No. 5 Denver weathered one storm Saturday night while the city braced for another.

The first one saw the Pioneers hang in there early against a determined No. 15 Omaha team before breaking through for a 4-0 NCHC victory at Magness Arena.

Jaakko Heikkinen and Henrik Borgstrom each scored a goal late in the first and second periods, respectively, Troy Terry scored on a 5-on-3 power play early in the third, Colin Staub added an empty-net goal and Tanner Jaillet made 30 saves for his second shutout in a row.

The victory was the third in a row and fourth in five games for the Pioneers (14-6-4, 8-4-2-1 NCHC). Omaha (12-11-1, 5-9-0 NCHC) entered the weekend having won five of its past six games and boasting an offense averaging nearly four goals per game, but it could not solve Jaillet, who extended his shutout streak of 130:08.

“Last night Tanner Jaillet had to control the game. Tonight he had to win it for us,” coach Jim Montgomery said on Altitude after the game. “He was incredible. If he hadn’t been as good as he was we probably would have been behind in the first period.”

It also was the Pioneers’ 12th victory in a row over the Mavericks.

One night after being on the wrong side of a 5-0 decision, Omaha smartly tightened up on defense and applied a much harder forecheck, keeping Denver from exiting its zone cleanly throughout the first period.

One time when DU did get its transition game going it cashed in with Heikkinen finishing a tic-tac-toe play with Liam Finlay and Jake Durflinger. Finlay carried into the Mavericks zone with speed, backing off the D. Durflinger took his pass just inside the right circle then quickly found Heikkinen rushing to the net with 1:45 to go.

Denver turned a 19-9 shots on goal deficit in the second period into a 22-21 advantage at the end of the frame. The Mavericks ended up outshooting DU, 30-29.

Borgstrom started and finished a play that made it 2-0 with 2:38 to go in the period. He tracked down a puck he’d sent into the right corner, separating an Omaha defender from it in the process. After Staub and Logan O’Connor had some cracks at the puck in front, Borgstrom finished from the right doorstep.

“To see that kind of will and desire from No. 5 and the physical play really lifted our bench and I thought we took over after that,” Montgomery said.

Late in the second, Omaha’s David Pope hit Terry from behind and received a 5-minute boarding major. Terry subsequently took a hooking penalty early in the third, but upon his exit from the sin bin he shot the puck toward Omaha netminder Evan Weninger (25  saves). The puck hit an Omaha defenseman’s skate and eluded Weninger to make it 3-1 2:01 into the third.

Jaillet was solid to exceptional all game, but he was helped by the Mavericks hitting iron three times.

Staub finished the scoring with 2:04 to go after he, O’Connor and Borgstrom pinned the Mavericks in their own end after Weninger had been pulled.

“I think we’re trending in the right way,” Montgomery said.

Century Club, parts 5 and 6

Jarid Lukosevicius might be onto something. One night after he celebrated his 100th career game for DU with two goals, fellow juniors Staub and Terry scored Saturday, when they joined him in reaching that milestone. The two Colorado natives scored DU’s third and fourth goals of the game and became the fifth and sixth Pioneers to reach 100 games this season.

Senior captain Tariq Hammond and juniors Dylan Gambrell and Blake Hillman joined the Century Club earlier this season. Next up appears to be O’Connor, who was at 91 and counting after Saturday’s game.

“This junior class has been a special class,” Montgomery said. “They just continue to help us win games, whether it’s Gambrell or it’s Luko or it’s Terry or it’s O’Connor or it’s Hillman. It’s a special class. They’ve done a great job and they’re starting to assume more leadership for us, which we need.”

That’s special

Besides Jaillet, a big factor in the Pioneers’ sweep was their special teams play. DU went 4 for 10 on the power play after scoring once in five tries Saturday. It killed off all four penalties for the second night in a row against one of the Division I’s top man advantages.

Denver’s three stars

1. Tanner Jaillet. He made 30 saves in posting his third shutout of the season. It was the first time he’s had back-to-back blankings at DU.
2. Henrik Borgstrom. He had a goal and an assist and generally controlled play when he was on the ice.
3. Colin Staub and Troy Terry. Staub had a goal and an assist and Terry scored a pivotal goal early in the third after getting drilled into the boards late in the second.

Up next

The Pioneers travel to Grand Forks, N.D., to play North Dakota next Friday (6:35 p.m.) and Saturday (6:05 p.m.). Friday’s game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.