No. 1 Denver overcame a two-goal deficit, caught a break on a disallowed Minnesota Duluth goal and eventually won an NCHC road game in overtime, 3-2, on sophomore Tristan Broz’s strike.

Carter Mazur tied the score for Denver in third period and Massimo Rizzo also tallied for the Pioneers (13-4, 7-2 NCHC). The Bulldogs (8-9, 4-4-0-1) got first-period power-play goals from linemates Ben Steeves and Dominic James.

Magnus Chrona made 23 saves for the Pioneers and added an assist, while Matthew Thiessen stopped 30 shots for UMD.

Here are three notable points from Denver’s third consecutive win and seventh in eight games:

Denver sticks with it when things don’t go its way

The Pioneers didn’t come out playing their best. They didn’t have their usual jump, their passing was sloppy, they could not transition the puck out of their zone cleanly, and they rarely sustained offensive-zone pressure in the first 15 minutes.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, came out on fire and twice beat Chrona during power plays in the first 11:42. UMD’s pressure, as much as anything, led to DU’s turnovers and sloppy play.

But the Pioneers stuck with it. Rizzo scored a massive goal with 1:37 left in the first when Chrona found him at the UMD line with a stretch pass in the closing seconds of a power play. The sophomore did the rest, eluding defenseman Owen Gallatin and beating Thiessen over his glove hand for his eighth of the season. That gave the DU the boost it needed, and it dominated the second period even though the scoreboard didn’t reflect it.

Denver’s skill level shows up again

Mazur tied it on a terrific pass from Jack Devine just 1:04 into the third. Devine carried down the right side and found his fellow sophomore alone on the back door. Mazur wasted no time scoring his team-high 13th goal of the season. It moved Mazur into a tie for second in Division I in goal scoring with Western Michigan’s Jason Polin. That also was the first even-strength score of the game.

Broz won it with 2:46 to go in OT off a feed from Jared Wright. The sophomore’s play has picked up as of late, and his speed and skill are becoming more and more apparent.

Defenseman Mike Benning added assists on Denver’s tying and winning goals and now has 14 points. In taking two of the three points, the Pioneers also maintained their lead in the NCHC.

Special teams played a big role in the game

DU caught a break with 8:10 to go in regulation when an apparent goal by James was disallowed after the Denver coaching staff called for a video review for goaltender interference. Steeves collided with Chrona by the left post as the rebound went to James just off the right post.

It also had to kill off a penalty in the final 2:46.

In a way it was a fitting conclusion to a game dominated by special teams. Denver killed off the Bulldogs’ final three power plays after giving up those first two goals. Meanwhile, the Pioneers went 1 for 6 on the power play.

It was a performance akin to playing with fire because losing the special teams battle on the road is typically a recipe for disaster.

Notes: The teams play Game 2 Saturday at 6 p.m. … Denver generated 61 totals shots to Duluth’s 44.

©First Line Editorial 2022