Half a game won’t get it done, particularly against a relentless and talented North Dakota team. Top-ranked Denver learned that the hard way Friday night in a 5-4 NCHC loss at Magness Arena.

The game encapsulated one of the larger-picture problems for the Pioneers (6-3-2, 2-3 NCHC) this season. Play great in stretches, take the right foot off the gas, then see the opponent, in this case the No. 3 Fighting Hawks (8-2-3, 3-1-1 NCHC), rally.

“It’s been the story of our team so far, and it’s something we need to change,” junior assistant captain Troy Terry said. “That first period and second period we showed how good of a team we are.

“As soon as we get a lead the ownership falls to the leaders on this team, myself included. We can’t start letting up once we get a lead, start taking short cuts, myself included. It’s unacceptable giving up leads like that.

“It’s something I’ve never been through here because we’ve always had such a good defensive team. The good thing is it’s something we can fix.”

North Dakota turned a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead in the space of 12:21 covering the end of the second period and beginning of the third. After DU piled up a 20-2 shots edge in the first 15 minutes, the Fighting Hawks outshot them 34-14 the rest of the way.

North Dakota entered the third period emboldened by a two-goals-in 1:44 burst late in the second, and it kept old Mo on its side when each of its top-pairing defensemen scored on bar-down shots on Tanner Jaillet (31 saves).

Colton Poolman tied the score 4:49 into the period when he walked in while DU was caught in a change ripped a beauty over Jaillet’s left shoulder. Just 1:10 later, Christian Wolanin struck from the right point on a power play, on a shot Jaillet appeared screened on.

“We stopped moving pucks to safe places, we started turning pucks over through the middle, and they started beating us to our net, and it just didn’t end,” DU coach Jim Montgomery said. “We have a serious lack of a commitment to a team-first attitude.”

Terry tied the score almost six minutes later on a power-play strike from the lower right circle. Freshman defenseman Ian Mitchell made the play, collecting the puck high in the slot when it was headed out of the zone. Mitchell quickly found Terry in the right circle.

“I thought after they went ahead and we called the timeout, we took over the game, which led to the power play, which led to the goal,” Montgomery said. “And then I thought we took our foot off the gas pedal. Give them credit, they were the better team after we tied it up. We were on our heels and they were on top of us. There’s more conviction to their team-first attitude than there is ours.”

North Dakota answered back when Johnny Simonson redirected Hayden Shaw‘s shot from the blue line near the DU bench in with just 2:31 to go.

For the first 15 minutes, the Pioneers dominated, building a 2-0 lead on a 20-2 shots on goal edge. Jake Durflinger ended a multi-shot, multi-rebound sequence by putting the puck past Peter Thome (30 saves) on a play that was reviewed 7 minutes into the game.

About seven and a half minutes later, Jarid Lukosevicius finished a beautiful play that Terry initiated by carrying the puck over the line and finding Henrik Borgstrom on the left wing. Borgstrom carried the puck below the left dot and passed on his forehand to a waiting Lukosevicius on the right doorstep. It was the junior’s fifth goal in four games and extended his point streak to six games.

The tally ended a streak of 12 consecutive penalty kills for the Fighting Hawks and was the first power-play scored they’d allowed in six games. Terry’s goal also came on the power play.

Lukosevicius’ power-play goal seemed to light a fire under North Dakota, which had 10 of its 12 first-period shots in the final 4:55. But Jaillet was up to the task, including during a penalty-kill sequence in the final two minutes.

The second period was another matter. Logan O’Connor gave DU a short-lived 3-0 lead at 6:07 when he gained possession of the puck on a penalty kill, raced down the left wing, moved left to right in front of Thome and tucked the puck between the netminder’s left pad and the post.

That was the Pioneers’ first shot of the period one of only four they would register. The Fighting Hawks began to sustain pressure and scored twice in a 1:46 span to make it a one-goal game.

Both tallies are ones Jaillet probably would want back. First, fourth-line wing Zach Yon carried the puck from right to left above the circles, snapping a shot past the DU goalie from the top outside edge of the left circle.

North Dakota then caught DU napping when defenseman Gabe Bast uncorked a shot from the outside of the right circle that handcuffed Jaillet. The puck dribbled to the left doorstep, and Joel Janatuinen beat Lukosevicius to the loose puck and poked it in.

Welcome back, captain

Senior Tariq Hammond made his season debut after missing the first 10 games of the season as he continued his recovery from two ankle surgeries. He frequently was paired with junior Sean Mostrom and played more minutes as the game wore on.

“I thought Tariq was really good. I thought he managed the game really well,” Montgomery said. “You saw him win battles. He threw a couple of people around who tried to hit him. It’s just his strength. It gives your team momentum, gives your team energy.”

Hammond ended up minus-1 (he was on the ice for Poolman’s goal) and had a shot.

“I felt good but it’s a bittersweet feeling to lose a game like that. I wish I could have done more,” he said. “Good to be back out there, but it sucks to lose.”

Lineup shuffle

Hammond’s return came at a good time given fellow senior defenseman Adam Plant missed the game because of an undisclosed injury sustained last Saturday against St. Cloud State. There was the possibility Plant could play Saturday, but it likely will be a game-time call.

“We’ll evaluate him tomorrow,” Montgomery said. “He’s close. It’s not like for sure he’s out tomorrow. It’s not like for sure he’s in.”

Griffin Mendel was paired with Michael Davies. The Blake Hillman-Ian Mitchell tandem remained together.

DU’s three stars

1. Troy Terry. He initiated the play that Lukosevicius scored on and then tied the score late.
2. Logan O’Connor. Hard on the puck all night, his short-handed goal was a terrific individual effort that gave DU what one might have thought was a safe, 3-0 lead.
3. Blake Hillman. The junior was double shifted at times and played a lot of hard minutes.

Up next

The teams play against Saturday night at Magness, face-off is at 7:05 p.m.

Copyright First Line Editorial 2017