Men’s hockey lost to the University of Massachusetts in overtime with a score of 4-3, this past Thursday.

The loss came after a thrilling third period when freshman Cole Guttman (Los Angeles, Calif.) scored two consecutive goals, forcing the game into overtime. The Pioneers, however, were unable to keep the momentum as the UMass Minutemen sealed their win just shy of five minutes into overtime. Nevertheless, the Pioneers defeat did not come in a lackluster fashion.

Denver started out the first period strong as senior Collin Staub (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored the first goal of the game in a Denver power play. The initial victory was cut short when a penalty was called on junior Tyson McLellan (San Jose, Calif.) for holding, sending UMass into a power play.

With Denver on the penalty kill, the Minutemen snatched the lead. They scored three power play goals within 2:31, gaining a 3-1 lead. The first period was sullied with a series of questionable hits which lead to two game misconduct penalties, one of which was leveraged on Denver’s Ryan Barrow (Baniff, Alberta), resulting in an ejection.

The momentum seemed to lag in the second period but was quick to build in the third as the Pioneers went on the attack. Assisted by freshman Tyler Ward (Kamloops, B.C.), sophomore Jake Durflinger (Walnut Creek, Calif.), McLellan and senior Les Lancaster (Ypsilanti, Mich.), Guttman was able to tie the game at 3-3 in the last few minutes of overtime.

Unfortunately, the Pioneers were not able to stave off the Minutemen. UMass snuck a shot into the far post past freshman goalie Filip Larsson (Stockholm, Sweden) just shy of the five-minute mark, ending with a No. 2 finish in the United States Collge Hockey Online rankings.