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Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Page address: https://web.mnsu.edu/sports/bluelineclub/news/html/Mavericks_Battle.html

Mavericks battle Denver to tie

By Shane Frederick
The Free Press
MANKATO -- The draw came clean to David Backes and he fired a heavy, low shot through traffic and on target.

“With most goaltenders, that’s in the net,” Denver coach George Gwozdecky said.

Not so with Glenn Fisher Friday.

Fisher stopped the Backes’ blast with 10 seconds left in regulation, and Minnesota State freshman goalie Dan Tormey stopped three shots in overtime in a 3-3 Western Collegiate Hockey Association tie before 3,468 at Midwest Wireless Civic Center.

Earlier in the game, Backes shot a bullet into Fisher’s facemask.

“I thought I’d buzz him low,” Backes said about his final chance. “But he was up to the task. He’s a good goalie.”

Backes beat Fisher once, and Rob Rankin and Christian Toll each scored a goal for the Mavericks.

Fisher, a junior, finished with 30 saves. Tormey had 33 in his third-consecutive start and kept MSU (1-6-2, 1-4-2 in WCHA) unbeaten in its last three games.

“I thought we had a great effort,” Mavericks coach Troy Jutting said. “That’s a very good hockey team down there, and I thought we played with some heart.”

But the difference between beating and tying the seventh-ranked Pioneers was the power play.

Minnesota State was 0 for 8 on the power play, including a prime 5-on-3 chance early in the third period. Meanwhile, Denver scored all three of its goals with a Maverick in the box, including Ryan Dingle’s game-tying goal with 1:53 remaining in the third.

All-Americans Gabe Gautier and Matt Carle scored the other Denver goals.

“I thought our penalty kill was playing well,” Jutting said. “But they have great players, and if you make one mistake, they’re going to take advantage.”

Those great players kept Denver bouncing back.

Toll gave the Mavericks a 1-0 lead at 10:52 of the first period when his shot from the blue line slipped between Fisher’s pads. Gautier tied it with 1:43 left in the period.

Backes put MSU up again at 8:22 of the second, slamming home a Brock Becker pass during a 2-on-2. Just more than two minutes later, Carle, a defenseman, fired a rocket from the point over Tormey’s stick-side shoulder.

A delay of game penalty by Tormey led to Carle’s goal.

Tormey covered a loose puck in front of his crease, and referee Marco Hunt told him to move the puck. Surrounded by red sweaters, Tormey stayed on it and was whistled for the penalty. Freezing the puck in a non-save situation is a point of emphasis in college hockey this season.

“I guess that’s what they called,” Jutting said.

The Mavericks went ahead.

3-2 at 2:59 of the third period when Rankin took a nice feed from Ryan McKelvie and shot the puck in through traffic.

The goal was just reward for Rankin, who, along with Toll and McKelvie, had the task of defending Gauthier’s line all night.

“They’re the reason it was even close tonight,” Backes said. “Their job is to play that line even when it’s 5 on 5. To be plus-2, that’s more than you can ask.”

But the Mavericks had to kill two penalties in the final five minutes of regulation, and Dingle tied the game during a scramble in front of Tormey on the second one.

“It was one of those games where we were always behind and trying to catch up,” Gwozdecky said.

“I thought Mankato played well, and we did a great job of battling back.”

The Mavericks and the Pioneers will play again at 7:07 p.m. today.

Denver 1-1-1-0-3

Minnesota State 1-1-1-0-3

First Period

Scoring

1. MSU-Toll 1 (Rankin 4, Wagner 2) 10:52
2. DU-Gauthier 4 (Stastny 12, Veideman 5) ppg 18:17

Penalties

  • Rankin, MSU (interference) 5:52
  • Carle, DU (cross-checking) 11:58
  • Berge, MSU (obstruction-tripping) 16:59
  • Paukovich, DU (holding) 19:52

Second Period

Scoring

3. MSU-Backes 4 (Becker 3, Dubel 2) 8:22
4. MSU-Carle 4 (Veideman 6, Stastny 13) ppg 10:40

Penalties

  • MSU (too many on ice) 2:25
  • Butler, DU (interference) 4:33
  • DU (too many on ice) 7:21
  • Wagner, MSU (cross-checking) 7:57
  • Tormey, MSU (delay of game) 9:40
  • Rankin, MSU (elbowing) 12:55

Third Period

Scoring

5. MSU-Rankin 2 (McKelvie 4) 2:59
6. DU-Dingle (unassisted) ppg 18:07

Penalties

  • Paukovich, DU (obstruction-holding) 3:38
  • Testwuide, DU (cross-checking) 4:57
  • Kilburg, MSU (holding) 8:07
  • McKelvie, MSU (hooking) 14:42
  • Wagner, MSU (interference) 17:14

Overtime

Scoring

  • None

Penalties

  • Stastny, DU (checking from behind) 1:48
  • Peto, MSU (interference) 2:40

Summaries

Shots on goal

  • DU 7-10-16-3-36
  • MSU 13-7-13-0-33

Penalties

  • DU 7 for 14 minutes
  • MSU 10 for 20 minutes

Power-play opportunities

  • DU 3 for 10
  • MSU 0 for 8

Goalie saves

  • DU-Fisher 12-6-12-0-30
  • MSU-Tormey 6-9-15-3-33

Timeouts

  • Denver called its timeout at 14:42 of the third period

Attendance

  • 3,468

Referee

  • Marco Hunt

Assistant referees

  • Tony Lancette
  • Jon Morris

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