Denver Pioneers 'stick with it,' rally in third period to win school's ninth NCAA men's hockey crown
-
Loading... - Kirsty Duke
- 12 Apr 2022
- 312 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Denver scored five straight third-period goals to capture the NCAA Division I men's hockey championship with a 5-1 victory over Minnesota State at TD Garden on Saturday night.
It's the ninth title in program history for the Pioneers, tying Michigan's NCAA record for the most ever. Denver had eliminated the Wolverines in the semifinals of the Frozen Four to advance to the title game against the Mavericks.
"It certainly was a goal to get to nine," said Denver coach David Carle. "The ultimate goal is to be the first one to 10, I will tell you. Winning Thursday against Michigan was a huge step in that direction, and obviously tonight is an even bigger step."
Senior forward Ryan Barrow and sophomore defenseman Mike Benning scored 2 minutes, 47 seconds apart in the third period to erase Minnesota State's 1-0 lead, finally breaking through against a stingy Mavericks defense in front of Hobey Baker Award-winning goalie Dryden McKay.
"I kinda blacked out. I just saw my teammates coming towards me and I had to [celebrate]," Benning said of his game-winning goal. "I thought I owed it to my teammates after taking that penalty."
Denver goalie Magnus Chrona, a San Jose Sharks prospect, made 24 saves in the victory.
"Did our guy have to make some saves? Absolutely. We utilized our goaltender to the extreme," said Carle. "Sometimes it takes all 60 minutes, and we utilized the last 20 to our fullest advantage."
In the first period, Minnesota State struck first on the power play, with Benning in the box for tripping Andy Carroll. Junior forward Brendan Furry launched a shot from the left wing that Chrona kicked to the slot. The puck went through the legs of a Pioneers penalty killer to Mavericks winger Lucas Sowder, who made a quick pass to junior forward Sam Morton. With his momentum taking him backward as he shot the puck, Morton's one-timer found the back of the net with 6:01 remaining in the first period.
The Mavericks would kill off a Denver power play and outshot them 8-3 in the opening frame. Minnesota State held an 18-8 advantage after two periods.
"We just said, 'Stick with it.' We didn't get here by shying award from challenges," Carle said. "It took everybody to do what we did in the third period there."
Denver finally broke through against McKay and the Minnesota State defense with 15:14 left in regulation. Freshman Jack Devine took a shot on right wing that McKay stopped with his pad, but senior winger Ryan Barrow was standing on his doorstep to deposit the puck into the net for the 1-1 tie. Read More…
