Denver Hockey has been a team driven by its high-flying offense all season long. The Crimson and Gold have the highest-scoring offense in the nation, hovering around five goals a game for most of the season. However, the offense was not what carried DU to the Frozen Four, rather it was their defense and goaltending, which have been maligned for much of the season.
In the first-round game against UMass, DU engaged in a drawn out defensive struggle that resulted in a 2-1 double overtime win. While junior forward Tristan Broz was the one who scored the game-winner in double overtime, the star of the show was junior goaltender Matt Davis who put forth a truly heroic effort.
Davis made 46 saves, including several game saving stops, all while battling cramps for much of overtime. This was the game where Davis truly emerged from the shadow of former starting goaltender Magnus Chrona and made the net his own.
Davis has had ups and downs in his first year as a starter, dealing with injuries and inconsistency early in the season. However, he has been at his best in the latter half of the season, emerging as a dependable goaltender for Denver.
It was more of the same for Davis in the Cornell game, where he saved 24 of 25 Cornell shots. Yet again, his efforts were vital, as the DU offense was not firing on all cylinders.
After losing 2-0 against Cornell in the tournament last year, revenge and a trip to the Frozen Four were at stake for Denver. Cornell is a physical, veteran team that is well-suited to shutting down the speed and skill of DU.
Cornell showed off their strengths early, coming out of the gate hot. They were rewarded for their hot start just under seven minutes into the game, when Nick Desantis found the puck in a scramble in front of the net and put it into the back of the net. At that point, it looked like deja vu for Denver, with their high-powered offense failing to show up in the tournament for a second straight year.
DU slowly found a foothold in the game after the goal, putting pressure on Cornell as the period progressed. Their efforts would be rewarded late in the period when sophomore forward Miko Matikka blasted a wicked wrister past Cornell goaltender Ian Shane to tie the game. Matikka has been a major source of goals down the stretch, with his 20 tallies placing him second on the team.
Most of the second period was dominated by defense and goaltending, with both teams shutting each other down. The deadlock was broken on a DU power play where freshman forward Sam Harris scored in the dying embers of the period.
The third period would show Denver’s defensive resolve, as well as the goaltending brilliance of Davis. Cornell was hunting for the equalizer throughout the period and was putting a lot of pressure on DU, forcing Davis into some big saves.
A huge moment came when Cornell committed a penalty with just over two and a half minutes left in the game. This prevented them from pulling the goalie for an extra attacker, a situation Denver has struggled in all season long.
Once the penalty expired, Cornell got the extra attacker on with about 30 seconds to go, and madness ensued. Denver was scrambling defensively and it led to big chances for Cornell. The biggest chance came with eight seconds left when Davis slid from post to post to rob Ryan Walsh of a game-tying goal for the Big Red.
Denver secured the 2-1 win, marking their fifth Frozen Four appearance since 2016. They will face Boston University on Thursday, April 11 with a berth to the title game on the line.
Boston University is a supremely talented team, led by two of the best players in college hockey — Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson.
Celebrini is expected to be the number one overall pick in the upcoming draft, and the 17-year-old has put up an astonishing 64 points in 37 games.
Hutson is a dynamic offensive defenseman, who has put up 49 points in 37 games. His elusive puck handling and dynamism from the blue-line is very similar to DU’s freshman defenseman Zeev Buium.
This should be a high-flying Frozen Four with all four of the highest-scoring offenses in the competition. While they got by with defense and goaltending to get to the Frozen Four, DU will need to reignite their offense if they want to win a 10th National Championship.
With the extended break, there is hope for junior forward Massimo Rizzo to return from his long-term injury. While they got by just fine without him, Denver missed Rizzo’s creativity and game-breaking skill in the first two rounds of the tournament.
They will need all the firepower they have to get past BU and then the winner of the Michigan vs Boston College game to win another championship.
The Frozen Four matched against Boston University will be in St. Paul, Minn. at 3 p.m. MT on ESPN 2.
