Box Score Box Score

OMAHA, Neb. – Denver scored midway through overtime to pull out a 3-2 win over the UNO Mavericks on Saturday night at the CenturyLink.  The loss denied the Mavericks a chance at home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

The Mavericks finish the regular season with a record of 14-16-6 and 11-12-5 in the WCHA.  UNO finishes with 27 points and the seventh seed.  The Mavs will travel to St. Cloud State which tied Minnesota Duluth 3-3 on Saturday to leap past the Mavericks into sixth place, the final spot for home ice advantage.  The best of three playoff series will be Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10.  If a third game is needed, it will be played on Sunday, March 11.

With the game tied at one in the third, the Mavericks got their first lead of the weekend when Andrej Sustr walked down the right wing and wristed the puck past goalie Sam Brittain for his fourth goal of the year.

But with 1:57 remaining in regulation, Andrew Schmit was given a hooking penalty, putting DU on its sixth power play of the game.  With Brittain pulled for the extra attacker and a six-on-four advantage, Luke Salazar got alone in front of John Faulkner and beat him with a high wrist shot to tie the game.

In overtime, Jason Zucker fed Daniel Doremus who fired a wrist shot past Faulkner to end it.

The game was scoreless after the first period thanks to the play of both goaltenders.  The best save of the stanza came on a UNO penalty kill when Faulkner went to a split to deny Drew Shore's backhander.

The Pioneers broke on top early in the second period when Salazar stole the puck along the end wall and fed Drew Shore who tapped in his team-leading 21st goal of the year.

The Mavericks tied the game while shorthanded.  Matt White poked the puck away as Denver entered the UNO zone.  He fed it up ice to Jayson Megna who roared in on a breakaway and beat Brittain with a backhander.  It was UNO's WCHA-leading 10th shorthanded goal, tying a school record.

Faulkner was outstanding on Senior Night, making 26 saves.  Brittain got the win with 38 stops.