With the final matchup for the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship set, Boston College forward and Hobey Baker finalist Cutter Gauthier is eager to face off against the University of Denver again this season.
“It sounds like sweet revenge,” Gauthier said. “They came into our home rink and beat us, and that leaves a sour taste in our mouth still today. So, it will be a fun opportunity to play those guys again, and we cannot wait.”
The University of Denver Pioneers defeated the Boston University Terriers 2-1 in overtime, and the Boston College Eagles beat the University of Michigan 4-0 to advance to the title game. It was BC’s 15th consecutive win.
University of Denver vs. Boston University
BU dominated the first period, holding the dynamic Denver offense to only three shots and preventing them from getting through the neutral zone. Even though DU had an early powerplay, a bad turnover by Jack Devine at the blue line led to Luke Tuch getting a breakaway into DU’s zone. Tuch opened the scoring with Terrier’s first short-handed goal since January.
The Terriers held onto that positive momentum, and from the 12-minute mark, DU did not register a single shot.
Denver’s Head Coach, David Carle, credited the Terriers for their commanding start to the game but felt that the tides started to turn midway through the second period.
“I thought BU started excellent. I thought we were a little on our heels to start,” Carle said. “I thought our guys became more comfortable with the pace of the game, started winning races, able to put them on their heels a little bit in the second and third.”
At the 12-minute mark in the second, the momentum shifted to favor the Pioneers. They maintained offensive zone time and put up high-danger chances. With four minutes left in the period, Tristan Lemyre tied the game for the Pioneers with his second goal of the year.
Lemyre broke down his goal, crediting his teammate Miko Matikka, who made the play behind the net to gain possession.
“Miko [Matikka] got the puck down low and just made a nice pass,” Lemyre said. “I just took it to the net, and good things happen.”
It was a big goal for a player who was the 13th skater and a long time coming, according to Carle.
“He’s been a big part of why we went 12-1-1 without Rizzo in the lineup. He has been really good for us,” Carle said. “Happy for him that he was able to get rewarded, scoring that goal. He has done everything right. This year has not always had the most opportunity, but a total team-first guy.”
Denver controlled the second half of the period and had several high-danger chances, including a two-on-one that Mathieu Caron thwarted with a fantastic save. The game was tied going into the final frame of play.
DU had three more chances on the power play in the third period, and BU managed to kill everyone. Meanwhile, the Pioneers would not give the Terriers a chance on the manned advantage for the entire game.
That discipline is what Carle said was instrumental in the Pioneer’s win and something he saw displayed by the 2022 Championship team as well.
“We did it two years ago against Michigan. We did not take a penalty in the semifinal,” Carle said. “I thought that was a big part of our success. And tonight, I thought the same.”
Due in part to fantastic play by both goaltenders, the third period was scoreless, and the game spilled into overtime.
Carle felt that the goaltenders were the best players for both teams. Matt Davis of DU finished the game with a .972 SV% in the tournament, stopping 104 of 107 shots, and Caron made several incredible saves on odd man rush chances to keep the game within one.
“Caron’s a battler, a competitor. Thought he made it hard on us. Made saves through traffic that we thought had chances to go in. So, you tip your hat to him,” Carle said. “I thought both goaltenders were the teams’ two best players tonight. Our guy happened to make one more save than theirs.”
Halfway into the overtime period, BU surrendered a two-on-one chance to the Pioneers. Tristan Broz, a former Minnesota Golden Gopher and Minnesota native, held on and put the puck in the five hole to send Denver to the National Championship. It was Broz’s second game-winning overtime goal of the tournament.
It was a play that Broz said the team practiced before the game.
“We ran that drill yesterday doing 2-on-1s and a few times,” he said. “I scored, just kind of no-look, trying to shoot five-hole. And just kind of blacked out in that moment and happened to go in.”
Beyond his ability to score those clutch goals, Carle had high praise for Broz.
