It’s a pretty simple winning formula. David Carle said it best: “Whoever defends better will have the opportunity to move on.” The statement by Carle shows that Denver will need more than their gaudy scoring numbers to get by the Boston Terriers.
When looking at Denver’s defense, two words come to mind, “drastic improvement.” With one of the youngest teams in college hockey, a youthful back line was paired with an injured starting goalie, Matt Davis, and his freshmen replacements Freddie Halyk and Paxton Geisel, early in the season. In the second half of the regular season campaign, Kieran Cebrian, arguably DU’s top faceoff specialist, was injured for several weeks, allowing opponents extra offensive possessions. Then, Carter King and Massimo Rizzo were beset by injury. These absences provided the young team additional experience under pressure and forced defenders to take greater responsibility. Top pairing defender junior Sean Behrens and star freshman Zeev Buium mix youthful skill and veteran savvy. The second-pairing tandem of freshman Boston Buckberger and junior Shai Buium combines hustle and physicality while sophomores Lucas Olvestad and Kent Anderson bring a reliable defensive presence to the third pairing.
When talking about star forward Macklin Celebrini, Denver counters with a young star of their own in defenseman Zeev Buium. His skating and stickhandling allow him to be a force on both ends of the ice as he leads Denver in assists (38). The game will feature Celebrini and Buium on the brightest stage as fans watch the freshmen go head-to-head.
The biggest story for Denver is goaltender Matt Davis who has improved to boast a .911 SV%. Following a rough start to the season and injury, Davis has been on an upward trajectory over the second half. His zenith occurred two weeks ago at the Springfield Regional against UMass-Amherst in a double overtime marathon and Cornell. Davis played flawless hockey in only allowing one goal across nearly eight periods in each of the two tournament games. Denver’s defense stepped up as well, pushing the Minutemen and Big Red to the corners, cutting down shooting lanes, and selling out to block shots. They must do the same against the Terriers who will play more wide-open hockey, similar to Denver’s preferred style. These tight tournament games have taught DU a valuable lesson – they can compete in either a high-scoring regular-season affair or a grind-it-out tournament game. The bottom line is they know how to win.
Congrats to Matt Davis for being named @theNCHC Goaltender of the Month & Zeev Buium for being recognized as Co-Rookie of the Month.
Full Story: https://t.co/vCIUG8V0Aj#GoPios
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) April 3, 2024
When looking at Boston University’s defense, the word is ‘consistency.’ Like Denver, they are a high-scoring team but they have a solid backline and goaltender, Mathieu Caron. His SV% (.915) is slightly better than Davis’ and has held steady throughout the season. “It was new for him this year. But over the course of this year, he’s had a lot of experience in high-pressure situations,” head coach Jay Pandolfo recounted last week. Caron faces about 25 shots a night and allows 2.5 goals a game.
As for the back end, BU plays man-support zone defense. “We don’t play man-on-man,” Pandolfo said. “We play layers. When you make mistakes, there should be a guy there to help by backing someone up. Early in the season, we were giving up way too many chances to our slot. We’re doing a much better job there, and we’re not letting as many pucks into our slot. We’re protecting the front of the net.”
They have a similar defensive experience to Denver with two freshmen, Tom Wullander and Gavin McCarthy, playing on the second and third lines respectively. Boston University grad student Cade Webber was named Hockey East’s Best Defensive Defenseman after setting the NCAA single-season record with 118 blocks this year and he acts as the team’s defensive anchor. They also have the most recent Frozen Four experience from last season’s tournament, losing to eventual national runner-up Minnesota in the semis.
These two teams are similar in so many ways that it is likely to come down to defense as Carle says. Keep an eye on four players: Mathieu Caron in goal for BU and Macklin Celebrini matched up against Matt Davis in goal for DU and Zeev Buium. Like many tournament games, it is likely to be a low-scoring, goaltending battle, despite both teams’ elite firepower.
Vegas likes the Terriers over the Pioneers and sees a high-scoring contest. DraftKings set the O/U at 7 and the puckline currently sits at BU -1.5 (+135).
Top photos of Matt Davis and Mathieu Caron courtesy of Denver Athletics and Boston University Athletics, respectively