GRANVILLE, Ohio — The No. 19 Denison mounted a furious late rally and briefly tied the game in the fourth quarter, but Elmhurst slipped away late for an 11–10 decision Saturday at Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium.
Denison (0–2) trailed by three entering the fourth quarter before unleashing its most explosive stretch of the day, scoring four goals in just over five minutes to even the score at 9–9.
The Big Red struck first when Liam Gillard finished a feed from Jonah Frank midway through the opening quarter, but Elmhurst responded with three straight goals to build early momentum. Denison answered in the second, tying the game at 3–3 behind back-to-back scores from Frank and Gillard, yet the Bluejays countered again and carried a 6–4 lead into halftime.
After trading goals in the third, Elmhurst pushed its advantage to 8–5 early in the fourth before Denison's comeback began. Jack Erdmann sparked the run with an unassisted finish, and a pair of extra-man goals from Macky Peck and Luca Sanders, plus another man-up strike from Zach Warren, capped a four-goal burst that tied the contest with 7:12 remaining.
Elmhurst regained control late with two unassisted tallies, providing just enough cushion to withstand a last-second goal from Owen Holder at the horn.
Gillard and Peck paced Denison with two goals apiece, while Warren added a goal and three assists. Eight different Big Red players found the back of the net, highlighting a balanced offensive effort.
Despite the narrow margin, Denison matched Elmhurst shot-for-shot, finishing with a 39–40 edge in attempts and a 33–19 advantage in ground balls. The Big Red also controlled the faceoff battle (13–11) and capitalized on extra-man chances, converting four goals on two man-up opportunities. Denison goalkeeper play totaled 13 saves, while the offense generated 15 fourth-quarter shots during the late push, but Elmhurst's 24 shots on goal and 11 saves proved just enough to hold off the comeback.
