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(left) Rhett Rakhshani fights for the puck against the University of North Dakota on Friday night
DENVER - After missing the last 30 games due to injury, J.D. Corbin notched the game-winning goal 2:18 into overtime to propel the No. 7 Denver Pioneers to a 4-3 victory over No. 8 North Dakota in a crucial WCHA contest before a sellout crowd of 6, 117 at Magness Arena. Ryan Dingle, Tyler Ruegsegger and Geoff Paukovich also notched a goal apiece for the Pioneers and senior goaltender Glenn Fisher recorded 20 saves as DU snapped its three-game winless streak while also bringing North Dakota's 11-game unbeaten streak to a halt.
The Pioneers overcame a stellar performance from North Dakota's top line of Ryan Duncan, Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie, who combined for three goals and six assists.
At nearly the midway point of the extra frame, Mike Handza won a faceoff cleanly back to Adrian Veideman (Sicamous, British Columbia) in DU's zone. Veideman fired a shot toward North Dakota's net, and Corbin was able to get enough of a tip to redirect the shot past UND goaltender Philippe Lamoureux (38 saves).
"You saw two pretty good teams going at it tonight," said Denver head coach George Gwozdecky. "We got a big draw win from Mike Handza and a great shot from the point. It may have been a lucky bounce, but I think you make your own luck. We deserved the win and really earned that bounce."
The Fighting Sioux got on the board first at 17:41 when Duncan fed a pass across the goalmouth to Oshie, who buried a shot before Fisher could slide across the crease.
DU struck back before the end of the first period when Dingle netted his team-leading 20th goal of the season. Ryan Helgason (Woodbury, Minn.) fought off two UND defenders in DU's offensive zone before slipping a pass into the slot to Dingle, who shelved a backhand over Lamoureux's left shoulder at 19:18.
Ruegsegger gave DU a 2-1 lead when he netted the 14th goal of his freshman campaign at 6:57 of the second period. Dingle led a 2-on-1 rush toward the North Dakota goal before firing a shot from the right faceoff circle that was stopped by Lamoureux. Ruegsegger corralled the rebound on the far side of the goal and fired the puck past Lamoureux, who couldn't recover in time.
UND's Oshie and Duncan again teamed up to tie the game, with Duncan being the benefactor this time on a power-play tally at 12:52. Toews then gave the Sioux a 3-2 advantage at 16:14 off assists from Duncan and Oshie.
The Pioneers evened the game, 3-3, at the 2:18 mark of the third period when Tom May walked around a UND defender and fed a pass to Paukovich, who knocked the puck home from the doorstep to account for the last goal in regulation.
DU outshot UND by a 42-23 margin. The Fighting Sioux finished 1-of-3 on the power play, while the Pioneers went 0-5 with a man advantage.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night at Magness Arena at 7:07 p.m.
Notes: Tonight marked the first time all season that the Pioneers won a game when trailing after two periods. DU came into the game with a 0-9 record when entering the third period with a deficit ... Dingle's multi-point game was his first since Jan. 13 in a 5-2 victory over Niagara University ... Prior to the start of the game a moment of silence was observed for long-time DU Board of Trustee member Phil Hogue, who passed away on Feb. 20 at age 71 after a battle with leukemia.
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