HOUGHTON, Mich. -- Geoff Kinrade (Nelson, B.C.) and Tyler Skworchinski (Marathon, Ont.) each registered a goal and an assist and Michael-Lee Teslak (Fernie, B.C.) turned away 23-of-24 shots to help the Michigan Tech hockey team gain a 2-1 victory in the first game of the annual Winter Carnival series Friday night at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.

Tech lit the lamp first at 11:01 of the opening period when Kinrade secured his second-play marker and fourth overall goal of the season. After Skworchinski chipped the puck ahead to Ryan Bunger (Sammamish, Wash.) near the left corner boards, Bunger found an open passing line in front of the DU net. Kinrade received Bunger's pass in the slot and moved the puck to his right, and then back to his left before unleashing a pin-point wrist shot up high over DU goaltender Peter Mannino's right shoulder. Bunger notched his fourth assist of the year, while
Skworchinski added his sixth helper as a senior.

The Pioneers knotted the scoreboard at 1-1 just over two minutes later as Patrick Mullen netted his fifth goal of the campaign with an unassisted tally. Mullen took advantage of an MTU turnover in the neutral zone and beat Teslak stick side with a wrister from the top of the left circle.

DU and Tech combined to take six shots in the first frame, three each.

Skworchinski provided the go-ahead goal for the Huskies at the 2:46 mark
of the middle session off assists from Lars Helminen (Brighton, Mich.) and Kinrade. Helminen took a pass across the neutral zone from Kinrade and the co-captain then sent a tape-to-tape pass towards the DU zone that Skworchinski gained possession of just inside the blue line. Skworchinski finished off his eighth goal of the season by wristing a shot from the high slot past Mannino on the stick side. The assist was Helminen's 13th of the year and 12th of the campaign for Kinrade.

MTU held a 13-12 shot advantage after two periods of action.

Neither team scored in the final stanza, but the visitors out-shot the home team by a 12-3 count. Both squads called timeouts in the final 1:45. DU pulled Mannino with 1:07 remaining in regulation. Pioneer defenseman Chris Butler nearly tied the game up with three ticks left on the clock with a rifling shot from the point that Teslak tossed aside, giving the Huskies a hard-fought triumph.

For the game, Denver compiled 24 shots, compared to the Huskies' 16.

Tech was 1-for-3 on the power play, while DU was held scoreless on six chances with a man advantage.

Mannino made 14 saves in the loss for the Pioneers.

Michigan Tech (13-14-4, 8-11-4 WCHA) and Denver (20-11-2, 12-9-2 WCHA)
meet again Saturday night in the Winter Carnival series finale. The puck will drop at 5:07 p.m.

Notes: Kinrade picked up his third multi-point game of the season ... Skworchinski turned in his second multi-point effort the year and his third game-winning goal of the 2006-07 slate ... The win was Tech's first over Denver since Jan. 7, 2005, at Magness Arena and its first victory against the Pioneers in Houghton since Dec. 13, 1997 ... Tonight's attendance was 3,321.