HOUGHTON, Mich. -- Michigan Tech received goals from four different players and Lars Helminen (Brighton, Mich.)contributed three assists in helping the Huskies earn a 4-4 overtime tie and three point weekend against fifth-ranked Denver in the final game of Winter Carnival Saturday night at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The tie gave Tech 21 points in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings before its upcoming bye week.

Each lit up the scoreboard twice in the first period, with Denver scoring the game's first two goals. Ryan Helgason tallied his third goal of the year at the 4:31 mark off assists from Geoff Paukovich and Tom May. Paukovich took a shot from a shallow angle at the left corner boards and Helgason stuffed the puck past Tech goalie Rob Nolan (Sherwood Park, Alta.) in the five hole.

Rhett Rakhshani registered his ninth marker of the season on the power play just 1:04 later to spot the visitors a 2-0 lead. Ryan Dingle won the faceoff for the Pioneers and quickly sent a pass over to Chris Butler at the point. Butler found Rakhshani at the left circle, where the winger released a wrist shot through traffic that found the back of the net.

The game shifted in Tech's favor during the second half of the opening stanza, as the Huskies tallied at 7:55 and 16:16 to tie score at 2-2.

Jimmy Kerr (Leduc, Alta.) got the Huskies on the board with his eighth goal of the year off a rebound on the power play. The scoring sequence began when Peter Rouleau (Hancock, Mich.) sent a pass from the left of the net towards Lars Helminen at the point. Helminen took the shot and the puck squirted over to Kerr, who buried the rebound.

Geoff Kinrade (Nelson, B.C.) netted his second goal of the weekend and fifth of his sophomore campaign by beating DU goalie Peter Mannino on the glove side with a wrist shot from the left point. Helminen picked up his second helper of the night after his shot from the point was blocked and eventually went on to Kinrade's stick. Phil Axtell (New Windsor, Md.) grabbed the second assist on the play, which was his sixth of the year. The helper was Rouleau's team-best 19th of the season.

The Pioneers regained the lead 8:28 into the second frame with their second power-play tally of the night. Brock Trotter scored his 15th of the campaign after he put a wrist shot from the left circle past Nolan low on the stick side. Rakhshani and Butler
recorded the assists on the goal, giving each player two points on the night.

Tech answered the call again just 20 seconds later as Tyler Shelast (Kelowna, B.C.) provided his team-leading 13th goal of
the 2006-07 slate with help from Helminen and Malcolm Gwilliam (Kamloops, B.C.). Gwilliam reversed the puck from the left corner boards to Helminen at the point, and from there the blueliner rifled a shot that Shelast directed through the legs of Mannio. The assist was Helminen's third of the evening and
fourth of the series. Gwilliam extended his season assist total to six.

Denver substituted Glenn Fisher for Peter Mannino between the pipes after the Huskies' third goal. Mannino finished with 20 saves in 28:48 of action.

Gwilliam put the home team back in front at the 10:43 mark of the final stanza with his eighth lamplighter of the season. With the puck bouncing high off the boards from a clearing attempt from Fisher, Shelast corralled the puck and threw it towards the net. Gwiliam was able to get his stick on the puck and the winger slipped the puck through Fisher's legs. The assist was Shelast's eight of the year and second point of the night.

The Pioneers wouldn't go away, however, as Butler completed a
three-point game by unleashing a blast near the blue line that beat Nolan to make the score 4-4.

DU had several point blank chances in the waning seconds and missed an open net, but Nolan stood strong and preserved the tie through the end of regulation.

Shots were 3-2 in favor of Denver in the overtime period, but neither team would score again in front of the crowd of 3,597.

Michigan Tech (13-14-5, 8-11-5 WCHA) filed a 38-30 final shot advantage over the Pioneers.

DU (20-11-3, 12-9-3 WCHA) posted a 2-for-5 mark on the power play, compared to a 1-for-4 clip by the Huskies.

Fisher turned aside 14 shots in 36:12 of playing time, while Nolan made 26 saves and saw his record move to 7-9-2.

Tech will be back in WCHA action in its final regular-season home series against Wisconsin February 23-24.

Photo: Winter Carnival MVP Lars Helminen notched four assists in the Huskies three point weekend against #5 Denver.

Courtesy: MTU Photo Services