Scoring first has often been a harbinger of victory for the University of Minnesota Duluth this season, but Friday night at Magness Arena, the University of Denver withstood the Bulldogs' early one-two punch and rallied for a 3-2 National Collegiate Hockey Conference win.
 

Sophomore right-winger Danton Heinen paced the Pioneers' comeback, knotting the score at 2-2 late in the first period and giving No. 15 Denver its first lead at 13:04 of the second on what proved to be the game-winning goal. The Heinen highlights helped nullify a sizzling start for No. 19 UMD, which scored twice in the game's opening 6:13. Sophomore right-winger Karson Kuhlman struck first for the Bulldogs, posting up Denver's Blake Hillman in the slot, then spinning to his left and whacking a rebound past Denver's Tanner Jaillet. Senior center Tony Cameranesi was the next to victimize Jaillet, firing a wrist shot from above the left circle that handcuffed the sophomore netminder and bounced to Austin Farley, who rapped it into an open corner of the net to give UMD a 2-0 lead.
 

Denver then swapped Jaillet for junior goaltender Evan Cowley, who blanked the Bulldogs in relief. The Colorado native turned aside eight shots in the remaining minutes of the first period, helping Denver gain its equilibrium, and eventually, a healthy dose of momentum. The Pioneers finally broke through with a goal from Matt Marcinew at 16:01 of the first period and Heinen sustained the surge with his first of two at 18:48. After Heinen's second tally, Cowley did the rest for Denver (11-7-5 overall; 7-4-2-0 NCHC), stopping 39 shots in total to secure the triumph and extend the Pioneers' unbeaten streak to seven games. "I thought we played a good hockey game," said UMD head coach Scott Sandelin. "Denver made a push late in the first, but we knew they weren't going to quit. That's a good hockey team, too. In the second period, we played good, but we lost the period. Then we made a good push in the third. We've just got to come back and follow it up with an effort that's equal or better tomorrow."
 

UMD (8-9-5 overall; 5-7-3-1 NCHC) will now look to regroup in the series finale, slated for 8:06 p.m. (CT) on Saturday at Magness Arena.
 

NOTES: UMD outshot Denver 46-29, but went 0-for-2 on the power play ... the Bulldogs, who had their four-game road unbeaten streak snapped by the Pioneers,  remained in fourth place on the NCHC ledger thanks to Nebraska-Omaha's 3-1 loss to Miami ... the UMD coaching staff is hopeful that junior defenseman Carson Soucy, who missed Friday's game with an illness, will be able to return to action Saturday night. He'll be re-evaluated Saturday morning.