Denver scores in the final 20 seconds to defeat UMaine men's hockey

ORONO, Maine Sophomore defenseman Cale Ashcroft's goal with just 20 seconds left gave the defending champion Denver Pioneers a 2-1 victory over the University of Maine in a sold-out Alfond Arena on Friday night.

The Pioneers won a faceoff in the UMaine zone and a Pioneer shot was blocked and bounced back to Ashcroft at the point.

Ashcroft turned the puck toward the net and the ball bounced in off a UMaine shin guard.

It was Ashcroft's third goal of the season.

We tried to play a different game with our forwards and the puck ended up going to my defensive partner Eric Pohlkamp, ​​Ashcroft said. He shot, the ball was blocked and the puck ended up on my stick and I was just trying to get it into the net. That was pretty much our goal all night: get pucks to the net, and that required a lucky bounce, off the post and in.

UMaine drew goalie Albin Boija and generated a wild flurry in front of the net in the waning seconds, but Denver goalie Matt Davis ultimately covered the puck among a crowd of people.

Senior center Carter King's power-play goal in the second period gave Denver a 1-0 lead, but UMaine sophomore defenseman Frank Djurasevic's power-play goal tied the score late in the middle period.

Sixth-ranked Denver improved to 15-4, while seventh-ranked UMaine fell to 12-4-2.

UMaine saw its 12-game unbeaten streak snapped at Alfond Arena (11-0-1).

The teams will play again on Saturday at 6:30 PM

Davis finished with 29 saves while Boija made 22 stops.

King gave the Pioneers a 1-0 lead on a five-on-three power play at 2:53 of the second period.

Pohlkamp advanced the puck to Aidan Thompson, whose one-timer from the right circle missed the short side.

But the puck ricocheted off the boards behind the net and came out the other end, where King fired it into the short side corner for his 12th goal of the season.

Djurasevic scored his fifth goal by firing in a Nolan Renwick rebound from the left faceoff circle with 1:23 left in the period.

Both goalkeepers were sharp in the first period and the main reason it was goalless.

UMaine had a 10-8 advantage in shots on goal, but the Pioneers had the better chances.

Davis made a good short side stop on a Ross Mitton one-timer from the left circle that was set up by a Harrison Scott pass from behind the net.

Denver's Rieger Lorenz had a classy opportunity when he intercepted an errant pass from UMaines Luke Antonacci, but Boija gloved his quick wrist shot from the right circle.

Later in the period, Boija held the short side to deny a Kieran Cebrian backhander from the bottom of the right circle and stopped a Thompson breakaway late in the period.

Everything matters when you play a team like that and it will continue to be that way for us, UMaine coach Ben Barr said. Our margin of error is very, very small. That one confrontation is important. It's disappointing.

There are some good things to take away, but if you don't get the result you want, then it's definitely painful, said UMaine senior defenseman and co-captain David Breazeale, who was one of the UMaine players in the path of the shot and maybe got it off him.

That belongs to all of us. We all need to participate and help in that draw. We made one block and the puck bounced around. There's no excuse for it, Breazeale said.

Ashcroft said the match had the intensity of a playoff game and they were motivated by their shootout loss to club team the University of Nevada Las Vegas last weekend.

“That put a fire in our stomachs and we knew it was going to be a tough game coming in here,” Ashcroft said. It was a battle and we were ready for it. We just stuck with what gives us success, which is getting pucks to the net, putting pucks down low and working for it.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Rieger Lorenz scored Denver's game-winning goal. Credit for the goal was changed to Cale Ashcroft after further review.