BOULDER (02/10/12) – The No.4 University of Colorado took down in-state competitor the No.10 Denver Pioneers 5-3 on Saturday evening, improving the Buffs record on the season to 21-6-0-1.
In Colorado’s last meeting with the Pioneers, the Buffs fell short of a victory. The two teams went head-to-head, as both battled for the winning goal. The Pioneers slid the puck past Colorado’s goaltender in the last few seconds of the contest, beating the Buffs 7-6.
Chase Komatz, Zach Lass, J.P. Park, Bill Haege all scored for the Buffs while Reilly O’Brien, Brennan Stieneker, Jase Richardson, Alex Lencioni, Charlie Coleman and Jordan Lockner all picked up assists.
The Buffs took the lead, with Komatz scoring 3:32 into the first period. Momentum built on the ice, as both teams fought for the next goal. With 7:41 left in the stanza, the Pioneers were able to put the puck past Colorado’s defense and into the back of the cage, tying the game 1-1.
Colorado started off the second period with a goal by Lass from the slot 3:31 into the stanza. Minutes later, Park took a shot from the red line and put the puck past the Pioneers goalie, advancing Colorado’s lead to 3-1. Denver’s defense was able to hold off CU for the rest of the period, until Haege broke past the Pioneers on a breakaway play from the top left corner of the ice.
The third period was a fight to the finish. Both teams held up a strong defense, until the midway of the period when Komatz picked up his second goal of the evening. The Pioneers continued to push forward and minutes later picked up an additional goal. When the contest looked to be over, Denver took advantage of a power play opportunity and scored in the last nine seconds of the game, ending the night 5-3 Colorado. This loss decreased Denver’s record on the season to 9-9.
Colorado goalie Alex Pomerleau picked up 39 saves on 42 shots.
Next, the Buffs will take on the University of Arizona’s Division 1 team on Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. They will then go on to play Denver University, on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be held at the CU Ice Arena.
Watch the archived video broadcast of the Colorado-Denver game on the CU Buffs Hockey network at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cubuffshockey
Scoring Summary
First Period
15:38 CU - Chase Komatz, assisted by Reilly O’Brien
7:41 DU - Cesar Soto, assisted by Tate Kendell and Kevin Brooks
Second Period
15:37 CU - Zach Lass, assisted by Brennan Stieneker and Chase Komatz
13:03 CU - J.P. Park, assisted by Jase Richardson and Alex Lencioni
1:55 CU - Bill Haege, assisted by Charlie Coleman and Jordan Lockner
Third Period
13:09 CU – Chase Komatz, assisted by Zach Lass and Brennan Stieneker
8:15 DU – Jordan Pritchett, assisted Sean Toriami and Brent Mueller
0:09 DU – Cesar Soto, assisted by Kevin Brooks and Jay Gervins - PP
Shots on Goal
CU – 52
DU – 42
Power Plays
CU: 0-of-7
DU: 1-of-8
