the game, but were able to keep the score close. In the third period, the game was tied 2-2. In one of the stranger goals of the season, DU defenseman senior Josiah Didier (Littleton, Colorado) accidently threw the puck in his own net with only seven minutes left in regulation. Unable to answer the odd bad break, the Pios fell 4-2 to their cross town rival, UND, in the first game of the series.
Pioneer sophomore Evan Cowley (Evergreen, Colorado) started the Feb. 14 tilt in place of Jaillet. The game did not start off well, as Moore was given a five minute major clipping penalty in the first period. UND scored two goals on the ensuing power play. In the second period, however, Moore was able to make up for his mistake by potting DU’s first goal of the game from as pass made by LaLeggia.

After UND had scored again in the second, DU found itself down two in the third period. Freshman Tariq Hammond (Calgary, Alberta) blasted a point shot off the post to bring the Pioneers within one only three minutes into the third period. The relentless scoring attack struck again as Moore potted his second of the game to tie the score.

Recorded in the NCAA books as a tie, the Feb. 14 inner-conference game entered overtime to determine who would get the extra point in the conference standings. After a scoreless session, DU emerged victorious in the three round shootout after Moore scored the game winner and Jaillet stopped all three shots he faced. DU now sits in fifth place in the NCHC, while UND jumped to first. Next weekend, DU will split a home-and-home series with struggling in-state rival Colorado College on Feb. 20 and 21.