The newcomers delivered all weekend at the NCAA Tournament regional in Springfield, Mass., as DU emerged with the 19th Frozen Four berth in program history after a 2-1 victory over Cornell.
Freshmen Miko Matikka and Sam Harris tallied late-period goals to spearhead the Pioneers’ 30th win of the season. Matt Davis was exceptional in net again, stopping 24 shots, none bigger than Ryan Walsh’s blast from the lower left circle in the closing seconds.
Matikka Energizes DU’s Revenge on Cornell
The Big Red, you may recall, presented a big problem for the Pioneers last season when they bounced DU from the tournament in the first round. Cornell’s 2-0 victory marked the first time Denver had been shut out in the NCAA Tournament, a history that stretches to 1958.
The Big Red took a page from the notebook of UMass and tried to challenge the Pioneers physically. However, DU found enough open ice against its considerably larger foe to score just enough.
Just two of Denver’s 30 wins, a feat it accomplished for a third season in a row for the first time in program history, have come with just two goals. Those two examples happened in the NCAA Tournament.
Matikka became the second Pioneer to hit the 20-goal milestone this season when he ripped a shot from the inside of the left circle past Cornell’s Ian Shane with only 1:32 to play in the first period. That tied the score and gave Denver some much-needed momentum.
Miko evens the game for the Pios.
Watch: @espn 2 // @ESPNU // @ESPNPlus #GoPios pic.twitter.com/Pus7eXzNC9
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) March 30, 2024
Matikka is what DU coach David Carle likes to call a one-shot scorer, and his rip over Shane’s shoulder showed why. The goal was Matikka’s fifth over the past four games spanning two weekends. The Finn tends to score in bunches, which is promising given the stakes at this time of the year.
Denver’s most successful teams of recent years usually feature at least one of these guys; think Jarid Lukosevicius in 2017 and Cam Wright in 2022. You don’t need me to tell you how those two seasons worked out.
Denver freshman forward Sam Harris scored the winning goal against Cornell. Photo courtesy of Shannon Valerio
Emergences of Harris, Young D Boost Pioneers
Harris, meanwhile, gave the Pioneers the lead for good with only 4 seconds to play in the second period. He got a piece of a shot on the first of DU’s two power plays.
Harris also has been streaky, scoring 11 of his 14 goals since Jan. 20. His play has improved so much that he moved into a top-line role with leading scorer Jack Devine (27 goals) and one of Thursday’s heroes, Tristan Broz. Broz has done yeoman’s work as DU’s top center while Massimo Rizzo recuperates from injury, a process that reached 14 games.
A late power-play tally in the 2nd is today’s @Safeway Goal of the Game!#GoPios pic.twitter.com/O4bIlaGrO1
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) March 30, 2024
Two other freshmen had assists Saturday — Zeev Buium, like Harris a product of the San Diego area, and Boston Buckberger, who drew a helper on Matikka’s goal. Buckberger finished the weekend with three points, including Thursday’s first goal against UMass.
Buium’s assist gave him 49 points, while Buckberger has 27. The importance of the two freshmen stepping in so well into the Pioneers’ top four cannot be overstated. The revamped DU D core has relied heavily on those two and juniors Sean Behrens and Shai Buium, who was a youth hockey teammate of Shane’s for a time in Los Angeles.
Matt Davis (Again) Impersonates a Brick Wall
Behind it all, was another junior, Davis. The affable Calgarian, who gutted out a bout of leg cramps Thursday, was on his game again Saturday. The hands-down MVP of the regional 70 of 72 shots, a ridiculous .972 save percentage. Of course, a 1.00 goals-against average isn’t too shabby either.
Davis’ postseason emergence — he’s allowed just nine goals in six playoff games — is the most welcome of stories for the Pioneers.
Given how well he’s played since late February, punctuated by this weekend, it’s fair to wonder if he was physically sound at all before sitting out 12 games from late October until after New Year’s Day. He’s been that much better.
Sometimes, though, it’s just a matter of all of the hard work coming together at the right time. As the Pioneers head to Saint Paul, Minn., for a date against Boston University, that is what seems to be happening across the board.
That is as good of an explanation as any for this immensely talented and well-coached team taking on a new identity so successfully at this point in the season. The payoff is a fifth Frozen Four berth since 2016 and a third under Carle in his six seasons.
See you in St. Paul. #GoPios pic.twitter.com/6NC1gy7Y2P
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) March 30, 2024
©First Line Editorial 2024
Be the first to comment on "Denver Writes New Chapter vs. Cornell, and It Includes Frozen Four Berth"