The DU’s Men’s Hockey team soared to new heights with their national championship win last month. Securing the 10th national championship for the Crimson and Gold, people have dubbed DU the “best program in college hockey.”
At the center of it all was junior goaltender Matt “Matty” Davis, who said I could call him by either name when I talked with him briefly outside of their locker room in Magness Arena. We first discussed what life has been like post-national championship.
“It’s awesome,” Davis said. “We’re back in the gym now, ready to go at #11. But #10, it’s definitely starting to sink in; it’s incredible, just super super proud of what we were able to do as a group.”
Davis was quick to reference his teammates, giving them lots of credit for the overall win, showing how humble he is about the successes he’s had at DU.
“I try to diverge as much as I can towards [the team] because I’m super fortunate and happy to be recognized in the way I have, but the guys were just incredible all year long — and those [last] four games especially,” Davis said.
In speaking about the team, he praised their drive and will to win, something he believes helped carry them through to the championship game.
“They put their bodies on the line constantly, and that’s something that I don’t have to do as much, so it’s something that I admire and I really cherish the rest of the guys doing,” Davis said.
I pointed out that he put his body on the line for the team as well, especially during the save heard around the world, and the commentary of ‘Matt Davis is out of his mind!’ that played through everyone’s heads long after the game had concluded. When asked what was going through his head, he responded with a chuckle.
“It was just a: ‘Thank goodness that puck’s not in the net,’ y’know?” Davis said. “It was kind of a refocusing, I got to catch my breath at the end of that play ’cause the puck went down.”
He talked about getting to watch the play back on the jumbotron even after the play was over. He felt a lot of pride in being there for his team and seeing it all come to fruition.
“That was just one play where you dream about it as a kid, making that save, so I was just super fortunate to do that,” Davis said. “I felt happy that I was able to be there when the guys needed me.”
The talk turned more personal as I asked about how he felt after winning the final game. Davis’s mother, a cancer survivor who was unable to be there when DU won the 2022 Championship, was at this championship game and witnessed their win. To Davis, this meant the world.
“Emotions kinda go out the window when you win like that,” Davis said. “People just started crying, and there was nothing wrong with it at all. It was just an overload of emotions and everyone was just super happy to be there together and have done what we did.”
Now that things have settled down, I asked what a typical day in Davis’s life looks like. He seemed to have his routine down pat.
“Get up, go to class, come back, go workout, lift, practice, take care of my body after, do some recovery stuff, and then it’s either back to class or to homework and then making dinner, going to bed and then getting back at it,” Davis said. “I usually try to get up at the same time, so roughly between like 7 [a.m.] and 7:30 [a.m.] I try to be up whether I have an 8 a.m. or not so I can kinda just get ahead in school.”
A two-time winner of the AHCA All-American Scholar award, as well as a two-time winner of the NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete award, Davis is certainly not a slacker when it comes to his classes and “work-life” balance. I asked for some of the highlights: favorite class and best part of his day.
“I’m in a class now that I really like. It’s sports marketing; it’s a really cool class and we’ve gotten to do some really fun stuff,” Davis said. “Best part of my day is practice or right before practice when we get to get dressed and just shoot it — just talk and have fun with the guys.”
We finished with discussing his future plans, something Davis hasn’t seemed to focus on too much. Instead, he wants to live in the moment, enjoy his last year at DU, and of course win another national championship.
“I’ll be back [at DU] for my senior year,” Davis confirmed. “Hopefully another national championship and then we’ll see where the road takes us.”
In speaking about the experience as a whole, from the tournament games to the championship ceremony in Magness Arena to parading around campus with the trophy, Davis is grateful, proud and happy about what he and his team were able to accomplish this season.
“It was unbelievable,” Davis said. “It’s something I’m going to cherish for the rest of my life.”
