DU Scores Decisive Win In NCAA Hockey First Round, Faces Ohio State

ALLENTOWN, Penn. (CBS4) -- The University of Denver hockey team defeated Penn State 5-1 here Saturday to advance to the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Midwest Regional.

Denver plays the Ohio State Buckeyes at 4:30 p.m. MT Sunday. The winner advances to the NCAA Frozen Four.

The Pioneers (23-9-8), ranked third nationally, never trailed against the Nittany Lions (18-15-5). DU outshot Penn State 18-7 in the first period en route to a 2-0 lead at the first intermission.

"Penn State is an explosive offensive hockey team," Denver coach Jim Montgomery told denverpioneers.com. "I thought in the first period we neutralized their transition game because of our commitment to staying on the right side of the puck. To me, that goes to our leaders and the guys that have been here before."

DU's Jarid Lukosevicius redirected a blast from Ian Mitchell and found the back of the net with 2.2 seconds left in the second period, putting the Pios up 4-0 heading into the second intermission.

By the time the final horn sounded, Mitchell, a defenseman, and forward Troy Terry each tallied three points, and senior goalie Tanner Jaillet stopped 26 shots to tie the school record for most career wins (82).

Last week, Jaillet was named a finalist for the 2018 Mike Richter Award, an honor given to the nation's most outstanding collegiate goaltender. Jaillet won the award in 2017 and could be the first goalie ever to win it twice.

The winner of the Pioneers-Buckeyes match faces Minnesota-Duluth, which beat Air Force 2-1 Saturday, in the first round of the Frozen Four in two weeks.

Ohio State (24-9-5) is the top seed in the Midwest region and ranked fifth nationally.

Sunday's game is set to be broadcast on ESPNU. Watch parties will be held at The Pioneer, Stadium Inn.