DENVER, Colo. - A Denver goal with just 38.9 seconds left in the game, lifted the No. 2 Pioneers over the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, 3-2, in a hard fought Western Collegiate Hockey Association game on Saturday night in front of 5,931 fans at Magness Arena.
The Seawolves (6-13-1, 4-11-1 WCHA) and the Pioneers (14-5-3, 10-3-3 WCHA) went goal-for-goal following Denver's initial tally, before senior forward Tyler Ruegsegger netted the game-winner at 19:21 of the third. Scoring UAA's goals was freshman forward Mickey Spencer and junior forward Nick Haddad .
The night started when UAA's senior defenseman Kane Lafranchise was tagged for checking from behind, giving sophomore defenseman Patrick Wiercioch the man-advantage goal at 18:35 of the first. The Seawolves blocked five shots before Wiercioch was able to get by senior netminder Jon Olthuis.
The Seawolves trailed 1-0 for the majority of the second frame before Spencer, coming off the boards, turned and fired a bullet over goalie Marc Cheverie's left shoulder at 18:59. Junior forward Sean Wiles and freshman forward Daniel Naslund were each credited with the helpers on the power play goal.
The Pioneers were once again on top with a goal by DU's Joe Colborne at 9:38 of the third, but the lead was short lived as Haddad picked up his fourth goal of the season at 10:58.
Following a wrap around by senior forward Kevin Clark , Haddad made contact with the puck in mid-air and slammed it to the back of the net. Junior defenseman Kane Lafranchise also picked up an assist on the play, tying the game at deuces.
The Seawolves received another impressive night from Olthuis (3-7-1) between the pipes. The Canadian registered 26 saves, compared to Cheverie's (12-2-2) 20. Olthuis was largely helped by his teammates, who blocked an amazing 25 shots throughout the night.
Both teams were able to capitalize on one power play opportunity, with UAA going 1 for 3, and DU scoring on 1 for 6.
Following the conclusion of the game, multiple fights broke out, resulting in game-disqualifications of senior defenseman Jared Tuton and freshman forward Chris Crowell (2). DU's William Wrenn - an Anchorage native - and John Ryder also received a DQ. After tallying up all the penalties after the buzzer, UAA was 25-77, while DU was 18-52.
The Seawolves maintain their ninth place ranking in the league with nine points, while Denver holds sole ownership of the No. 1 slot with 23 points.
The Seawolves will remain on the road and head to Houghton, Mich., to face the Michigan Tech Huskies on Jan. 15-16. The game is scheduled to drop at 3:07 p.m. AST on Friday, followed by a 1:07 p.m. AST start on Saturday.
