As home games go, No. 7 North Dakota played a strong road game in locking down No. 5 Denver in a 1-1 tie at Grand Forks, N.D.

The Pioneers picked up the extra point in the NCHC standings for the second night in a row, however, when defenseman Ian Mitchell jumped up and converted a cross-ice pass from Logan O’Connor 1:19 into the 3-on-3 second overtime. Denver (14-6-6, 8-4-4-3 NCHC) extended its unbeaten streak to five games and its lead in the NCHC standings to three points over St. Cloud State.

The teams combined for just 45 shots Saturday, one night after they combined for 41.

“It was a playoff type game,” DU coach Jim Montgomery said. “It was hard ice to gain any advantage on. There weren’t that many grade A scoring chances. As a coach it’s an easy game to coach, but as a fan it’s a boring game to watch.”

Denver grabbed an early lead when freshman Kohen Olischefski took a pass from Ryan Barrow and snuck a bad-angle shot from the goal line between North Dakota’s Cam Johnson and the near post at 7:19.

Defenseman Christian Wolanin tied it 9:36 into the second period when he buried a shot from between the circles while the Fighting Hawks (12-8-8, 6-6-4-2) were on one of their three power plays.

Denver didn’t convert on either of its chances and didn’t show a lot of energy in doing so, something that didn’t sit well with its coach.

“Our power play needs to expect more from itself,” Montgomery said. “We weren’t supporting pucks. There wasn’t any urgency. Everyone talks about how vaunted our top players are, but our top players have to show more urgency.”

Tanner Jaillet made 21 saves for the Pioneers, one fewer than his counterpart.

“Both goalies made some quality saves throughout the game,” Montgomery added. “You’ve got to give North Dakota credit, they played extremely well, they checked well all weekend. They played a real determined game and they took away our time and space well all weekend.”

The two ties, coupled with a split in Denver in November mean the teams split the season series for the fifth year in a row. And like many of those years, there is a good chance they’ll see each other again in either the NCHC or NCAA tournaments.

Notable

Freshman Griffin Mendel returned to the lineup after missing the past six games due to an injury. He replaced Adam Plant (upper body) on the blue line and was paired with Erich Fear.

There was no update on Plant’s condition, Montgomery told 104.3 FM before the game. The senior will be evaluated this week after absorbing a hit to the head from North Dakota’s Cole Smith, who was given a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit in Friday’s game. The NCHC suspended Smith for Saturday’s game.

Denver’s three stars

1. Ian Mitchell. He had an assist on Kohen Olischefski’s goal and scored in the second OT.
2. Kohen Olischefski. He gave DU an early 1-0 lead and his three shots on goal tied for the most among forwards.
3. Blake Hillman. Five blocked shots and a team-high four shots on goal.

Up next

The Pioneers play host to Minnesota Duluth in a rematch of an early December series that DU swept in Minnesota. Both Friday’s and Saturday’s games face off at 7:05 p.m.

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