Late lead disappears as Denver stuns Gophers to complete series sweep

The Gophers were less than two minutes away from escaping the Mile-High City with a series-salvaging victory on Saturday.

Instead, a careless "U" penalty led to Denver's Nick Shore netting the tying goal with 1:34 remaining in regulation. Shore wasn't done as he and the Pioneers stunned the Gophers with another goal seconds into overtime for a 4-3 win, sending the WCHA's top-ranked team stumbling back to the Twin Cities after being swept for the first time this season.

Denver erased a two-goal deficit in the second period only to fall behind again in the third when "U" forward Nico Sacchetti scored what appeared would hold up as the game-winner.

But the Gophers suffered several brief, but fatal, mental lapses in the final minutes that resulted in the stinging loss.

Goaltender Kyle Patterson -- nearly yanked the night before after surrendering five goals in his team's 5-3 defeat -- buoyed the Gophers on the back-end by turning away 37 of the Pioneers' 41 shots. However, defensive breakdowns in front of him created crucial chances that Denver capitalized on, including two power play goals.

The skinny

The absence of freshman winger Kyle Rau, who sat out as a result of a one-game suspension for his hit on Denver's Jason Zucker on Friday, forced Gophers coach Don Lucia to significantly shuffle his starting lines.

The changes paid off early on.

Denver had no time to settle in before the Gophers went on the attack. A defensive lapse left "U" forward Erik Haula, playing on the top line for the first time this season, in prime position to knock the puck past unsuspecting goalie Sam Brittain 38 seconds into the game.

The Gophers had the Pioneers reeling, but languished to strike again in the period, giving Denver the chance to recover. It wasn't until five minutes from the second intermission that the "U" stretched its lead to 2-0 off Zach Budish's power play goal.

Denver squashed the momentum surge just two minutes later. Chris Knowlton spoiled Patterson's potential shutout with a needed goal that put the Gophers on alert -- up only 2-1 at the break. The Pioneers' comeback carried on as they levied the tying blow on the power play at the start of the third period.

Worries the Gophers may have had of seeing the game slip away seemed to be set to the wayside after Sacchetti's goal -- his second of the year -- put the team in position to turn its focus primarily to the defensive end.

But their prior concerns came flooding back when defenseman Justin Holl was sent to the penalty box on a high-sticking call with 3:09 left in the game. The Pioneers seized the opening. Shore worked to get free of a defender to the left of Patterson, cradling the pass from his brother Drew Shore and banking the puck into the goal.

The baffled Gophers had no response. After Denver won the overtime face-off, Shore found his way back in front of Patterson to slip in the winning shot, initiating a torrid on-ice celebration in front of the severely deflated "U" players.

Turning point

Shore's initial goal created a devastating role reversal for the Gophers. It put a crushing damper on an otherwise strong third period. The "U's" confidence and focus disappeared, which added up to Denver putting an abrupt end to the game in overtime.

Numbers game

10-1: The Gophers' record in Saturday games during WCHA play this season.

26: Assists on the year for Nate Schmidt -- good for the team lead and fourth-most in the conference.

4: Points tallied by freshman Sam Warning in the last 20 games, though he soften his slump with the key assist on Sacchetti's third period goal.

Scoring summary

First period

• Gophers -- Erik Haula (12), unassisted, 0:38. Gophers 1, Denver 0

Second period

• Gophers -- Zach Budish (8) on the power play, assisted by Nate Schmidt (26) and Jake Parenteau (3), 15:17. Gophers 2, Denver 0

• Denver -- Chris Knowlton (10), assisted by Shawn Ostrow (9) and Paul Phillips (7), 17:37. Gophers 2, Denver 1

Third period

• Denver -- Luke Salazar (7) on the power play, assisted by Nick Shore (18) and Joey LaLeggia (22), 2:33. Gophers 2, Denver 2

• Gophers -- Nico Sacchetti (2), assisted by Sam Warning (6) and Mark Alt (14), 10:07. Gophers 3, Denver 2

• Denver -- Nick Shore (8), assisted by Drew Shore (24) and Scott Mayfield (6), 18:34. Gophers 3, Denver 3

Overtime

• Denver -- Nick Shore (9), assisted by Joey LaLeggia (23), 0:17. Denver 4, Gophers 3

Coming up

Three series removed from the end of the regular season, the Gophers (19-11-1) are still in position to secure their 13th WCHA title, but the gap in the standings has drastically narrowed. Second place Minnesota-Duluth's series-splitting victory over North Dakota on Saturday cuts the Gophers' lead to one point.

Next weekend's home match-up against the surging Bemidji St. Beavers (15-12-3) -- winners of three straight -- presents an opportunity for the Gophers to recover from their setback in Denver. They have lost once to the Beavers in 10 meetings all-time (8-1-1).

Nate Sandell is a contributor to 1500ESPN.com.
Email Nate | @nsandell