Photo by: Ryan Lumpkin
After recording 14 goals in a sweep of Minnesota State last weekend, the Pioneers lost 7-2 on Friday and tied 2-2 on Saturday with Western Collegiate Hockey Association-foe Michigan Tech, sliding into the middle of the WCHA standings with a home series against defending national champion Minnesota Duluth looming this weekend.
The No. 2-ranked Pioneers are expected to fall in the national rankings when the polls are released today.
Despite the results from the weekend, the Pioneers (3-2-1, 2-1-1 WCHA) had solid performances from freshmen Juho Olkinuora and Joey LaLeggia.
After an injury to junior goaltender Adam Murray early in the first period of Friday’s contest, Olkinuora was called on to finish the game and make his first career start on Saturday, recording 27 saves in a strong debut effort.
On the offensive side, LaLeggia led DU over the weekend, scoring two of the Pioneers’ four goals.
The Huskies beat the Pioneers on Friday, beginning early with a 3-1 lead going into the second period.
Michigan Tech’s Tanner Kero lit the lamp first, less than two minutes into the contest. LaLeggia was able to respond three minutes later with assists from Drew Shore and Luke Salazar, but it was all Huskies after that.
“We got embarrassed by the better team tonight,” said DU head coach George Gwozdecky. “I was extremely disappointed by the way we started. Our poor start in the first period set the tone for the rest of the game. Michigan Tech played hard and smart. Our team needs to prepare for Oct. 29 starting now.”
The Huskies were able to find goals from five different players in the 7-2 win as sophomores Dennis Rix and Ryan Furne and senior Brett Olson each added their names alongside Kero to the one-goal group. Sophomore Milos Gordic led the way for all scores, as he recorded a hat trick in his first game of the season for Michigan Tech.
With the Pioneers down 4-1 at the 6:54 mark of the third period, Gwozdecky decided to pull Olkinuora to generate more scoring chances. The plan backfired as the Pioneers gave up three empty net goals. With the game out of reach, the Pioneers were able to find the back of the net as junior Paul Phillips made the most of his hot hand, beating Tech goalie Josh Robinson.
With the unforeseen loss out of the way, the Pioneers’ focus turned quickly to Saturday’s game, according to Gwozdecky. Behind the 27-save effort from Olkinuora, the Pioneers were able to escape the road series with a 2-2 tie.
Gordic started where he left off as he gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead, scoring at the 6:29 mark of the first frame. The Pioneers’ offense again seemed to stall, as they were unable to generate a shot on Robinson until the 12:46 mark of the first period.
While it took over half the first period to generate a shot, the Pioneers were able to out-shoot the Huskies 8-7 in the first period. The eighth shot of the period came from the stick of sophomore Jason Zucker, who was able to score a power play goal with only 10 seconds remaining in the first period.
The Pioneers’ second and final goal came in the second period as LaLeggia again came up big for DU, scoring at the 5:34 mark. Olkinuora was able to take over the game and show his flashy glove as he made a glove save on sophomore Patrick McCadden to hold the Pioneers’ slim one-goal lead.
With the Pioneers looking to limp out of Michigan Tech territory with a win, the Huskies were able to tie the game up on another goal from Olson in the third period. The game went into overtime, but neither team was successful in finding a sudden-death goal. Olkinuora was able to make four key overtime saves, but the Pioneers were only able to generate one shot.
National champs
coming to Magness
With a rough weekend behind the Pioneers, DU looks to host the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs this weekend.
Last season, the Pioneers split the series against the Bulldogs, winning 2-1 and losing 5-4 in overtime. The Bulldogs’ late-season rampage earned them a national championship as they shocked No. 1-seeded Yale 5-3 in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Championships. That victory advanced them to the Frozen Four, where they defeated Notre Dame 4-3, advancing to the national championship game against Michigan. The Bulldogs defeated Michigan 3-2 in overtime as Kyle Schmidt recorded the game-winning goal.
This season, the Bulldogs’ record stands at 3-3-1 and 2-2 in the WCHA. The Bulldogs are coming off a two-game sweep of Bemidji State, in which they outscored the Beavers 7-2 on the weekend. The Bulldogs are led by seniors Jack Connolly and Travis Oleksuk. Connolly has recorded 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in eight games, while Oleksuk leads the team with six goals and has added three helpers in eight games.
The Pioneers and Bulldogs will face off at 7:37 p.m. Friday and again at 7:07 p.m. on Saturday at Magness Arena.