“You can just tell… the way he has practiced the last month and a half to two months, the pace, and the energy that he is bringing to the rink every day. It does not go unnoticed by us or his teammates,” Carle said. “It’s obviously leading to the results for him on the ice.”
Beyond the depth scoring from Broz and Lemyre, discipline, and stellar play by Davis, the Pioneers held Macklin Celebrini, the consensus first overall pick and Hobey Baker finalist, and Lane Hutson off the score sheet. It was something Carle said the team worked on in practice ahead of the game.
The Pioneers will compete for their 10th national championship; winning would give them the record for most NCAA championship titles of any team.
“Really proud of our guys, the effort, the resilience,” Carle said. “And we are staring 10 in the mirror Saturday. Really excited for that opportunity and cannot wait for that moment.”
Boston College vs. University of Michigan
Boston College opened the scoring two minutes into the first period, with Will Smith capitalizing on a two-on-one to give the Eagles an early one-nothing lead.
For New England native Smith, scoring the game-winning goal for Boston College in the Frozen Four was something out of a childhood fantasy.
“If you told me this as a kid, it would be kind of crazy. I remember the days I was watching Johnny Gaudreau in the same Frozen Four,” Smith said. “It has been a dream come true, and it would be unbelievable to get that trophy just like he did.”
Smith’s opening goal was the first of four that would be scored by the Eagles that night, something that is regular for BC’s dynamic and talented offense.
Sophomore Forward Cutter Gauthier said that the team’s ability to find offense quickly and easily is a result of their high competitive level.
“We’re a very competitive group with a lot of high octane on the offensive side. And we do our best to, you know, score goals. And we love doing it all season long,” Gauthier said. “Anytime you get an opportunity, we’re always striving to get pucks to the net and create chances.”
In the second, Michigan’s top-ranked power play got two opportunities against BC’s top-ranked penalty kill. BC killed the first, and on the second, which turned into a four-on-four opportunity, Smith scored his second of the night to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
Head Coach Greg Brown liked what he saw from the penalty kill going up against the Wolverines while it was still a one-goal game.
“Their power play was the best in the country. So, one, you want to limit chances which we were fortunate enough not to get too many, and a couple of them ended quickly,” Brown said. “Then when they move the puck as effectively as they do you have to get blocks when they get you out of position; we did a great job in that.”
Gauthier followed it up with a breakaway opportunity to stretch the lead to 3-0 BC. It was a completely dominant period for the Eagles. Gauthier said that gap control was something the coach preached heavily to the team and resulted in their ability to control Michigan’s quick transition and generate scoring chances off the rush.
“It is the small details, having good gaps. They have a solid forward core, and they like to transition fast,” Gauthier said. “Our D had great gaps all night, giving us the freedom to make plays off the rush.”
The University of Michigan won with explosive, multi-goal third periods in both their victories in the Maryland Heights Regionals. They needed one in the final 20 minutes against BC. They made a push, spending most of the first five minutes in the Eagles’ zones, but they could not find that success against the star-studded BC.
However, the Wolverines’ press left them vulnerable, and their defensemen could not get back in time to stop the BC rush; Gabe Perreault got the puck on a breakaway, took it behind the net and tucked it in with a wrap-around goal. That goal was the killing blow for the underdog Wolverines. Michigan stayed scoreless, giving Jacob Fowler the 32 save shut-out win; it was the first shutout win in a Frozen Four semi-final game since Michigan shut out North Dakota in 2011.
Smith gave major credit to Fowler for their win.
“It’s nice having him back there. He has such confidence in net,” Smith said. “There were a few too many odd men rushes so having him back there definitely helps; at 32 saves, he was just unreal tonight.”
Brown and his young but talented team said that the key to facing off against the Pioneers is to make sure they stay sharp.
“We are going to have to be very sharp. They are still able to generate offense at a very impressive rate,” Brown said. “Their defense is very active. They are going down the wall or joining the rush all the time. We are going to have to do a thorough job defensively when they have the puck.”
Maeve Hushman is a Dakota Student Sports Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
