Saint Paul, MN – The Denver Pioneers are officially the best program in men’s college hockey history. With a 2-0 victory over Boston College, the Pios became the first school to win 10 national championships and they did so in impressive fashion. The high-flying Eagles had not been shut out all season, but a stifling and structured Denver squad changed all that in the most important game of the season.
Of course, it helped that the Pioneers got an incredible performance from goaltender Matt Davis, who was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Frozen Four by the media (he got my vote) while cementing himself in hockey viral history with his sprawling save on Washington Capitals prospect Ryan Leonard. And what did he think of his soon-to-be-famous stop?
“I just saw the puck go back door,” Davis said. “I was like, ‘uh-oh’ and I dove over and made the save.”
While the Pioneers did a great job in front of Davis, he still faced 23 shots in the third period and stopped each one. Those 23 saves in a period tied another Denver goalie – Peter Mannino – for the most ever in a Frozen Four game. Mannino did it in 2005; another championship year for the Pioneers.
Davis truly got hot at the right time: He gave up 16 goals in his first five games of the season, then three total in four Frozen Four games. Keeping calm has been the key.
“I had to go through a couple of hiccups to learn that throughout the year,” he said. “It was just kind of trusting in the process that me and (goalie coach) Ryan Massa set out and my sports psychologist Stephen Gonzalez. And we made it so that I would just focus on my breath. I kind of pump my own tires in net when I talk to myself. I mean, it sounds kind of weird, but I am a goalie, so…”
Big Rieg
One of the reasons Denver had so much success in the tournament was the team’s depth and its ability to find a hero from anywhere in the lineup. Tristan Broz (PIT) notched two overtime winners in the tourney and in the final, it was Minnesota Wild draft pick Rieger Lorenz – playing in the building he hopes to one day frequent as an NHLer, no less – scoring a goal and setting up the other by linemate Jared Wright (LA). I will also note that late in the third, Lorenz outraced a Boston College skater to negate an icing – just one of those hustle plays that tends to add up when the final buzzer sounds.
“You look at the year he’s had,” said coach David Carle. “He’s had 16 goals, 14 assists. By my DU math, that gets me to 30, which is a pretty good year in college hockey. He’s turned himself into a really good 200-foot winger. I’m really proud of him for wanting to buy in and learn. And I think he’s shown all of us and shown the world that he can play on an NHL roster some day.”
The line of Lorenz, Wright and Kieran Cebrian was terrific all game for the Pioneers.
Cutter It Out
Much was made of Cutter Gauthier’s pre-game interview with ESPN, where the Boston College superstar and Anaheim Ducks prospect said “there will be a lot of tears for that team over there,” and while it went viral in the wake of the Eagles being shut out, the Pioneers said they didn’t know about the potential bulletin board material.
“No, we didn’t see that,” said Denver captain and Tampa Bay pick McKade Webster. “We don’t really care that much. He’s a great player. They have a great team over there. No disrespect from our group or anyone. Hope he has a good career.”
In Summation
So, should we do it all again in St. Louis next year? Denver will once again be a dangerous outfit with Zeev Buium (2024), Lorenz and Davis all eligible to return. In fact, the Pioneers only had two seniors playing against Boston College. Meanwhile, the Eagles will in all likelihood lose Gauthier to the NHL and the NTDP Line of Leonard, Will Smith (SJ) and Gabe Perreault could all turn pro, though I could certainly see at least one of them come back to avenge the title loss. The Eagles also add top 2025 NHL draft prospect James Hagens to the roster next season – so offense will not be a problem.
News Summary:
- Frozen Four Notebook: Matt Davis Shuts Out Boston College for Denver's Record Title
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