ST. PAUL, Minn. — Tristan Broz, the former University of Minnesota Golden Gopher from Bloomington, Minn, came through with the overtime goal for Denver to beat Boston University 2-1 in an NCAA men’s Frozen Four semifinal game at Xcel Energy Center.
“That’s what every kid dreams of, doing something like that for your team,” Broz said.
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The Terriers, in their second straight Frozen Four, took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a short-handed goal by Luke Tuch. But the Pioneers started to turn the corner midway through the game after a tying goal by Tristan Lemyre. Both goalies were terrific, with Mathieu Caron making several highlight-reel saves among his 27. But Denver’s Matt Davis was very good as well, making 33 saves in a winning effort.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Denver’s Massimo Rizzo said. “He showed up when we needed him the most. We’re super-proud of him.”
The biggest save for Davis might have been one of his early ones, thwarting expected No. 1 overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini on a wide-open one-timer from the slot off the rush in the first minute. Celebrini, who said he’s undecided on whether he’s coming back to college or going pro, had a team-high seven shot attempts in the Terriers’ season-ending loss.
“We’re kind of in shock right now,” Celebrini said.
Denver moved on to play the winner of the Michigan-Boston College semifinal.
The Athletic’s analysis:
The winner
The way both goalies were playing Thursday, you wondered if this game might go 10 overtimes. But Broz delivered midway through the first extra session, his wrist shot somehow sneaking through Mathieu Caron, who credited Broz for the deception on his shot. “I knew it was a kind of two-on-one,” Broz said. “(Rizzo) had a little bit of a step on the guy. We ran that drill (Wednesday) doing two-on-ones and few times I scored, just kind of no-look, trying to shoot five-hole. And just kind of blacked out in that moment and happened to go in.”
The save
It might have been one of the best saves in the history of the Frozen Four. Denver had finally come to life late in the second period after the tying goal and nearly delivered a major gut punch in the final minute. The Terriers iced the puck and made a bad line change — too many players going off at once — and goalie Matt Davis made them pay with a slick outlet pass. It led to a two-on-one, with Aidan Thompson appearing oh-so-close to finishing off a highlight-reel play. But Boston University’s Caron absolutely robbed him with a sprawling glove save, keeping the game tied. All Thompson could do was shake his head as he skated to the bench. “He saved the game a couple times,” Celebrini said.
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One shift
The Terriers appeared in complete control for the first 30 minutes of this game. They were faster, one step ahead to every puck. Celebrini was dynamic almost every shift, creating several grade-A scoring chances. But with just under five minutes to go in the second period, Terriers defenseman Lane Hutson, one of college hockey’s top NHL prospects (Canadiens), made an uncharacteristic blind back pass behind his own net. One pass later, Tristian Lemyre cashed in with the tying goal. “Honestly, just a bad play,” Hutson said. Celebrini said Hutson shouldn’t be blamed at all, that the shift never should have got to that point. “He had no options.”
The penalty factor
Luke Tuch got Boston University on the board early, giving them a 1-0 lead eight minutes into the game. Tuch, a senior and brother of the Buffalo Sabres’ Alex Tuch, picked up a pass at his own blue line and showed off his speed by beating Jack Devine up the ice and scoring on a breakaway. There were four penalties overall, all on the Terriers, including an interference call on Dylan Peterson in the final two minutes of regulation. A big reason why this game went past regulation was the work of the Terriers’ penalty kill, and goaltending by Caron.
“You guys watched the game — were there penalties out there or not?” Terriers coach Jay Pandolfo said. “We didn’t get on the power play at all. They got on it four times. But that’s not the reason we lost the game. We have to find ways to put teams away five-on-five, and we didn’t do that.”
Peterson's boarding under review pic.twitter.com/y9ZSnuUALD
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 11, 2024
Highlights
Snipe. Celly. Onto the Natty. 🏆#MFrozenFour x @DU_Hockey pic.twitter.com/xD4eprYgBg
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) April 12, 2024
SEE YOU ON SPORTSCENTER TONIGHT, CHEWY!!!#SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/2O7ry2akuD
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) April 11, 2024
LEMYRE FINDS THE 5️⃣-HOLE!
📺 ESPN2#MFrozenFour x @DU_Hockey pic.twitter.com/i2nFtGGXES
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) April 11, 2024
Required reading
- 2024 NHL Draft consensus big board: Macklin Celebrini, defensemen lead midseason list
- Boston University’s Lane Hutson No. 1 as Montreal Canadiens rank 10th in 2024 NHL prospect pool rankings
(Photo: Tyler Schank / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
