Most would agree that a model road game is built around good goaltending and strong special teams. Unfortunately for No. 4 Denver, it was the home team that came up with those elements Friday night at Oxford, Ohio.

Miami got 44 saves from Ryan Larkin and scored two power-play goals, including what proved to be the game-winner from defenseman Louie Belpedio with 9:43 to play, to hold off the Pioneers, 4-3.

Dylan Gambrell scored two goals and had a potential third one ring off a pipe with 35 seconds left, and defenseman Blake Hillman assisted on all three goals for DU (11-6-4, 5-4-2-1 NCHC).

“Our effort and intensity for 98 percent of this game was really good, and it shows you how slim the margin of error is if you really want to be successful,” DU coach Jim Montgomery said on AM 1600 after the game. ”

Casey Gilling had two goals and an assist and leading scoring Josh Melnick added two assists for the RedHawks (9-8-2, 4-4-1 NCHC).

But the real story of the game was the play of Larkin, who has made a habit of stoning the Pioneers in his season and a half of college hockey. The sophomore stopped 38 and 49 shots in a pair of ties at Magness Arena last season, and for good measure stopped 27 and 33 shots in a pair of losses at Miami. That’s 191 saves in five games or an average of more than 38 per game.

“I thought we had all kinds of opportunities,” Montgomery said. “I thought their goalie played great. He was really square to pucks and swallowing up pucks.

“We’re not doing a great job taking away the goalie’s eyes.”

The Pioneers chased the game from the start, as Gilling scored 1:10 into the first. Defenseman Rourke Russell made it 2-0 just 4:12 into the second before Gambrell pulled DU to a goal when he deflected Hillman’s shot from the top of the left circle past Larkin. The Pioneers retrieved the puck along the right wall before Ian Mitchell (four blocks) got it over to Hillman.

“We didn’t get back to the net on their first two goals,” Montgomery said. “They were rebound goals and they were beating us to the net.”

The Miami power play (2 for 4) went to work in the third. Gilling scored on a shot that DU goalie Tanner Jaillet (15 saves) was screened on. The goal came at 4:25, the third period in a row the Redhawks got an early tally.

Henrik Borgstrom got the Pioneers right back in it 5 minutes and change later when he took a pass from Hillman and snapped it past Larkin from between the circles.

But Belpedio re-established Miami’s two-goal bulge just 37 seconds later.

With Jaillet pulled, Gambrell rifled a shot in the net with 2:50 left and the Pioneers had a handful of other chances in the closing minutes but Miami hung on.

Friday Funk

The loss dropped Denver to 4-4-3 on Friday night games, particularly disturbing because they’re 2-3-1 on NCHC Friday nights.

The good news is the Pioneers are 7-2-1 on Saturdays, and they’re going to need to pick up some points again in Miami just to keep up in the league.

Welcome back

Defenseman Adam Plant (upper body) returned to the lineup after missing seven of the past eight games. He was paired with fellow senior Tariq Hammond.

Freshman blue liner Griffin Mendel missed his third consecutive game due to an upper-body injury. Erich Fear was paired with Michael Davies, while the Hillman-Mitchell tag team continued as usual.

Denver’s three stars

1. Dylan Gambrell. The junior played like a man possessed, scoring two goals and nearly bagging a third. He also was plus-2 and won 15 of 26 face-offs (58 percent).
2. Blake Hillman. The D-man figured in every goal and might have scored, tip or not by Gambrell on DU’s first goal. He was a team-high plus-3.
3. Henrik Borgstrom. He scored a beautiful goal and was 14 for 20 in the circle (70 percent).

Up next

The teams play again Saturday at 5:05 p.m. AM 1600 will carry the broadcast.

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