Box Score DENVER, Colo. – No. 7 Denver scored the tie-breaking goal with 1:34 remaining in the third period to beat the No. 15 Omaha hockey team, 2-1, on Saturday at Magness Arena.

Denver swept the weekend series and won all four games against the Mavericks during the regular season.  The Mavericks are now 18-15-1 overall and finish the regular season in sixth place in the NCHC with a record of 8-15-1-0/0.  They have lost six straight.  

The Pioneers won their ninth in a row to improve to 21-8-5 overall.  They finished third in the NCHC with a mark of 17-5-2-0/0 and will host the Mavericks in a best-of-three quarterfinal series beginning Friday, March 11.

On the winning play, Trevor Moore slid the puck across the slot to Dylan Gambrell who had shaken free.  He slammed the puck into the net before Kirk Thompson could slide across.

Thompson was the first star of the game and was outstanding in his first start since Jan. 23.  He made a career high 44 saves as the Pioneers outshot the Mavericks, 46-27.

The Mavericks seized the first lead of the game just beyond the midpoint of the game.  Lukas Buchta fired a shot from the right point that was tipped on goal by Austin Ortega.  Fredrik Olofsson pounced on the rebound and threw it by DU goalie Evan Cowley at 11:53.

The Pioneers evened the game just as they had finished killing a penalty.  The puck skipped past Luc Snuggerud at the blue line, sending Quentin Shore on a breakaway.  He beat Thompson with a wrist shot at 14:23.

The impending playoff meeting will be the second between the two schools. Denver outlasted the Mavericks 2-1 in a best-of-three NCHC quarterfinal series in Omaha in March of 2014.