The Denver Pioneers had their four-game winning streak snapped with a 10-9 loss on Sunday afternoon. But it wasn't an ordinary loss, as it took nearly three full overtime periods for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to secure the victory.
Notre Dame's defense stifled the Pioneer early on with its top-ranked unit, entering halftime with a 7-4 lead. Sophomore goaltender Jamie Faus allowed five of the seven goals in the second period, including three in the first four minutes of play. But Mark Matthews and Alex Demopoulos were able to net three goals to keep the game within striking distance.
And strike back the Pioneers did with five goals and a stout defense that allowed just two. Cameron Flint, Jeremy Noble (twice), freshman Wes Berg and Matthews powered the offense, scoring four straight goals at one point. However, neither team was able to do much in overtime. Faus made an amazing save in the final seconds of the second overtime period, sending it to a third session.
With 2:35 left in third session, Sean Rogers scored his second goal of the game to win the game. Troy Orzech was in net for the loss.
Mark Matthews led the Pioneers with two goals and five points while Alex Demopoulos and Jeremy Noble finished the game with three points each. Jamie Faus made 11 saves and allowed nine goals.
Denver is on the road for one more game, but they will play the Cornell Big Red at a neutral location, Hofstra University, on Tuesday.
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