Denver Holds Off North Dakota 6-4

DENVER (AP) - The Denver Pioneers showed on Friday that it, too, has the same third-period magic as North Dakota's second-ranked men's hockey team.

Danton Heinen scored two goals and assisted on another in the final as the ninth-ranked Pioneers held off the Fighting Hawks 6-4 in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Heinen finished with three assists.

The Pioneers (14-8-5, 10-5-2-0) kept answering the Fighting Hawks (22-4-3, 13-3-1-1), who trailed 3-2 heading into the third period.

"Our guys came out in the third period and gave us a chance to win it," Berry said. "Our play away from the puck cost us tonight."

Trevor Moore, who assisted on Heinen's empty-netter in the last seconds, had a goal and three assists.

"We had fun tonight, things were clicking for us," Moore said. "I think it lived up to the hype tonight. The building was rocking."

Quentin Shore scored what proved to be the winning goal short-handed at 16:16 of the third period.

Denver outscored UND 3-2 in the final 20 minutes. But it was Adam Plant's goal at 13:37 of the second that gave Denver a 3-2 lead after two periods.

Denver is 13-0-2 when leading after two periods, while UND sports a 62-0-4 records in its last 66 games when leading entering the third period. It is 1-4-0 when trailing after two.

Grant Arnold also scored for the Pioneers, who are 13-0-2 when leading after two periods.

Denver goalie Tanner Jaillet made 42 saves.

UND's Brock Boeser, Troy Stecher and Nick Schmaltz had a goal and assist apiece. Christian Wolanin also scored for the Hawks, who are 1-4-0 when trailing after two period.

Moore applied early pressure to UND goalie Cam Johnson, who made 25 saves. Moore fired off two quick shots from close in while the Pioneers were skating a man down.

Wolanin gave North Dakota a 1-0 lead at 5:39 of the first period. Wolanin trailed a rush up ice and got the puck between the circle, wristing a shot through traffic and past Jaillet.

North Dakota has led in all but one game this season. This would be its only lead of the game.

Arnold set up in front of the net and deflected a shot by Nolan Zajac past Johnson at 12:44 of the period.

Denver pulled ahead early in the second period when Heinen raced across the slot to snare the puck after a faceoff and passed it back toward the net where Moore deflected it in at 6:08.

UND tied it in transition when Schmaltz fed Stecher at 11:48 to knot things up.

The tie lasted less than two minutes before Plant scored for the Pioneers at 13:37. Plant was left completely unchecked in front of Johnson and redirected a feed from Moore in the net.

"It was so atypical of us as far as giving up tap-in goals," Berry said. "They earned the game. But I can't remember the last time we gave them tap-in goals in front of the net."

Boeser scored just 1:36 into the third period to tie the game at 3-3 and but Heinen and Shore made it a two-goal game with four minutes to play.

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