The numbers say this is exactly what we should have expected.

For the second night in a row – and fifth time this season – Denver freshman Filip Larsson gave North Dakota fits, and for the fourth time, DU emerged with a victory. Saturday’s 4-2 verdict propelled the No. 8 Pioneers to a sweep and booked their ticket back to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in Saint Paul, Minn.

It’s a spring break trip the Pioneers (21-10-5) have made all six seasons of the conference’s existence, and it marked the second year in a row DU dispatched one of its biggest rivals en route to a quarterfinal series triumph. Last season, DU knocked off Colorado College in the quarters.

As for Larsson, he followed Friday’s 32-save shutout with a 40-save gem, allowing just two goals by senior Nick Jones, who was the best player on the No. 19 Fighting Hawks (18-17-2) all weekend.

His .973 save percentage (72 saves on 74 shots) matches his season mark (180 saves on 185 shots) almost exactly. In the process, he’s gone 4-0-1 vs. DU’s edgy neighbors to the northeast.

“There’s really no words to describe what that kid did this weekend,” Pioneers captain Colin Staub said. “He took a ton of shots and held them to two goals all weekend. He was fantastic for us. He was the reason we won two games. When you see his calm back there, kind of like Tanner Jaillet was for us, it gives the rest of us a calm confidence.”

Staub scored DU’s second go-ahead goal, fellow senior Jarid Lukosevicius got his seventh game-winner of the season and 20th of his career later in the second period. Cole Guttman, who set up Lukosevicius’ strike, scored an early power-play goal and Jaakko Heikkinen iced it with an empty-net goal.

Defense, PK also deliver

North Dakota, never an easy out, saw its season on the line and played like it. Jones tied the score with 5:27 to go in the first period, and he re-invigorated his team again 5:42 into the third with a wicked backhand shot.

The senior’s second goal came on one of the Pioneers’ few defensive breakdowns on a night in which they also had to kill off four of their five penalties after the first period.

DU knew the Fighting Hawks would bring a ton of pressure, and they did.

“I think our box outs around the net were key for us,” sophomore defenseman Ian Mitchell said. “They had a lot of possessions and a lot of shots, but they didn’t have a lot of second opportunities, and obviously Filip played unbelievable. It definitely could have been a different story. Our team defense was really what allowed us to beat them.”

Not only did DU limit the visitors to several one-and-dones in the Pioneers zone, but they made a conscious effort to try to control their exits from the defensive zone.

“We talked a lot about executing more, especially through the D zone and the neutral zone, making sure we weren’t giving them pucks by chipping it off the glass and letting them have free breakouts,” Staub added. “That was a big point for us, try to make sure we control the puck a little more. They still had it a lot, but we were able to get some clean clears, which helped us break their pressure.”

The Fighting Hawks pulled goalie Peter Thome (14 saves) with 2:03 to go, and Heikkinen was rewarded for his yeoman’s work on the penalty kill with an empty-netter just 36 seconds later.

“We took too many stick penalties, but I commend our penalty kill, particularly Heikkinen, Staub, (Tyson) McLellan and (Ryan) Barrow. Those four did a bulk of the work up front. We did a good job staying compact, keeping shots to the outside. Anything that touched him tonight (Larsson) was swallowing up.”

Rallying period

The Pioneers pushed back in the second period, and their seniors played large roles in that.

“We definitely wanted to play better after our first period,” Mitchell said. “And those two have been our heart and soul leaders all season long. They carried us tonight.”

Staub, who was shaken up on an awkward hit on the end boards in the first period, scored 1:02 into the second on a play Mitchell initiated, skating from the left point down and around the cage, where he found D partner Griffin Mendel pinching. Mendel circled and sent a cross slot pass that appeared to hit Thome and made its way to Staub stick for the backdoor goal.

“Mitchell makes an unbelievable play carrying it behind the net, does a high roll with Mendel,” DU coach David Carle said. “We talk about presenting at the net front. I think Griffin was channeling his inner Will Butcher, who was in the crowd tonight.”

After the teams traded penalties, Lukosevicius struck to finish a tic-tac-toe play with a snap shot from near the left dot that beat Thome under his glove. Guttman carried through the neutral zone and found Pettersen skating left to right, the freshman backed off North Dakota’s D enough to weave a pass to Guttman who then passed right to left to Lukosevicius, who found plenty of real estate as he trailed the play.

“I don’t know how Guttman heard me or saw me, but he made a really nice play and I had pretty much a breakaway to the net, all I had to do was put it in the net,” Lukosevicius said. “It was a nice play by both of them. It’s fun playing with those guys. When they’re going, we’re all going.”

That goal, with 5:22 to go in the period, changed the tenor the game even more.

Uneven start

After playing physically but more under control Friday, the Fighting Hawks pushed it closer to the edge Saturday. That was clear when Gavin Hain ran Larsson after a drive to the net. The play was reviewed for a potential major, but the freshman emerged with a 2-minute minor.

Denver’s power-play goal was a welcome development. Not only did it stake the Pioneers to a lead just 3:45 into the game, but the goal was just the second in 16 for Guttman, who redirected Les Lancaster‘s blast from the left point just six seconds into the man advantage.

The Pioneers had another power play shortly after that but could not sustain any zone time. That kill energized North Dakota which went on to outshoot DU 12-1 the rest of the period (16-3 overall in the first).

Jones tied it up with 5:27 to play when he took a drop pass from Grant Mismash inside the left circle and wired a shot high to Larsson’s far (glove) side. It was the first tally Larsson had allowed in 74:27 of the weekend.

“I thought we got better as the game went on tonight,” Carle said. “(North Dakota) showed a ton of resiliency. With what they’ve been through with injuries, they could have folded it up in February and their group never quit. I have a ton of respect for them and Coach Brad Berry.”

Notes

Forward Tyler Ward re-entered the lineup for DU, while Jack Doremus was out … UND shuffled three of its four lines and inserted junior forward Ludvig Hoff into the lineup.

Denver’s three stars

1. Filip Larsson. What does he do for an encore? 40 saves. He’s allowed five goals in five games against North Dakota this season.
2. Ian Mitchell. Part 2 of the equation for the Pioneers’ success was a stingy defense. The sophomore was a lynchpin of that Saturday and had two assists.
3. Jarid Lukosevicius and Colin Staub. The seniors were terrific all weekend, and both were rewarded with huge second-period goals.

Up next

The Pioneers will head to Saint Paul, Minn., to play in the NCHC’s Frozen Faceoff, against either Minnesota Duluth (if Colorado College wins its series, and it’s up 1-0 on Western Michigan) or St. Cloud State (if WMU wins).

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