SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The last thing Denver wanted was another long cross-country trip cut short by a first-round NCAA tournament loss.
Tristan Broz made sure the Pioneers get to stick around Western Massachusetts a few more days, with a shot at the Frozen Four. Broz’s goal at 12:28 of double overtime of the NCAA regional semifinals lifted Denver to a 2-1 win over host Massachusetts on Thursday at the Mass Mutual Center.
“It’s been a long journey to get back to this tournament,” Broz said. “We stuck together. There was no real panic in our group. It was a testament to all the guys in the locker room.”
Denver (29-10-3) — desperate to erase memories of last year’s tournament, when they were bounced early by virtue of a 2-0 first-round loss to Cornell — will face either Cornell or Maine in Saturday’s regional final. The Pioneers are in search of their first trip to the Frozen Four since 2022, when they won their ninth NCAA championship.
“We knew we’d have to face a game like this,” Denver coach David Carle said. “You get to this time of year, everyone’s a great team. Inside ice is hard to come by. Goals are hard to come by. I thought both teams were pushed to the limit tonight.”
It was a surprisingly low-scoring affair between two teams known for lighting the lamp. Denver went into the afternoon as the top team in the nation in average goals per game with 4.85. Massachusetts had averaged just under three goals per contest, fourth in Hockey East.
After a 0-0 first period, Denver opened the scoring when Boston Buckberger sent a rocket from the left faceoff circle past UMass goalie Michael Hrabal at 5:12 of the second. Trystan Lemyre fed Buckberger with a nifty no-look backhand from high in the slot to set up the Buckberger’s first NCAA tournament goal.
UMass got that goal back later in the frame when Liam Gorman poked home a loose puck from short range past Denver netminder Matt Davis for Gorman’s first career goal at 12:52. The third period was devoid of scoring.
BROZ IS CLUTCH ‼️#GoPios | @espn pic.twitter.com/zZSopFM6Bw
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) March 28, 2024
It was an impressive defensive turnaround for UMass, which was coming off an 8-1 loss to Boston College in the Hockey East semifinals one week earlier.
“We just had to stick to our foundation and our identity,” said UMass defenseman Ryan Ufko. “We know we’re a big, fast team, so that physicality part was something we really preached, and I thought that really helped us.”
Only three penalties were called in regulation — two against UMass and one against the Pioneers. UMass was unable to take advantage of a power play in the second overtime — the only penalty called during extra time.
Hrabal finished with 38 saves, while Davis made 47. UMass held a 28-24 advantage in shots during regulation.
UMass saw its season end at 20-14-3. In an ironic twist, the Minutemen had Denver to thank for their presence in the NCAA tournament — UMass only qualified when the Pioneers beat Omaha 4-1 in the NCHC championship game last week.
“Extremely proud of the way we played tonight,” UMass coach Greg Carvel said. “I know there’s a lot of chatter about whether we deserve to be in the tournament. I didn’t doubt it for a second. I thought we’d give Denver a hell of a game, and we did.”
