The No. 1 DU Pioneers advanced to the program’s 16th Frozen Four with a pair of wins in the 2017 DI Men’s College Ice Hockey Championships, first downing No. 19 Michigan Tech 5-2 on March 25 and then defeating No. 11 Penn State University on March 26.
In the first round of the tournament, Denver asserted themselves early, out-shooting Michigan Tech 17-5 in a dominant first period. Sophomore Colin Staub (Colorado Springs, Colorado) recorded two powerplay goals to give DU a 2-0 lead only 12:45 into the match, including a tipped score.
“Our unit goes out there and we look to get pucks towards the net, trying to get shots. I was fortunate enough to get a stick off [Adam Plant’s] shot on that first [goal],” said Staub.
A miscue by the Huskies’ goalie saw the puck squirt out in front of an unmanned net, which senior Emil Romig (Vienna, Austria) whipped home for the 3-0 lead. Senior captain and Hobey Baker Finalist Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wisconsin) lasered the Pioneers’ fourth goal to the back of the twine, allowing Denver to enter the first intermission with a commanding 4-0 lead.
“It was a great start by our group. You could tell, led by our seniors and juniors, that we’ve been here before with the way we were aggressive at the start of the game,” said Head Coach Jim Montgomery.
Despite extending their lead to five in the second period, Denver faced a scare when Michigan Tech reeled off two goals of their own. Junior goaltender and Mike Richter Award Finalist Tanner Jaillet (Red Deer, Alberta) calmed the team down, making some spectacular saves down the stretch. Jaillet recorded the win in the 5-2 DU victory, making 16 stops.
“In the last eight minutes of the second [period], they really had a big push. I thought our effort was there, but we weren’t executing.They are a very good checking team. They created turnovers which created breakaways, and that’s when Tanner Jaillet had to be big for us,” said Montgomery.
Jaillet also received the start in Denver’s second game of the weekend, a matchup against a high-flying, offensively gifted Penn State squad who had recorded 10 goals in their first round game.
Eager to again show their postseason seasoning, the Pioneers settled in quickly and set the tone with two early goals. Sophomore Jarid Lukosevicius (Squamish, British Columbia) made a nifty move out of the corner and slid a backhand past the goaltender for Denver’s first goal. Plant’s wrister past a screened goaltender supplied the 2-0 advantage.
After earning a powerplay only minutes later, Denver was again poised to build an insurmountable first period lead. However, Penn State capitalized on a two-on-one shorthanded opportunity, shifting the momentum and cutting the lead to 2-1.
Already having a strong game, the breaks finally came for sophomore Troy Terry (Highlands Ranch, Colorado) in the second period of a tied game. The former U.S.A. hockey hero slammed home two goals on feeds from freshman Henrik Borgstrom (Helsinki, Finland), while also assisting on Lukosevicius’ second score. The second period outburst helped Denver secure a 5-2 lead.
A five minute major penalty by junior defenseman Tariq Hammond (Calgary, Alberta) tested Denver’s penalty kill, but in a potentially season-defining moment, DU stifled the Nittany Lions’ attack.
Skating alone towards an empty net, Terry emphatically pumped home his hat-trick goal late in the third period, giving Denver the 6-3 lead. It secured the program’s 16th Frozen Four appearance and marked Terry’s fifth point of the night (three goals, two assists).
The Pioneers will face the No. 12 University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish on April 6 at 9:30 p.m. (ET) in Chicago, Illinois in a Frozen Four matchup.
No. 3 University of Minnesota-Duluth will take on No. 2 Harvard University in the other Frozen Four game on April 6 at 6 p.m. (ET). The tournament’s championship game will be played on April 8 at 6:00 p.m. (ET).
