As turning points go, killing off a second-period, five-minute major penalty – with a two-minute 5-on-3 right in the middle of it – has to rate as a big one for the University of Denver.

But after the Pioneers (9-7-4) seized 3-0 and 4-2 leads then held on to win, 4-3, at No. 6 Nebraska-Omaha, their first series sweep in two months  could prove to be much bigger if they can sustain the momentum going forward.

“I thought that there were a couple of turning points, momentum swings sometimes not caused not by either team,” DU coach Jim Montgomery said. “I was really impressed with how well we handled adversity.

“This is the first time this season we faced it, battled through and rose above it and had success.”

The floodgates opened after the game went scoreless for more than 32 minutes. Evan Janssen scored a wraparound goal and Gabe Levin tallied 35 seconds later after taking a feed from Colin Staub for 2-0 lead.

“Two players who go unnoticed,” Montgomery said. “Evan Janssen’s details are impeccable. He’s always in the right position. Another player who is developing (similarly) is Colin Staub.”

Smooth sailing from there? Hardly. Thirty seconds later Logan O’Connor was whistled for a five-minute major at 13:24. A penalty called on Trevor Moore 1:50 later put the Pioneers down two skaters.

DU, particularly goaltender Tanner Jaillet (25 saves), stood tall in killing off both penalties. Jaillet made five saves during the stretch and his teammates blocked four shots. UNO helped out by hitting the pipe three times.

Game over, right? Not exactly

The teams combined for five third-period goals, and none was bigger than Dylan Gambrell‘s power-play strike 8:37 in after the Mavericks had cut a 3-0 lead to 3-2 on a two-goal burst in 39 seconds. First because it re-established a two-goal lead for DU (which it would need), and second because it awakened the Pioneers’ near-dormant power play.

“The power play came through with great execution,” Montgomery said. “Big-time players came up big.”

Those players included Danton Heinen, who scored DU’s third goal and had a secondary assist on Gambrell’s tally and Moore, who like Gambrell extended his scoring streak to four games.

“I was joking with Heinen, your hands are back,” Montgomery said.

 

The sweep was DU’s first on the road in nearly three years.

“It’s fun when you’re part of a group, and the group is committed and you figure out (how to correct things),” he added. “It started with me and our attention to detail, and the players did their part.

“We said coming in if we can sweep this weekend we can accomplish everything we said we wanted to at the beginning of the year.”

Tough enough: The Pioneers again took more penalties (13 minutes vs. 6 for UNO), always a dicey proposition against team known for its excellent power play. But only Justin Parizek‘s goal 4:20 into the third dented the Pioneers’ PK, which was 10 for 11 this weekend.

Conversely, DU’s offense generated a season-low 18 shots (tied for least, Dec. 5 at North Dakota). What’s going on?

If I’ve heard Montgomery say it once this season I’ve heard it 20 times – he wants the Pioneers to be difficult to play against. Yes, they’re skilled. Yes, they skate well. But clearly they’re at their best when they’re creating headaches for the opposition.

This grittier style inevitably will lead to more penalties. Fortunately for DU, penalty killing has been a strength all season.

By the numbers: With a goal and two assists, Gambrell has the lead in all three major offensive categories to himself – goals (6), assists (13) and points (19). Defenseman Will Butcher added an assist, giving him 17 points, and Moore’s helper gives him 15. Heinen’s two-point night might be most encouraging because he has rediscovered his scoring touch, the DU offense just got a lot better. … UNO remained winless this season when their opponent scores first.