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 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.
“We will walk together forever as champions,” DU head coach David Carle told his players amid the postgame locker room celebration. “We have the (expletive) belt. No one can argue anymore. We are the best program in college hockey.”
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 against the high-powered Eagles.
“I think it was in the prep work,” Lorenz said of the defensive performance. “We have the best coach in college hockey. He prepares us through the weeks and in the pre-scout as well. He’s helped me and our team so much through all of our careers. We’re incredibly blessed to have him.”
Davis has been a revelation during this postseason run, and the punctuation mark was his grand larceny of 2023 first-round pick Ryan Leonard in the third period when Boston College was on the power play. The puck came to Leonard near the top of the crease with much of the net open, but Davis dove to his right and got a piece of the puck with his right arm.
There were eight postseason contests. Davis went 8-0 and allowed 10 goals, including just three in the four NCAA contests.
“I shared so many special moments with the guys after that (final) buzzer went,” Davis said. “I’ll just cherish it forever.”
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.
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.
“Teamwork, that’s what that was,” said King, who was injured in the semifinal win and spent Friday in a walking boot, but played against the Eagles. “We come to Denver to play a team game. That’s what we showed this weekend. That’s what wins games. I couldn’t be prouder of the guys.”
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 America’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.
“Being from Colorado, I came here to win a national championship. It means the world to me,” said sophomore Aiden Thompson, a Fort Collins native who played for both the Colorado Thunderbirds and Rocky Mountain Roughriders youth programs. “I’m not just a player. I’m a fan of the program. I grew up watching this team.
“To play for Denver after growing up here is something special. Troy Terry is a Colorado kid. We grew up watching him. It’s so special to follow in his footsteps and win a national championship like he did.”
Job done. Legacies secured. The Pios stand alone atop the NCAA hockey mountain.
