The University of Denver hockey team traveled across two time zones to get to its NCAA hockey regional in Springfield, Massachusetts.
There, the top-seeded Pioneers faced the fourth-seeded UMass Minutemen team, which had to drive about 26 miles to reach MassMutual Center for Thursday afternoon’s win-or-go home game.
But somehow, the Pios never ran out of energy.
In a long and competitive game that showcased two outstanding performances in goal, junior forward Tristan Broz scored a wrist shot into the right corner of the net to give DU a 2-1 double-overtime win.
The victory puts the Pioneers (29-9-3) on the verge of their 19th trip to the Frozen Four. The only thing standing between them and a trip to St. Paul, Minnesota, is a game against Maine or Cornell on Saturday in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Broz wouldn’t have had a chance at the game-winner if goaltender Matt Davis hadn't played exceptionally in goal. The junior stopped a total of 46 shots and stayed in the game after appearing to injure himself in the second overtime.
DU came into the regional as the No. 3 overall seed in the 16-team NCAA bracket and showed its strength early on, leading 10-5 in shots on goal in the first period.
However, that was the only period the Pios outshot the Minutemen (20-14-3). The nation’s top scoring team (4.85 goals per game) struggled to take control of the game.
Freshman defenseman Boston Buckberger put the Pioneers in the lead with a wrist shot from the blue line 5:12 into the second period.
Shortly after, the momentum shifted as UMass attacked the DU net (14-7 shots-on-goal advantage in the second period) and Liam Gorman scored the equalizer in a scramble in front of the net 12:52 into the period.
The two teams exchanged power play opportunities in the third period, with Davis denying a pair of close-range chances for the Minutemen to help send the game to overtime.
The game continued back and forth until Broz managed to score the deciding goal, turning and shooting a wrister with assistance from Sam Harris’ screen in front of the net.
