Denver and Boston College win at the Frozen Four, set to meet for the national title on Saturday night

Published by %s
April 11, 2024

After almost two weeks off, the NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Regional Champions descended upon the XCel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota on Thursday evening for the Frozen Four starting with the semifinal games to decide who will be playing for that national title trophy on Saturday night.

National Semifinal #1- Tristan Broz scored 11:09 into overtime, lifting Denver to a 2-1 victory over Boston University sending the Pioneers back to the national championship game. Luke Tuch had given the Terriers a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal 7:45 into the first period.

DU got even at 15:21 of the second on a tally by Tristan Lemyre.

Both goaltenders played outstanding, and BU netminder Mathieu Caron stopped several Grade A opportunities that allowed his team to get to the extra session. Caron made one of the stops of the season with 23.4 seconds left in the second period, stoning Aidan Thompson off a pass from Jack Devine. Thompson went forehand to backhand in the low slot, but Caron dove across for the glove save right on the goal line to keep it tied.

 

He made another with just over nine minutes left in regulation, robbing Devine point blank just after a powerplay for the Pioneers expired.

Denver got the winner from Broz after a late line change by Boston University in overtime. Broz got a pass from Sean Behrens in his own zone, skated through center ice and into the right circle where he fired a wristshot that eluded Caron five-hole to end it.

BU ends their season with a record of 28-10-2, losing in the national semifinals for a second straight season. Caron made 27 saves, and Devin Caplan had an assist on the Tuch goal. Behrens and Miko Matikka had one assist a piece for Denver, and goaltender Matt Davis stopped 33 of 34 shots. Davis has made 103 saves on 106 shots in the NCAA Tournament.

National Semifinal #2- Freshman forward Will Smith had the first two goals of the night, and the top seed in the NCAA Tournament and #1 team in the country Boston College continued their dominance with a 4-0 win over Michigan. The Eagles got the only tally they needed when Smith finished off a beautiful pass in the low slot from Ryan Leonard just 1:20 into the first period. Gabe Perreault also got an assist on what turned out to be the game winner.

Smith extended the lead when he went behind the net in the second, sending a backhander in front that banked off a Wolverine and into the net at 12:25.

The nations leading scorer Cutter Gauthier scored on a breakaway 40 seconds later that made it 3-0. Gauthier tied a school record for goals in a season with his 38th.

Perreault tallied on a wraparound 5:03 into the third period that finished the scoring, leading Boston College back to the national championship game for the first time in 12 years. BC now has 34 wins (school record).

Perreault was the leading point scorer in the win for Boston College with one goal and two assists. Freshman goalie Jacob Fowler recorded his third shutout of the season and made 32 saves. Jake Barczewski stopped 18 shots in the defeat for Michigan, who ends their season at 23-15-3. The Wolverines were shutout for the first time ever in a Frozen Four in their 28th appearance.

Denver (31-9-3) and Boston College (34-5-1) meet for the 2024 title on Saturday night at 6 p.m. The Pioneers have won eight straight games, the Eagles have won 15 in a row. BC is in the championship game for the first time since 2012. They won it all that season under Jerry York 4-1 over Ferris State. Denver is trying to make it two titles in the last three years, beating Minnesota State in 2022 by a score of 5-1. The Pioneers will also look to become the all-time leader in championships with 10, breaking a tie with Michigan who has also won it nine times.

Recaps by Chris Lessner/Video highlights all courtesy of Twitter via TerrierHockey, DU_Hockey, and BC_MHockey

 

 

 

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