Could Denver knock off No. 2 North Dakota on its home ice in an NCHC semifinal and strengthen its case for an NCAA Tournament berth?

For more than 58 minutes Monday night that was in play. However, a deflected shot late in regulation and laser-beam shot just as a DU penalty ended midway through overtime squashed that, and the Fighting Hawks emerged with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Grand Forks, N.D.

Gavin Hain‘s shot from the left circle 8:37 into overtime came just seconds after a boarding penalty to Antti Tuomisto had expired and ruined a superlative effort by Pioneers goaltender Magnus Chrona (30 saves) and the rest of the depleted Denver lineup.

“We executed our game plan well. Magnus was a stud tonight,” Denver coach David Carle said. “(We were) above pucks, not giving them much, (it) was impressive … against a really good hockey team. We were 90 seconds away.

Jasper Weatherby‘s deflection of a Shane Pinto shot from the left circle with North Dakota’s Adam Scheel pulled for an extra attacker with 1:27 to go in regulation had tied the score. Weatherby also set up Hain’s winner.

Carter Savoie scored Denver’s goal 5:52 into the second period. It was his team-high 13th of the season.

The Pioneers’ determination in the face of having just 16 skaters available for the second time in three days was not lost on North Dakota coach Brad Berry.

“I want to commend David Carle and his Denver Pioneers for a gutsy effort this weekend with a depleted lineup,” Berry said,

What’s next?

Was Monday’s bout with the Fighting Hawks (20-5-1) enough to pad Denver’s case for an NCAA Tournament berth despite a 10-13-1 record?

“We would have like to have left no doubt,” Carle said. “If we win the game it’s a no-brainer. I still think we have a real good case.

“My rationale comes down to our league. We deserve four if not five teams. I think we’re one of the best four, and if you expand to five it’s a no brainer.”

His counterpart concurred.

“I’m biased,” Berry said, again citing Denver’s efforts vs. Omaha on Saturday and again vs. his team Monday night. “It’s a situation where we have a very good league. We should get four teams. It’s not up to me. Especially in this Covid year, it’s going to be very interesting (how the NCAA field is set).”

Seconds please

The periods were a bit of a ping pong game.

North Dakota came out with a strong push to start the game, and DU – especially Chrona – held up well. The Pioneers then flipped the script in the second and took the game to the Fighting Hawks.

DU’s 10-3 shots on goal edge in that frame included Savoie’s power-play marker. His shot from the right circle appeared intended for an open Cole Guttman at Scheel’s backdoor. The puck deflected off the blade of North Dakota’s Mark Senden‘s stick past Scheel (17 saves). That was the only power play for either team in the first two periods.

Denver had opportunities to expand the lead, including breakaway opportunities by Ryan Barrow and Slava Demin that forced the Fighting Hawks goalie to make clutch saves.

DU’s defensive commitment to keep NoDak to the outside and a willingness to play physically when the situation called for it were other hallmarks of period.

“I loved our second period,” Carle said. “If there is one period you’re worried about this team, especially (being) shorthanded it’s the second.

“In the third they played a little bir more of a direct game. I don’t know if legs began to play a bit of a factor. It was just how we scripted it, unfortunately it was 90 seconds too short.”

Senden’s injury forced North Dakota to shuffle its lines for the third period and overtime, and the result was a 20-4 shots on goal edge from there on out and the tying and winning goals.

“Obviously when you’re up a goal you’re going to get a push from a No. 1 team,” Barrow said. “We were one bounce away from playing tomorrow night.”

Berry’s decision to pull Scheel with almost 3 minutes left paid big dividends.

“We moved our lines around,” he said. “They made a push, had us on our heels a little bit.”

“(Pulling the goalie was) all or nothing, a great time to do it.”

The victory gives the Fighting Hawks a shot at their first Frozen Face-off title on Tuesday vs. St. Cloud State, while the Pioneers now will await their fate, which rests in the hands of the NCAA selection committee.

“II know a lot of coaches are getting on their soapboxes right now and preaching a bit,” Carle said. “I like the Pairwise too. It removes all the b.s. of us standing here having to advocate for our team. But I will go down swinging with this team any day of the week.”

©First Line Editorial 2021