Goaltender Matt Davis stopped all 35 shots he faced, including 23 in the third period, to lead Denver to a 2-0 win over Boston College in the men’s ice hockey championship on Saturday evening in Saint Paul, Minn.
Jared Wright and Rieger Lorenz scored one goal apiece for third-seeded Denver (32-9-3), which won the title for the second time in three seasons and earned its NCAA-record 10th championship. The Pioneers previously were tied with Michigan with nine titles apiece.
“We will walk together forever as champions,” Denver coach David Carle told his players following the game. “We have the (expletive) belt. No one can argue anymore. We are the best program in college hockey.”
Ryan Leonard fired eight shots on goal for Boston College (34-6-1), which was the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Will Smith added seven shots for the Eagles, who could not find a way to beat Davis as they lost for the first time in 16 games.
Denver players poured over the bench and onto the ice as the final horn sounded. They tossed their sticks, gloves and helmets into the air and formed a mob along the boards as Leonard and several other Boston College players fell to their knees and hunched over the ice.
“They just used their experience to their advantage. It took us too long to get going. They suppressed us for the first two-thirds of the game,” Eagles forward Jack Malone said. “I think they have a great team there and put together a good game.”
The game remained scoreless for nearly 30 minutes before Denver broke the stalemate.
The Pioneers grabbed a 1-0 lead with 10:18 to go in the second period. Wright handled the puck in the left circle and fired a shot that hit the post, bounced off the back of Eagles goaltender Jacob Fowler and trickled into the net.
The sequence ended with the 15th goal of the season for Wright, a sophomore forward who grew up in Burnsville, Minn., and scored the biggest goal of his college career in his home state.
Denver increased its lead to 2-0 with 4:47 remaining in the second period. Lorenz took a pass from Zeev Buium and ripped a wrist shot from the left circle for his 16th goal.
Boston College played at a desperate pace late in the third period but could not find the back of the net. The Eagles had a two-minute power play after Denver’s Jack Devine went to the penalty box for tripping with 7:54 remaining, but Davis turned aside multiple shots to maintain the shutout.
The pressure continued as Boston College pulled Fowler for an extra attacker with about 2:40 to go. Davis stopped shot after shot, and Denver cleared the puck in the waning seconds.
Fowler recorded 17 saves.
“I shared so many special moments with the guys after that (final) buzzer went,” Davis said. “I’ll just cherish it forever.”
–Field Level Media
