The University of Denver hockey team crossed two time zones to arrive at the NCAA hockey region in Springfield, Massachusetts.
There, the top-seeded Pioneers faced the fourth-seeded Massachusetts Minutemen team. They had to drive about 42 miles to reach MassMutual Center for Thursday afternoon's do-or-die game.
But somehow, the Pios never ran out of gas.
In a back-and-forth marathon that featured two great performances in net, junior forward Tristan Bross slid a wrist shot into the right corner of the goal to lead DU to a 2-1 overtime double victory.
The winner of this game will put the Pioneers (29-9-3) on the verge of their 19th trip to Frozen 4, but between them they will travel to St. Paul, Minn. There's everything that stands between a road trip, a date with Maine or Cornell University. Saturday in Springfield, Massachusetts.
“It wasn't easy,” Broz said on ESPN's broadcast after the win. “That was a really great hockey game. (The University of Massachusetts) gave us their all.”
Of course, if it weren't for goaltender Matt Davis' play near the net, Bros wouldn't have even had a chance to score the winning goal. The junior repelled 46 shots, including several from close range, and managed to stay in the game despite appearing to be injured on a split in front of his own net in the second OT.
“I felt like they could have scored five or 10 goals there,” Broz said of the University of Massachusetts. “…(Davis) is a warrior and we love him.”
DU enters the region as the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA's 16 teams and played well from the start, building a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal in the first period.
This game was the only time the Pios outscored the Minutemen in regulation (20 wins, 14 losses, 3 draws), but the nation's leading scorer (4.85 points per game) struggled to take control of the game. He went 0-for-2 on the power play.
Rookie defenseman Boston Backberger put the Pioneers ahead with a wrist shot from the blue line 5:12 into the second period, giving the Pioneers a 1-0 lead. But the momentum soon shifted, with Massachusetts (second in 7-for-14 shots on goal) rocking the DU net, and Liam Gorman scored the tying goal on a scramble 12:52 into the next period.
Both teams traded power-play chances in the third period, with Davis converting two close-range chances and helping the Minutemen send the game into overtime.
Massachusetts goaltender Michael Frabal (41 saves) nearly matched Harris, stopping several blank shots from the Pioneers in the overtime session, including one by junior forward Jack Devine in the first OT. It also included a shot.
After that, it was a back-and-forth affair, but when Bross got past Hrabal in front of the goal, Bross spun and fired a shot, scoring the decisive goal.
Want more sports news? Sign up for Sports Omlet and get all the analysis on Denver's teams.
