No. 9 Denver 5, Miami 1

After the first period concluded with the score 1-1, Denver scored twice in the second period and twice more in the third to pull away from Miami for a 5-1 win, giving the Pioneers their second win of the season. 

Miami's Chase Pletzke opened the scoring with a goal just 94 seconds into the contest, giving the Redhawks (0-5) a 1-0 lead that would hold until Denver's Carter Savoie evened the game at 1-1. Savoie's goal was his sixth of the young season, and the St. Albert (AB) native ranks among the NCHC's scoring leaders through five games. 

Ryan Barrow and Brett Stapley scored in the second stanza for the Pioneers (2-3), with Mike Benning and McKade Webster cementing the win with goals in the third.

Miami's Ben Kraws turned in another impressive performance in goal, stopping 32 of 35 shots in the loss. Kraws has now faced a total of 118 shots in his three games.

No. 3 Minnesota Duluth 2, No. 1 North Dakota 2 (SO)

In what officially is recorded as a tie, Minnesota Duluth eked out a 3-2 "win" over top-ranked North Dakota to close out Thursday night.

The Bulldogs (5-0) are already comfortable playing from behind, so it didn't rattle Minnesota Duluth when North Dakota took a 2-1 lead with just over seven minutes to play in the third period. 2020 NCAA All-American Cole Koepke tied the game for the Bulldogs with 3:25 remaining in regulation, and the teams were unable to produce a winner through a five-minute overtime period.

Minnesota Duluth's Nick Swaney scored the lone goal of the shootout, while Bulldog netminder Ryan Fanti denied all three shooters he faced.

Fanti, who has stepped up for Minnesota Duluth after the graduation of longtime goaltender Hunter Shepard, stopped 26 of 28 shots for another solid outing. Fanti's North Dakota counterpart, Adam School, finished with 30 saves.  

Jesse Jacques scored the first goal of the game for Minnesota Duluth, with Riese Gaber and Shane Pinto notching the Fighting Hawks' tallies (3-1-1).