Box Score DENVER, Colo. – No. 3 Denver scored five straight goals, wiping out an early deficit and beating the No. 18 Omaha hockey team, 5-3, on Friday night at Magness Arena.

The loss dropped the Mavericks to 14-9-4 overall and 7-7-1-0/0 in the NCHC, putting them in fifth place.  The Pioneers won their seventh straight against the Mavericks dating back to last season to improve to 17-6-4 overall and 9-3-3-0/2, good for second place.

The Mavericks hit pay dirt on their first power play of the game.  Austin Ortega sent a rink-wide pass to Justin Parizek who hammered a slap shot past goaltender Tanner Jaillet at 3:36 of the first period.

Ortega stretched the lead later in the stanza.  Mason Morelli forced a turnover at center ice and carried the puck down the left wing into Denver's zone.  He spotted Ortega crashing the net and slid a pass across the crease that Ortega banged in at 7:44.

Denver roared back in the second period to take the lead.  Tyson McLellan scored at 3:53, opening a scoring blitz for the Pioneers who later got goals from Henrik Borgstrom, Dylan Gambrell and Liam Finlay in a span of 2:21 to lead 4-2 after two.

DU's Will Butcher added a power play goal in the third before Morelli tipped home a shot by Ian Brady for his sixth of the year to conclude the scoring at 15:10.

Kris Oldham made 38 saves in the loss while Jaillet stopped 26 as the Pioneers outshot the Mavericks, 43-29.

The series concludes on Saturday at 8:05 p.m. CT.