GameCenter final: UND 3, Denver 1 – Grand Forks Herald

DENVER — T.J. Semptimphelter stopped 34 of 35 shots and UND beat Denver 3-1 to gain a series split in Magness Arena. Ben Strinden scored at even strength, Cameron Berg on the power play and Dylan James shorthanded for the offense.

First star: T.J. Semptimphelter, UND, 34 saves.
Second star: Dylan James, UND, shorthanded goal.
Third star: Cameron Berg, UND, power-play goal, 100th-career point.

UND 1, Denver 0 — Ben Strinden 6 (Mac Swanson, Jayden Jubenvill) 11:57. Strinden gets UND on the board for the first time this weekend. Jubenvill shoots from the point. It gets blocked, but Swanson picks it up in the slot and fires a turnaround shot on net. Denver goalie Freddie Halyk makes the save, but Strinden picks up the rebound on the top of the crease and tucks it in around Halyk’s pad.

UND 1, Denver 1 — Carter King 14 (Zeev Buium, Aidan Thompson) 4:19 (pp). Jayden Jubenvill takes a cross-checking penalty going for a line change on the penalty kill and hands Denver a 5-on-3 for :52. The Pioneers make UND pay. Buium has the puck at the bottom of the right circle and gets it to King on the other side of the crease for a tap in.

UND 2, Denver 1 — Cameron Berg 9 (Jake Livanavage, Owen McLaughlin) 14:21 (pp). Berg’s 100th collegiate point is a pretty one. Livanavage leaves a pass for Berg in the right circle and he hammers it for the go-ahead goal. The power-play goal came on UND’s third chance of the night, the first time it has had more than two power plays in eight games. It’s also the first time UND has gotten a power-play goal from someone other than Jayden Perron since Christmas break.

UND 3, Denver 1 — Dylan James 11 1:00 (sh). James reads a pass in the defensive zone, picks it off and skates it on a 2-on-1 shorthanded. James takes the shot and snipes it for his 11th goal of the season and third shorthanded.

Forwards
22 Owen McLaughlin—14 Cameron Berg—26 Dylan James
19 Cody Croal—8 Jake Schmaltz—27 Louis Jamernik V
7 Mac Swanson—15 Carter Wilkie—21 Ben Strinden
28 Dalton Andrew—20 Cade Littler—10 Tanner Komzak

Defensemen
4 Jake Livanavage—25 Abram Wiebe
13 Caleb MacDonald—6 E.J. Emery
16 Andrew Strathmann—3 Jayden Jubenvill

Goaltenders
35 T.J. Semptimphelter
30 Hobie Hedquist

Not in lineup: F Sacha Boisvert (inj), F Jayden Perron (inj), F Jackson Kunz (ill), F-D Dane Montgomery (inj), D Bennett Zmolek (inj), G Kaleb Johnson (inj)

Forwards
7 Aidan Thompson—15 Carter King—4 Jack Devine
12 Sam Harris—11 Samu Salminen—27 James Reeder
14 Rieger Lorenz—24 Kieran Cebrian—18 Jared Wright
19 Jake Fisher—22 Connor Caponi—13 Hagen Burrows

Defensemen
28 Zeev Buium—21 Kent Anderson
9 Boston Buckberger—23 Eric Pohlkamp
3 Cale Ashcroft—5 Garrett Brown
2 Tory Pitner

Goaltenders
1 Freddie Halyk
35 Matt Davis
33 Alec Whipple

Not in lineup: G Paxton Geisel (inj), F Peter LaJoy

Referees — Nathan Wieler and Stephen Reneau
Linesmen — Lucas Bisbee and Erik Contino
Supervisor — Todd Anderson

UND is without six players who are injured or ill. Sacha Boisvert and Dane Montgomery suffered injuries in the series opener that will keep them out of the series finale. Jackson Kunz is still too under-the-weather to play. Jayden Perron, Bennett Zmolek and Kaleb Johnson did not travel to Denver. . . Because of all the injuries, UND is playing defenseman Tanner Komzak at forward for the first time. . . Denver is starting Freddie Halyk in goal after starter Matt Davis suffered a lower-body injury in the series opener. . . Denver’s third goalie, Paxton Geisel, had surgery in November and is out, so defenseman Alec Whipple is dressing as a backup goalie for Denver. . . UND’s goal drought entering the series finale is 61:23 after not scoring in the series opener. . . After UND took 10 of 12 points from Denver last season, the Pioneers have taken all nine from UND this season.

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.