{"id":146412,"date":"2024-03-23T23:52:07","date_gmt":"2024-03-24T04:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?p=146412"},"modified":"2024-03-23T23:52:07","modified_gmt":"2024-03-24T04:52:07","slug":"no-3-denver-stymies-no-11-omahas-offense-to-win-third-nchc-frozen-faceoff-playoff-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2024\/03\/23\/no-3-denver-stymies-no-11-omahas-offense-to-win-third-nchc-frozen-faceoff-playoff-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"No. 3 Denver stymies No. 11 Omaha\u2019s offense to win third NCHC Frozen Faceoff playoff championship"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Denver players celebrate another NCHC Frozen Faceoff playoff title (photo: Denver Athletics).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2013<\/strong> The Denver Pioneers are no strangers to lighting up a scoreboard.<\/p>\n

The nation\u2019s most potent offense didn\u2019t have too many issues putting up goals night in and night out all season, but in the first half, defense had been something of a liability to offset a chunk of all that scoring.<\/p>\n

That has changed through most of the second half, and after coming into St. Paul and leaving with another NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship, DU is headed into the national tournament looking like a serious threat for their 10th national title.<\/p>\n

McKade Webster finished a great weekend with the game-tying and game-winning goals, and late insurance goals from Miko Matikka and Rieger Lorenz as well as an improved defensive effort helped 3rd ranked Denver defeat 11th ranked Nebraska Omaha 4-1 in a surprisingly one-sided matchup on Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of our guys,\u201d said Pioneers coach David Carle. \u201cHeck of an accomplishment. They showed a lot of growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pioneers won their third NCHC playoff championship with the victory, and they complemented their offense with a very good effort defensively, clogging lanes and getting down low and not letting Omaha generate very many decent scoring chances after the Mavericks had their way offensively with the regular-season champion Fighting Hawks on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought we limited their chances,\u201d Carle said. \u201cI thought we got better defensively as the weekend went on. It doesn\u2019t hinder offense; we still scored at a really high rate here in the second half, but we\u2019ve done a better job defensively keeping shot counts down and just keeping the puck out of the net.\u201d<\/p>\n

Omaha, who advanced to the Frozen Faceoff for the first time in 10 seasons since the NCHC began play, will still be in the national tournament despite the loss. Coach Mike Gabinet didn\u2019t see too many hanging heads from his players in the locker room after what was an otherwise memorable trip with many of their fans making the trip up north with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a tremendous accomplishment to be where we are today,\u201d Gabinet said. \u201cNot the result we wanted, but I\u2019m really proud of the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made sure we thanked [our fans] for coming out all this way to support us and they\u2019ve been there all season long \u2013 to have that type of support from our community is pretty special and I think that\u2019s what makes Omaha special as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brock Bremer, a senior from Forest Lake, located 27 miles northeast of St. Paul, led the way offensively for Omaha with a first-period goal, but that was the lone grade-A chance the Mavericks got; they simply had no answer for Denver\u2019s suddenly stingy defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they did a good job of clogging up the neutral zone and making us put pucks behind them,\u201d said Omaha forward Jack Randl. \u201cThey did a pretty good job of slowing us down as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bremer got the game\u2019s scoring started as he knocked in a rebound of a Kirby Proctor shot, recording his second goal of the weekend to make it 1-0 Mavericks after 20 minutes.<\/p>\n

\n

McKade Webster's 2nd goal of the game is tonight's @Safeway<\/a> Goal of the Game. #GoPios<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7W92GZjJkO<\/a><\/p>\n

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) March 24, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n