ST. PAUL, Minn. — The University of Denver Pioneers are officially the kings of college hockey.
The Pioneers came to Minnesota to claim their NCAA-record 10th national championship, and they went through all of Massachusetts to do it.
Matt Davis made 35 saves on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center to finish off a legend-making postseason run, as the Pios shut down the No. 1-ranked Boston College Eagles in the 2024 NCAA championship game for a 2-0 victory.
Jared Wright and Rieger Lorenz each scored in the second period to put the Pios on course for a their 10th title, one more than Michigan now and alone at the top of the sport. Wright and Lorenz are two-thirds of DU’s third line, but are also part of why the Pioneers’ offensive depth has been a catalyst for this club all season.
Wright scored from near the bottom of the left circle 9:42 into the second period. His shot hit Boston College goalie Jacob Fowler, popped up in the air and bounced over the goal line for Wright’s 15th goal of the season.
Lorenz made it a two-goal advantage after a brilliant play from freshman sensation Zeev Buium. The Pios defenseman deked his way into the offensive zone, drew two BC players to him and then snapped a backhanded, no-look pass to Lorenz in the left circle. Lorenz fired a shot over Fowler’s shoulder on the short side with 4:48 left in the period.
It was Lorenz’s 16th goal of the season, and point No. 50 for Buium. The defenseman became DU’s first freshman to earn All-America honors since 2017 on Friday, and continued to show why he’s a potential top-10 selection in the 2024 NHL draft with his performance at both ends of the ice Saturday against the high-powered Eagles.
Davis has been a revelation during this postseason run. The Pioneers were not a particularly stout defensive team for much of this season, but DU stifled four NCAA teams in succession, including two of the top-four offenses in the country at this Frozen Four.
There were eight postseason contests. Davis went 8-0 and allowed 10 goals, including just three in the four NCAA contests.
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Denver won each of its three NCAA games before this one by a 2-1 margin to reach the final. It took two overtimes to defeat UMass and one to knock off Boston University. Tristan Broz had the game-winning goal in both. There was a one-goal win against Cornell as well.
Boston College and Boston University came to the Twin Cities as the top two teams in the country. Davis and the Pioneers shipped them back to Boston empty handed.
The Pios won twice in Springfield, Mass., and twice here in St. Paul, completing a tour of American’s two hockey-mad regions. Eight Pios won their second NCAA championship in three seasons. Nineteen of them came to DU with a simple premise: Help this program get No. 10.
Job done. Legacies secured. The Pios stand alone atop the NCAA hockey mountain.
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