DENVER, Colo. -- Forward Ryan Duncan (Jr., Calgary, Alberta) scored two goals and added an assist to lead the eighth-ranked UND men's hockey team to a 3-1 win over third-ranked Denver on Saturday.
Sioux goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (Sr., Grand Forks, N.D.) played a strong game for the second consecutive night, stopping 35 shots, several of the spectacular variety. Lamoureux made 24 saves in the third period, with 11 of those coming on Denver power-play shots.
The win gave North Dakota a split of the weekend series with the Pioneers and snapped a two-game losing streak. The Fighting Sioux improved to 7-5-1 overall and 5-5-0 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Denver fell to 10-4-0 overall and 7-3-0 in the WCHA.
The victory also allowed the Sioux to extend their streak of getting at least one win on each of their seven weekends of the season, including all four road trips.
Duncan, the 2007 Hobey Baker Award winner, snapped a personal six-game streak without a goal.
He scored his first goal of the game -- the eventual game winner -- in familiar fashion, beating Denver goalie Peter Mannino with a wrist shot from the right circle into the upper corner at 1:04 of the second period while UND was on the power play. UND forward T.J. Oshie (Jr., Warroad, Minn.) and defenseman Derrick LaPoint (Fr., Eau Claire, Wis.) assisted on the goal.
That goal extended UND's lead to 2-0.
The Sioux opened the scoring exactly four minutes into the game when forward Chris VandeVelde (So., Moorhead, Minn.) tallied on the power play. VandeVelde scored after cruising down the slot and one-timing a low shot past Mannino after a pass from Oshie, who had carried to the end line before feeding VandeVelde. Duncan also assisted on the goal.
The Sioux outshot the Pioneers 6-2 in the first period and spent 4:48 of the period on the power play, as Denver was called for five penalties in the game's opening session. That was a turn of events from Friday, when the Pioneers were whistled for just two minor infractions in the entire game.
Denver cut UND's lead to 2-1 at 10:04 of the second when Tyler Bozak banged home his second goal in as many nights from right in front of the net after taking a pass from Brock Trotter, who was stationed behind the Sioux net.
The Denver goal energized the crowd, and the Pioneers appeared to have the momentum when they went on the power play 26 seconds later.
UND quieted the crowd, however, when Duncan scored shorthanded at 11:14 of the second period on a 2-on-0 after taking a pass from VandeVelde and blistering a shot that Mannino had no chance to stop.
It was UND's first shorthanded goal of the season and the last goal of the game.
North Dakota was called for three penalties in the third period, and Denver put heavy pressure on the Sioux net, but Lamoureux kept all 24 Pioneer shots out. The Pioneers pulled Mannino twice in the game's final two minutes in an attempt to tie the score.
Denver outshot the Sioux 36-25 for the game. UND was 2-of-7 on the power play, while Denver was scoreless in seven power-play attempts.
The Sioux return home next weekend to play host to Minnesota in a two-game series on Friday and Saturday at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
NOTES: Duncan's three points give him a team-leading 14 points (5g, 9a) on the season ... Oshie is second with 13 points (7g, 6a) ... Lamoureux started his 38th consecutive game ... Oshie, forward Andrew Kozek (Jr., Sicamous, British Columbia) and defenseman Zach Jones (Jr., Lisle, Ill.) each played in their 100th career game on Saturday.
