Carter Savoie scored twice and added an assist to lead third-ranked Denver past Colorado College, 5-2, in the 2021-22 regular-season finale Saturday night at Magness Arena.
 
Brett Stapley chipped in with a goal and an assist for Denver, which clinched a tie for the Penrose Cup and secured the No. 1 seed for next week's NCHC first-round playoff series.
 
Marc Pasemko scored his first career goal for the Tigers, who finished seventh in the NCHC and will travel to Grand Forks to face No. 2-seed North Dakota in the best two-of-three series, beginning on Friday, March 11.
 
For the second consecutive night, Denver held a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Savoie put the Pioneers on the board during a power play with a rocket from the high slot, then Stapley put a wrist shot past CC goalie Dominic Basse at the 12:25 mark.
 
Less than one minute after Stapley's goal, CC's Stanley Cooley was hooked during a clean breakaway. However, Matt Davis saved Cooley's penalty shot to keep the Pioneers on top by two.
 
"I thought our first six minutes were good, then they made a push and we couldn't keep them off the board," head coach Kris Mayotte said. "We were working hard, just not very smart."
 
Denver (25-8-1, 18-6-0 NCHC) put two more goals on the board in the second period, including Savoie's second of the game with less than two minutes remaining in the frame.
 
The Tigers (9-22-3, 6-17-1 NCHC) got on the board for the first time this season against Denver when Pasemko scored his first career goal 1:28 into the third period. Pasemko corralled a loose puck at the top of the right circle and beat Davis (24 saves) over his left shoulder.
 
Cole Guttman closed out the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 5:05 of the final period.
 
The Tigers had a five-minute power play midway through the third period after a spearing major and game misconduct to DU's McKade Webster, but it was cut short due to a hooking call to Hunter McKown with 58 seconds remaining in the major.
 
The Pioneers outshot CC, 35-26, for the game, but the Tigers held an 18-6 advantage in the third period. Each team converted one of five power plays.
 
"I never thought we were on our heels, but we just decided enough was enough and we got in their faces in the third," Mayotte said. "We had a good push in the third period and we can build on it. We outscored and outshot them and got to a spot that we can use this third period to our advantage."   
 
Basse finished with 30 saves and Nicklas Andrews, who assisted on Cooley's goal, posted a career-high five shots for the Tigers.