{"id":9278,"date":"2009-01-02T13:30:06","date_gmt":"2009-01-02T19:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2009\/01\/02\/denver-wins-shootout-over-holy-cross\/"},"modified":"2010-08-23T11:55:35","modified_gmt":"2010-08-23T16:55:35","slug":"denver-wins-shootout-over-holy-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/2009\/01\/02\/denver-wins-shootout-over-holy-cross\/","title":{"rendered":"Denver Wins Shootout Over Holy Cross"},"content":{"rendered":"
It took 65 minutes plus five rounds of a shootout, but the University of Denver Pioneers beat the Holy Cross Crusaders, 3-2, to earn a Wells Fargo Denver Cup championship game date with the Boston University Terriers. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not real pleased with what our execution was, especially from an offensive standpoint throughout the game,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Pioneer coach George Gwozdecky. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153[But] we came in with the idea that we wanted to advance to the championship game to defend our championship and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been able to do that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n
The Pioneers started off the scoring a mere 1:05 into the game. Anthony Maiani backhanded a pass from behind the Holy Cross net to Jesse Martin who skated across the crease and tapped it in past Crusader netminder Adam Roy. <\/p>\n
Although the Pioneers had a myriad of chances throughout the rest of the period — particularly on the power play, they failed to get another goal, despite outshooting Holy Cross 22-6 in the frame. Perhaps the Pioneers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 best chance came within the last minute of the period on a power play when Roy lost his stick in the midst of a flurry in front of the net, but DU couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t convert. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153After that first period where they were on the power play for eight minutes and loaded up on shots, the rest of the game was fairly even, I thought,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They got chances, we got chances and we were able to hang in there.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n
Indeed, the Crusaders knotted the game at one 6:01 into the second period on a disputed goal. An Everett Sheen backhander hit DU netminder Marc Cheverie, bounced up high in the air and back down to the ice where Sheen got his own rebound and knocked it in past Cheverie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right pad. The goal was reviewed to see if it was knocked down by a J.P. Martignetti high stick, but it stood. <\/p>\n
However, the Pioneers regained the lead with just 51.3 seconds remaining in the middle frame. Shawn Ostrow took a go-ahead pass from Joe Colborne and roofed a shot over Roy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s left shoulder from the left face-off dot to make it 2-1 DU. <\/p>\n
Holy Cross had a good chance to tie the game up at the 14:19 mark of the third period when Cheverie bobbled a Martignetti shot from the point and almost knocked it in, but Cheverie was able to fall on the puck in the crease. <\/p>\n
The Pioneers thought they went up 3-1 about two minutes later on a fluky play. Cody Brookwell tossed the puck back into the Crusader zone from the red line where it hit official Pete Friesma\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s skate and slid into the net past a diving Roy attempting to get back in his net. However, due to rule 6-18-c-6 in the NCAA ice hockey rule book — which clearly states that \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc[i]f the puck hits an official and goes directly into the net\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the goal is disallowed — it was deemed to be no goal. <\/p>\n