The Denver Cutthroats took the lead against the Arizona Sundogs in the first period and maintained it until the end of the game to secure a tight 3-1 victory.

A.J. Gale provided Denver with the game-winning tally when he scored 8:21 into the the first period. Troy Schwab provided the assist.

Gale had two goals to lead the Cutthroats to victory.

Denver was led by goalie Kent Patterson, who finished with 30 saves while allowing one goal. The solid play of Patterson will be reflected in his goals against average, which pre-game was 2.92.

The Cutthroats stifled Arizona's power play, and did not give up a single goal while down a man. With 31 shots on target during the contest, Denver exceeded the 24.4 shots it averages per game this year.

Denver also got a goal from Joel Chouinard as well. Other players who recorded assists for Denver were Chris Greene, who had one and Brad Smyth, who had two.

The Sundogs excelled on the penalty kill, not giving up a single goal in four chances. The Cutthroats were unable to stop Arizona from sending pucks towards the net, and the Sundogs eventually piled up 31 shots on goal.

Arizona was led by Chad Nehring, who scored the team's only goal. Nehring scored 17:54 into the third period to make the score 2-1 Denver.

Denver incurred 10 minutes in penalty time with five minors. David Brown made 28 saves for the Sundogs on 30 shots. Arizona incurred 12 minutes in penalty time with six minors.