The climb got just a bit steeper Saturday night.

No. 4 Denver dropped its third one-goal game in four nights at the start of its 10-game trip to the NCHC pod in Omaha, this succumbing to St. Cloud State, 4-3.

The Pioneers (0-3) scored all three of their goals on the power play, including another by freshman Carter Savoie, whose first-period strike was his fourth overall and third on the man advantage.

“I think we’re close. The results are disappointing,” Denver coach David Carle said. “We’ve done some really good things. We put ourselves into this hole, and it’s going to have to be our group that gets us out of it.”

Here are three observations from the game:

Keeping the lead

After seeing third-period leads evaporate in the previous two games, Denver watched one disappear in the second this time. Cole Guttman had given DU its first lead of the night, 2-1, in the first minute of the second before the Huskies notched the next three goals – two in the second period.

“Our level of urgency picked up in the third. It could have been there in the first and the second, but it wasn’t,” Carle said. “Credit to St. Cloud. They were the faster team. … I would have liked to see it earlier in the game.”

Power surge

The three power-play goals – Brett Stapley had one with 4:54 to play in the game – give the Pioneers five in three games. They have only two other goals in that span.

Senior defenseman Griffin Mendel stated the obvious when he said, “We have to find a way to score some even-strength goals.”

Take a break

After three tightly contested games in four nights DU now has two days off before a rematch with No. 1 North Dakota on Tuesday. Its game plan between now and then is simple, Carle said.

“Stick together. Don’t point fingers. Accept the truth and look in the mirror,” the coach said. “Make sure we’re being professional about taking care of our bodies. It’s a workmanlike approach.”

Added Mendel,” “It’s a tough start for sure. We’ve got to have a good mood going forward. … We’ve got to find a way, there’s no excuses.”

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