Championship Bound: DU Hockey to Face Off Against Boston College in Title Game

The Denver Pioneers’ offensive prowess resulted in memorable moments throughout the season and earned them a chance to battle BC for the championship.

NCAA Photos via Getty Images

The University of Denver hockey team will play for a record 10th national title on Saturday after defeating Boston University 2-1 in overtime Thursday night.

Forward Tristan Broz scored his second overtime goal in the NCAA Tournament to get the win for the Pioneers—his fourth game-winner of the season. Forward Tristan Lemyre scored DU’s only goal during regulation to tie the game 1-1 in the second period, marking his second of the season and the sixth of his career.

Denver will face Boston College in the national championship at 4 p.m. MT on Saturday at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minn. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2. This is DU’s first return to the NCAA championship game since 2022 when they last won the title.

DU defeated Boston College in the regular season 4-3 when the team traveled to Chestnut Hill back in October.

DU and the University of Michigan each have nine national titles in their respective program histories. DU has the chance to take the outright lead for the most in college hockey history this weekend after Michigan lost to Boston College in its semifinal game 4-0.

The DU newsroom looked back on a few memorable moments from the season thus far.

2023-24 season highlights

• For the first time in program history, DU has reached at least 30 wins in three straight seasons. Denver is one of two teams in college hockey to reach the 30-win threshold this year, the other being Boston College.

• Currently without a band, the Edina Hornets High School Pep Band stepped in and played on DU’s behalf on Thursday. The group will also play on Saturday.

• DU is currently on an eight-game win streak, dating back to the team’s 4-3 victory against Colorado College on March 9.

• The senior class is among the winningest group in school history with 102 victories in 148 career games.

• Sophomore Kent Anderson received the NCAA’s Elite 90 award for scholastic achievement, given to the student-athlete at each respective NCAA championship site with the highest cumulative grade-point average. Anderson is a finance major in DU’s Daniels College of Business and carries a cumulative 3.975 GPA. His award marks the seventh Denver student-athlete and the third member of the hockey program to earn the award.

• The team’s longest NCAA Tournament game in program history came against UMass on March 28 when they won 2-1 in double overtime.

• Head Coach David Carle was named a finalist for National Coach of the Year and forward Jack Devine was a Hobey Baker Award top-10 finalist.

• Defensemen Zeev Buium and Sean Behrens received regular season awards from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Buium was named both Rookie of the Year and Offensive Defenseman of the Year and Behrens was named Defensive Defenseman of the Year.

• Carle and Buium won gold with the U.S. National Junior Team back in January. This was Carle’s first-time coaching Team USA at any level, the first Denver coach to lead the U.S. World Junior team since Marshall Johnston in 1977. Denver Director of Hockey Operations Travis Culhane and DU Equipment Manager Nick Meldrum were also on the staff.

• Goalie Matt Davis has started in 25 straight games for the Pioneers, tying the previous record set by Magnus Chrona (25) during the 2021-22 season. His NCAA tournament save percentage is .972.

• Averaging 4.89 goals per game, DU had the top offense in the country during the regular season. Boston College was second at 4.38 goals per game.

• DU hockey has relied on everyone to create offense. Eleven players have scored 10 or more goals this season and nine have tallied 30 or more points.

• Success has often come in the second period for the Pioneers, as they’ve outscored opponents 80-39.

• Seven athletes have played in every game this season: forward Connor Caponi, Behrens, Devine, forwards Rieger Lorenz, Aidan Thompson and Jared Wright and defenseman Boston Buckberger.

• Buium leads the team with 38 assists and is second in scoring with 49 points. He’s also scored the most goals on the season as a defenseman (11).

• Forward Miko Matikka, with 20 goals on the season, has the second most goals on the team this season and is fourth among all freshmen in the NCAA.