ST. PAUL, Minn. – Michigan had a 26-year head start. It wasn’t enough. North Dakota had a chance. But too many near misses couldn’t hold off the greatest college hockey program of all time. On April 13, 2024, in front of 18,694 at the Xcel Energy Center, the University of Denver Pioneers punctuated their 74th season with a 2-0 shutout victory over #1 overall seed Boston College to finally overtake the Wolverines and win the coveted race to 10 national championships.

The story of the team that achieved college hockey immortality starts and ends with goaltender Matty Davis. The junior goalie from Calgary, who allowed just three goals in Denver’s four NCAA Tournament games, finished off what will go down in the annals of college hockey history as one of the greatest goaltending runs of all time with an emphatic shutout of the consensus top team in college hockey. Boston College, with all of its first-round NHL talent, was no match for Davis’ heroic 35-save shutout performance.

“He’s an unbelievable guy,” Denver senior captain McKade Webster said of Davis. “He’s gone through a lot in his career to be here. I’m so happy for him…I said that he would win a national championship one day [at Denver]. If I’m not here, he’ll still do it…he won us a national championship this go-around.”

Just four months ago, there was doubt that the Pioneers would make a run to the Frozen Four, let alone win their 10th national title this season. Denver’s defense was among the nation’s bottom feeders as the Pioneers struggled to find consistency in their own zone during Davis’ extended injury. The sky wasn’t falling but the ceiling was getting lower. Fast-forward back to April 13th and not only did Denver’s defense completely flip the script, Matt Davis found a whole other gear in his game when the schedule flipped to the postseason – a gear that has rarely been seen in the history of the sport.

Getting through UMass-Amherst in double overtime, Cornell in the regional final, and Boston U in overtime in the national semifinal was one thing. But their reward for holding those three teams to a combined three goals? Facing Cutter Gauthier, Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and the vaunted #1 Boston College Eagles. Davis and Denver didn’t blink. They rode their vastly improved defense and renewed commitment to that aspect of their game to this point so why change things up?

From the moment the puck dropped at the Xcel Energy Center on the season’s final game, the Pioneers were the best hockey team in the building and Davis’ calming presence showed early when he turned away a Ryan Leonard breakaway with relative ease. BC’s speed was always there, especially on their numerous attempted stretch passes, but Denver consistently stayed above the Eagles in the neutral zone and their puck support, especially defensively, was flawless. They kept every BC skater to the outside and in the rare event that the Eagles were able to get the puck to the net front, Davis was there, making the craziest saves look routine.

Even with Davis’ best brick wall impression, they had to find a way to beat BC’s own elite netminder in freshman Jacob Fowler. The Pioneers outshot the Eagles 8-5 in the opening frame and, at one point, held a 7-1 edge in that department but Fowler was too good and was just as calm as Davis throughout the opening period to allow BC to muster a late push and generate some momentum.

“We felt like our offensive zone was the most important zone to try and slow them down,” head coach David Carle said of his team’s defensive effort. “How they break pucks out, how they transition out of their d-zone, how they pull pucks back, and really try to spread you out. It makes it really, really challenging…They’re a team that keeps you on your heels and if you play on your heels, you’re playing with fire.”

When the Eagles failed to flip the script early in the second period, Jared Wright finally found a window, albeit a slim one that required him to bounce the puck off of the post and Fowler’s helmet before finding the back of the net, but he didn’t miss and he sent the hundreds (if not more) of crimson & gold faithful who made the trip into a frenzy with the game’s opening goal. Six minutes later, Rieger Lorenz, the beneficiary of more Zeev Buium wizardry, sniped a wrister past a helpless Fowler to double the Pioneers’ lead and put them on 10’s doorstep.

“Zeev’s been doing that all year,” Lorenz said of the younger Buium’s highlight-reel pass to set up his goal. “He climbed up the ice, beat a few guys, I was lucky enough to find some open ice there, he found me, and I was lucky enough to put it in.”

BC’s push was coming, though. And Davis and Denver knew it. The Eagles outshot the Pioneers 23-5 in the final period as in their desperation, they flung every bit of rubber at Davis that they could. But even with two third-period power plays, Denver’s first two kills of the Frozen Four, they couldn’t solve DU’s netminder, including on one save that the English language is woefully unprepared to describe:

"MATT DAVIS IS OUT OF HIS MIND!!!!"

📺 ESPN2#MFrozenFour #SCTop10 x @DU_Hockey pic.twitter.com/EnFT0DHuHl

— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) April 13, 2024

“I just saw the puck go back door again and I was like, ‘uh oh.'” Davis said with a characteristic nonchalance. “Then I dove over and made the save.”

If there was any doubt in anyone’s mind, that save erased it. With Davis’ save of the century, the championship was assured and no matter how desperate the Eagles were in the closing minutes, Davis was going to stop all 23 third-period shots to tie Peter Mannino’s single-period Frozen Four saves record set in 2005 and the Pioneers were winning their 10th title.

“I think when [Dan Ritchie] stepped in to save the university, it was with this vision in mind,” Carle said, recounting the history of the University, its struggles, and resurgence. “It’s so special that he got to be here to experience this because in his wildest dreams, he’s got a high standard, but I don’t know if he would have dreamed of five championships since [Ritchie Center] was built and being the first to 10.

“We owe so much to the people that came before us and we’re so proud to be Pioneers and to carry that honor of being the first to 10.”

For 26 years, the University of Michigan held the standard for success on the national stage. Not anymore. Maize and blue are things of the past.

The kings of college hockey now wear Crimson and Gold.

Top photo courtesy of Jim Rosvold/NCHC