University of Minnesota Athletics
PIONEERS SALVAGE SPLIT WITH 4-3 WIN OVER MINNESOTA
12/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
For the sixth time in eight road games, the Golden Gophers fell behind by two goals. Denver got on the board first as Max Bull scored on the rebound at 6:55 of the first period. Minnesota would respond less than two minutes later as Matt Koalska took the puck into the zone on a 2 on 1 and beat Pioneer goaltender Adam Berkhoel top shelf. Denver closed out the scoring in the period when Kevin Doell tipped in Jesse Cook's shot from the right board.
Denver increased the lead in the second period with a power-play goal from Aaron MacKenzie. The Golden Gophers moved to within one as Koalska's centering pass was slapped home by Grant Potulny.
In the third period, Denver regained the momentum briefly as Adam Hauser stopped a shot to his left, but the puck skipped over his shoulder and Chris Paradise slapped the puck home to give the Pioneers a 4-2 lead.
After a penalty on Jeff Taffe, Troy Riddle ended a nine-game streak without a goal as he scored shorthanded from John Pohl and Jordan Leopold. Down just one, the Golden Gophers couldn't solve Berkhoel. The sophomore stopped 28 shots to earn the win.
One bright spot on the night was Pohl. The senior from Red Wing, Minn., became the 25th player in Golden Gopher history to reach the 150-point career plateau.
Minnesota is off until it hosts the Mariucci Classic on Dec. 28-29, 2001.
