Everybody inside Magness Arena thought Eric Pohlkamp was going to shoot. Rieger Lorenz certainly did as he stood near the net. But instead of trying to add to his team-leading goal tally, the junior defenseman slid the puck to Lorenz, who tapped in one of the easier goals of his career to give No . 11 Denver (16-11-1, 12-6-0 NCHC) a 1-0 overtime win over No. 7 Minnesota Duluth (17-10-1, 8-9-1) — a victory that clinched the Pioneers’ first weekend sweep of 2026 and sealed an important five points in the NCHC standings. “I thought, myself, that I was gonna shoot the puck,” Pohlkamp said with a laugh. “I saw (Lorenz) kinda get position on that guy and move backwards and he made a heck of a play to tap that in and really happy for him. He’s been all over the puck in this game, I know he had a lot of chances, so it was nice for him to get that, for sure.” After hitting the post once and registering a game-high seven shots on goal, Lorenz was certainly due for what was his ninth goal of the season and it came at a time when DU desperately needed it. Denver freshman forward Kyle Chyzowski (16) controls the puck during a game against Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 at Magness Arena. (Tyler King, The Denver Gazette) There’s been no let up for the Pios since the start of January with four out of five series coming against ranked opponents. But after five straight games without a victory to start the month, David Carle’s team has now won three of its last four, including this pivotal weekend sweep against a Bulldogs team that boasts one of the top scoring lines in the country and the nation’s best power play. But DU limited the explosive Max Plante, Zam Plante and Hunter Anderson line to zero points across two games and handed UMD its fourth shutout loss of the season. “We played well, played disciplined, didn’t give them a ton (of chances),” Carle told The Denver Gazette. “I really liked our first period, second period I thought was a little slow for us, but I really liked our third and, again, we did not give them a ton throughout the night. Only 19 shots. Outside of the power plays we gave up a little bit early, they didn’t have a lot. Did a nice job. We held their top line to zero points on the weekend. I’m not sure that’s been done yet this year.” It hasn’t — and that’s maybe the biggest sign Carle’s young group is heading in the right direction as the final month of the regular season begins next weekend. It was the team’s second straight Saturday shutout, but just the second overall since early December and it came with freshman Johnny Hicks in goal, in place of an injured Quentin Miller, for what were the first two starts of his career this weekend. Hicks himself was questionable heading into the series finale after exiting Friday’s game with an injury, but he was good enough to stop all 19 shots he faced Saturday. Denver freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks (31) watches the puck during a game against Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 at Magness Arena. (Tyler King, The Denver Gazette) “He was (a) game-time (decision) all the way up until warmups, so we tried to give him as much time off during the day that we could and he was obviously wonderful tonight,” Carle said. “Guys believe in him. Guys believe in both goaltenders. We have a competition in goal.” There have been plenty of times this season where the Pios let games slip away late, especially at home with already six regulation losses at Magness Arena (the most since 2013-14), but this felt like a weekend where DU took real pride in defending their home ice. “I think you look at the last two, three years and all the success we’ve had in the tournament has been (because of) our defensive zone play,” Lorenz told The Denver Gazette. “I think we got a little bit loose in the second half here, so it was really nice to tighten that area of our game up and hopefully we can build off that going into the playoffs, going into the tournament here.” Denver sophomore forward Jake Fisher (19) readies for a faceoff during a game against Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 at Magness Arena. (Tyler King, The Denver Gazette) There’s still over a month left until the playoffs begin, but this is the time of year where regular season games start to develop postseason intensity. That’s certainly what this weekend against Duluth felt like and it’s certainly what next weekend’s Gold Pan series against Colorado College will feel like, too. “For us, it’s not getting too high (or) too low, right?” Pohlkamp said. “I think we just need to be really consistent and that starts with practice, Monday through Thursday. Every game is huge. “I think it’s just (about) confidence. It’s so huge for these guys. We were honestly kinda down in the slumps there for a little bit and we’re crawling back out of it. This weekend definitely feels good.” ...read more read less