LetsGoDU

Denver Post Looks At DU's Amazing Comeback

From: Denver Post
by Mike Chambers

(left) CC's Mike Testwuide scores for CC in the First Period

Colorado Springs - Terrific results for the University of Denver hockey team don't usually include ties, but the Pioneers proved a big point Saturday night at the World Arena.

Sixth-ranked DU scored twice in the final minute of regulation with a pulled goaltender to claw back from a trio of three-goal deficits and forge a 5-5 overtime tie against rival Colorado College in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Freshman Keith Seabrook and Ryan Dingle completed DU's comeback with goals at 19:24 and 19:56, giving the Pioneers the one point they needed to finish fourth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Had CC held on, the Tigers would have finished fourth instead of fifth.
The game before a sellout crowd of 7,820 was crazy. DU allowed five power-play goals and trailed 3-0, 4-1 and 5-2. The Pioneers' first goal, by sophomore Chris Butler, ended a school-record scoring drought of 136 minutes, 46 seconds.

DU was coming off back-to-back shutout home losses Friday (3-0 against CC) and Feb. 23 (3-0 against North Dakota) - the first time in program history that DU was blanked at home in consecutive games.

"It was good to be able to score some goals," DU coach George Gwozdecky said. "We have not shot the puck very much. We've tried to make one too many plays, but one of our keys tonight was shooting the puck, anytime and from anywhere. That opened up a little more offense and gave us a chance to go after pucks."

Denver, just 1-4-2 in its past seven games, finished 0-3-1 against CC and lost the Gold Pan for the first time in three years. But with the comeback tie, the Pioneers (21-13-4, 13-11-4 WCHA), get a marquee WCHA opponent for this weekend's first-round, best-of-three series. They will host No. 7-seed Wisconsin, the defending NCAA champion.

"We've had some success against them this year," said DU coach George Gwozdecky, whose team went 3-1 against the Badgers this season, with two of the wins in Madison. "It will be a heck of a battle."

The Tigers (17-15-4, 13-12-3) will host No. 6 Michigan Tech.

"I think we played pretty well until the third period," CC captain Lee Sweatt said. "We started sitting back a bit. They made us pay for it."

Sophomore Chad Rau scored two of CC's power-play goals, and Mike Testwuide, Jack Hillen and Lee Sweatt produced the others. The Tigers scored three of them within the first 11:46 of the game to go ahead 3-0.

DU got within two goals three times, getting tallies from Butler, Tyler Ruegsegger and Brock Trotter to trim CC's leads to 3-1 after the first period, 4-2 early in the second and 5-3 heading into the third.

"We get off to a big lead, scoring five power-play goals, and you think you're going to win the game," CC coach Scott Owens said. "That's disappointing. Obviously you want to finish off your opponent."