‘We’re staring 10 in the mirror Saturday’: Broz sends Pios to National Championship

Junior forward Tristan Broz potted the overtime winner with just under nine minutes left in the extra session to send the No. 1-seed Denver Pioneers to the National Championship game. Junior goaltender Matt Davis was brilliant, again, allowing just one goal on 34 shot attempts.

Denver won its third straight game by 2-1 score. Davis has stopped a combined 104 of 107 shots on goal (0.972 SV%) in three NCAA Tournament games.

Junior forward Massimo Rizzo returned to the lineup for the first time since February 3. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect played on the fourth line and registered just two shots on goal.

“It was another battle of a hockey game,” said Denver coach David Carle. “As the game went on, we got more comfortable with the pace. We won more races, and we put them on their heels a little bit in the second and third period.”

Denver got off to another slow start. Boston University freshman sensation Macklin Celebrini nearly made it a one-goal advantage within the first minute.

The Pioneers had just three shots on goal in the first period and trailed 1-0 after the opening 20 minutes. Boston University’s Luke Tuch opened the scoring for the Terriers on a shorthanded breakaway after junior forward Jack Devine turned it over along the blueline.

The Pioneers’ slow start carried over into the second period. David Carle’s squad needed a lucky bounce to get them going. Denver got that bounce when BU’s Lane Hutson turned the puck over behind his own net. The puck landed on freshman Miko Matikka’s stick. The Arizona Coyotes draft pick found Tristan Lemyre, who went five-hole on Terriers netminder Mathieu Caron.

“They started quicker than we did,” Carle said. “We may have felt like there would be more time and space. I give them credit. They won all the 50-50 races to the walls. In the second period, we started to win some. That led to some of our possession time that we were able to generate.”

The goal seemed to get things going offensively for Denver, who finished the second period with eight shots on goal. Deadlocked at one goal apiece, the Pioneers, like they have all tournament, tightened up their defense in the third period, with Davis seeing just five shots from BU.

Denver sent 12 shots on Caron, who was exceptional down the stretch.

“He made it real hard on us,” Carle said of the BU netminder. “He made saves through traffic. You tip your hat. The two goaltenders were the two best players tonight.”

Still knotted at one goal, the Pioneers and Terriers went into overtime. Denver junior forward Carter King was injured during the extra session after his leg buckled and had to be helped down the tunnel. Celebrini had the best look for BU, ringing a shot off the post.

However, Denver persevered until Broz led a rush along the right wing before wristing a shot. The Pioneers forward pointed and skated toward Davis to celebrate the moment with his goaltender.

“Every kid dreams of doing something like this [scoring an overtime goal] for your team,” Broz said. “I was back-checking and there was a turnover to [Sean] Behrens. He made a nice pass to the middle, and I knew it was a 2-on-1. I had a good step, and we actually did [a 2-on-1] drill yesterday. I scored a few times going five-hole.”

Denver will play the winner of Boston College and Michigan on Saturday. The Pioneers can secure their NCAA-leading tenth National Championship.

“We’re staring 10 in the mirror Saturday,” Carle said.

(Featured Image Credit: AP Photo)