Three second period goals helped the No. 11 Denver Pioneers to a 5-0 victory over the No. 5 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Friday evening in Duluth, Minn.

The loss moves the Bulldogs to 10-6-1 overall on the season and 3-3-1 in NCHC play. On the night, junior goaltender Ryan Fanti got the start in net and made 21 saves on 26 Pioneer shots. Junior forward Quinn Olson posted a game-high four shots on goal, while sophomore defenseman Darian Gotz tallied a game-high five blocked shots during the loss. 

"We knew they were a good team, we knew that coming in," said Head Coach Scott Sandelin. "We've gotta be a much better hockey team tomorrow night."

The Pioneers brought it to the Bulldogs in the opening 20 minutes of play, outshooting UMD 11-6 through the first period. Eight minutes in, a won faceoff for Denver deep in the Minnesota Duluth zone would result in the opening goal. Off the faceoff, Shai Buium sent a shot from the blueline which would be deflected past Fanti by Cole Guttman to the high slot. The goal came at even strength and gave the Pioneers a 1-0 advantage. Minutes later, Noah Cates picked off a Pioneer pass right in the Denver slot. Cates snapped a quick wrist shot low blocker side but was denied by Magnus Chrona. Just under ten minutes later, Guttman took a feed from Carter Mazur and ripped a wrist shot past Fanti from the left-wing faceoff circle. Guttman's second goal of the evening gave the Pioneers a 2-0 lead with just over two minutes to play in the first period. A tripping penalty to Luke Loheit with 17 seconds left on the clock gave Denver a power play heading into the second period of play. 
 
The Pioneers kept up the pressure in the second. Four minutes in, DU defenseman Mike Benning made a slick move to the net and beat Fanti high glove side to give Denver a 3-0 advantage. Following the goal, the Bulldogs would pressure in the Denver zone for an entire minute. Shots from Owen Gallatin, Wyatt Kaiser, and Kyler Kleven would all be blocked by Massimo Rizzo on the shift and the score remained 3-0 in favor of the Pioneers. Denver added two more goals during the second period. After two frames in Duluth, DU held a 5-0 lead and a 19-16 shot advantage. 
 
In the third, neither team would find the back of the net. Back-to-back penalties to the Pioneers gave the Bulldogs a chance to crawl back into the game. With the two man-advantage opportunities, Minnesota Duluth tallied two shots on goal but couldn't convert. Both sides would rattle off seven shots apiece during the final frame and Denver would secure a 5-0 victory in game one. 

Up Next
The Bulldogs and Pioneers will battle tomorrow evening in game two of the series from AMSOIL Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:07 PM in Duluth, Minn.