An uneven performance by No. 2 Denver led to a 5-5 tie with upstart Augustana on Friday night at Magness Arena.

The Pioneers took — and lost — 3-0, 4-2 and 5-4 leads against the Vikings, who are in their first full Division I season. Augustana tied the score with 21 seconds left when Chase Brand scored on a power-play with an extra attacker on.

Here are some takeaways from the surprising outcome:

Pioneers’ Defensive Learning Curve

Given that four of Augustana’s goals came close to the net or on drives to the net, it’s clear Denver’s young defense (five underclassmen were in the lineup again) needs to tighten up. While goaltender Matt Davis (27 saves) likely would want a few of the Vikings’ goals back, the fact is he didn’t appear to get a lot of help in front of him on at least a couple of them.

The good news for DU (3-1-1) is this is a talented defense group. It will get better as the season progresses. But realistically, this probably won’t be the last time it takes some lumps.

Denver’s Noses for the Net

Five different Pioneers scored — Boston Buckberger, Rieger Lorenz, Jack Devins, Kieran Cebrian and Massimo Rizzo — and every one of those tallies came from a high-danger area. That bodes very well going forward.

We know Denver has a ton of skill, but where it’s gotten into trouble is staying (or being kept) outside. That wasn’t the case Friday.

Buckberger scored on a turn and shoot between the circles. Lorenz tallied on a one-timer from almost the same spot. Devine won a battle for a loose puck at the lower left circle. Cebrian converted a crazy sauce pass from Devine while driving the net. And Rizzo put on a stickhandling clinic before firing away from the slot.

If Denver gets to a scoring area, it’s going to score.

Notes: Devine’s sixth goal and 13th point (on Cebrian’s goal) pulled him into a tie for the Division I scoring lead. Rizzo (12 points) is in third. … Saturday’s opponent, Air Force has two players also in the top 20. Defensemen Luke Rowe and Chris Hedden each have eight points. The Falcons lost to Colorado College, 6-2, on Friday night. Saturday’s faceoff is at 6 p.m.

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