Third-ranked Denver scored three times in the third period to run away with a 5-2 victory over Michigan Tech on Saturday night at MacInnes Arena.
Freshman Gabe Gauthier had a goal and an assist, while Adam Berkhoel made 24 saves for the Pioneers (9-2-1, 4-1-1 WCHA). John Hartman and Jon Pittis scored for the Huskies (1-5-3, 0-4-2).
The game remained scoreless until 14:57 of the second period when Denver scored on a tic-tac-toe passing play while on the power play. Defenseman Aaron MacKenzie made a pass from the left point down to Kevin Ulanski at the bottom of the right circle. Ulanksi quickly sent the puck across to Kevin Doell in the right circle, where Doell one-timed a shot past Cam Ellsworth.
Then with only 10 seconds left in the period, Conner James took some life out of the Huskies when his shot from the right circle snuck past Ellsworth to make it 2-0.
Denver ultimately put the nail in the coffin on a bizarre goal by defenseman Ryan Caldwell at 8:09 of the third period. Caldwell fired a shot from near center ice that went wide of the net. But the puck bounced back, hit Ellsworth’s skate and went up into the net.
The Huskies ruined Berkhoel’s shutout at the 10:23 mark when Hartman scored his second of the season.
But the Pioneers regained their three-goal lead just over a minute later when freshman Gauthier scored from between the circles.
Denver made it 5-1 less than two minutes later when Luke Fulghum wired a wrist shot over Ellsworth’s glove into the top corner of the net.
Tech got a goal back when Jon Pittis beat Berkhoel from close range for a power-play goal at 18:43.
Denver outshot Michigan Tech by a 31-26 margin.
The Pioneers were 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Huskies went 1-for-3.
