No. 7 Denver overcame a couple of potentially devastating momentum shifts, got another stellar game from freshman goaltender Filip Larsson and emerged from an important series with five of six points.

Freshman Brett Stapley overcame an ugly turnover that led to North Dakota’s only goal to score a highlight goal on an inside-out move in double overtime and lift the Pioneers to a 2-1 NCHC victory at a raucous Magness Arena on Saturday night.

“They were right on our tails in the conference,” said DU junior Liam Finlay, who scored the Pioneers’ other goal. “After last weekend (getting swept at Western Michigan), we needed to look in the mirror … I think we were better this weekend. That’s a pretty good team. It’s a hard team to play against.”

One night after making a career-high 45 saves, Larsson stopped 31 more shots, including a couple of point-blank ones in the first overtime and another in the closing seconds of regulation.

“We did not play very well in front him last weekend. He did a great job this weekend,” Pioneers captain Colin Staub said. “He kept us in it. North Dakota was giving it to us for the better part of these games, so if we didn’t have Larsson playing the way he was they could have easily been two losses.”

Say hello to Mo

Right off the hop the Pioneers had a golden opportunity to push the Fighting Hawks (13-12-2, 7-8-0-1 NCHC) into a hole they had gotten the shovels out for. Dixon Bowen drew a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct for hit to the head on Kohen Olischefski just 2:25 in. Rhett Gardner made it a 5 on 3 just 1:37 later when he tripped Michael Davies.

But DU (15-6-4, 7-6-2-1) could only muster a few shots.

“We didn’t execute like we wanted to, a full two-minute 5 on 3 needs to be better,” Denver coach David Carle said. “I didn’t feel like our bench got down because of it. … A lot of times it could be a momentum shift.”

It wasn’t because Finlay cashed in just nine seconds after the major expired.

The second potential game-changer occurred at the end of the second period, the same period in which North Dakota had a goal disallowed for the second game in row.

Stapley gathered the puck behind Larsson’s net and fired a pass toward the boards to his right. Defenseman Hayden Shaw stepped up to intercept the puck above the left circle, took a couple of strides and fired the puck over Larsson’s glove with just 13 seconds left in the second.

“There’s always going to be ups and downs,” Stapley said. “It’s just the way you handle yourself and the way you battle adversity. I had to pick myself up after that giveaway led to their goal.

“We rallied from there shift by shift. As the game went on we started to pick up our momentum, and it paid off in overtime.”

Carle said this was an example of Stapley’s teammates having his back.

“He makes a mental error, it happens,” the coach said. “Does he want it back? Yeah, everyone wanted it back for him. We’re a team, we stick together. I loved the way that we responded after that goal with 12 seconds left. That can be a real momentum swing as well.”

Win one for Luko

The other momentum shift occurred in the closing minute of Friday’s game, when senior forward Jarid Lukosevicius, the team’s leading goal scorer with 13, was on the receiving end of a boarding call by North Dakota’s Mark Senden. Senden was assessed a two-minute minor and no supplemental discipline. Lukosevicius missed Saturday’s game.

“It was an inspiration for us,” Finlay said. “Our best player, in my opinion, goes down and we want to rally for him.”

Added Staub, “Luko is a huge part of our team and we missed him tonight. We make sure we have guys who are ready to go. Jack Doremus played great tonight and he was the next guy up.”

Lockdown mode

The other storyline Saturday beyond the momentum swings and Larsson’s continued excellence, was the Pioneers’ renewed defensive prowess.

“A lot of shots were from the perimeter on both sides,” Carle said. “You’re seeing us get better in our D zone. We’re stopping and starting better and taking time and space away better. We had a couple of really good blockouts at the net front where our wings were able collapse and pick up pucks to get us out of the zone.”

Finlay, the Pioneers’ leading scorer with 26 points, left no doubt about that component’s role in DU’s game plan.

“Everyone was committed,” he said. “It’s not the prettiest thing. You’ve got to go glass out, boards out sometimes, but they’re a dangerous team and we were good in our D zone.”

Denver’s three stars

1. Filip Larsson. One night after stopping 45 shots, he made 31 saves. His weekend line – two goals on 78 shots.
2. Brett Stapley. The freshman regrouped from a costly giveaway that led to North Dakota’s goal to score the winner in double OT to give the Pioneers an extra NCHC point.
3. Liam Finlay. The junior scored and was a factor all over the ice.

Up next

The Pioneers are off next weekend, then travel to No. 3 Minnesota Duluth for an NCHC series on Feb. 15-16. The Bulldogs lost to Colorado College, 4-1, on Friday but routed the Tigers, 6-0, on Saturday.

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