LetsGoDU

Mullen's OT Goal Saves Pioneers

(left) Fisher: "Its nice to come down to Minnesota for the air."

From: Rocky Mountain News

By Jess Myers

October 14, 2006

ST. CLOUD, Minn. - Hockey coaches spend countless hours devising complicated offensive schemes designed to ensure the puck ends up in the opponent's net.

And some nights, the most meticulous plans are thrown out the window when a hot goaltender is on his game.

University of Denver goalie Glenn Fisher spoiled most of St. Cloud State's offensive intentions Friday, recording a career-best 47 saves as the Pioneers survived with a 4-3 overtime win.

Patrick Mullen's third goal of the season, a blistering shot from the top of the right circle, was the game-winner for the Pioneers (2-1 overall, 1-0) in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association opener for both teams.

"I kind of buried my head and let it rip," said Mullen, who has the winner in both DU victories this season. "I don't know if we played our best game in front of Glenn. Clearing rebounds was a major issue (Friday)."

The Pioneers quieted the raucous St. Cloud crowd in the opening period, getting goals from freshmen Brock Trotter and Tyler Ruegsegger to lead 2-0.

The advantage came despite the Huskies forging a 17-8 edge in first-period shots, putting the pressure on Fisher right from the start.

"It's nice to come down to Minnesota for the air," Fisher joked afterward about playing games at a lower altitude. "I think it was part of their game plan, coming out after us and shooting from everywhere. They just wanted to get everything on net."

DU opened a 3-0 lead in the second period when defenseman Andrew Thomas banked a shot off the leg of Huskies goaltender Bobby Goepfert, who finished with 19 saves.

Coupled with the assist he had on Ruegsegger's goal, it marked the first multipoint game of Thomas' career.

"We made too many key mistakes, but we did battle back a little bit," Huskies coach Bob Motzko said. "You want to come out in your first game and be so much better. I know we threw a lot of shots up there, but we were off (Friday). You could just tell."

The Huskies (0-1, 0-1) began their comeback almost immediately, finally solving Fisher just 24 seconds after Thomas' goal when Andrew Gordon's low shot beat the goalie on the glove side.

Late in the second, the Huskies got a two-man advantage for a full 2 minutes thanks to a pair of Pioneers penalties, converting for the goal.

John Swanson swatted in a loose puck that slid just beyond Fisher's left skate.

"We took some dumb penalties and put ourselves in a bind," Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky said. "But once they got back in the game, we did a good job of balancing the ice surface and making it level again."

The Huskies knotted the score at 3-3 in the third period on another extended power play.

This time the home team had 1:48 of a five-on-three advantage after Geoff Paukovich departed for slashing and Ruegsegger was tossed from the game for checking a St. Cloud State player from behind. Andreas Nodl tipped a Justin Fletcher shot past Fisher, which sent the game into overtime.

The Pioneers had a power play in the extra session but failed to get a shot on goal, only to convert once the game was back to even strength.

"I'm pleased with the win, but there's a ton of room for improvement," Gwozdecky said. "I keep seeing glimpses of the team we could be and want to be, but they're few and far between."