Hockey, Men's Sports

Pioneers Exact Overtime Revenge on Broncos to Advance to NCHC Title Game

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It was always going to end in overtime. It was a postseason matchup between Denver and Western Michigan. Those are (apparently) the rules. It had to end in overtime. And boy, did the third straight postseason overtime matchup between the #2-seed Pioneers (24-11-3) and #3-seed Broncos (26-10-1), this time in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals, deliver. DU never led, but it didn’t matter, as Boston Buckberger netted the equalizer late in the third before Samu Salminen potted the game-winner under six minutes into extra time to send the Pioneers to their third-straight NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game with the 2-1 overtime victory at Magness Arena.

There’s just something about these teams – the two most recent NCHC and national champions – when they meet in the postseason lately. Even in tonight’s low-scoring affair, at least next to the barnburners that were last year’s 4-3 and 3-2 double overtime games in the Frozen Faceoff championship and Frozen Four semifinal, respectively, the best of college hockey was on full display. The speed, skill, and awe-inspiring goaltending from both teams showcased the sport at this level as no other matchup can.

And during the first-ever Frozen Faceoff semifinal weekend hosted on campus (Minnesota Duluth routed North Dakota in Grand Forks, 5-1), the atmosphere allowed DU and WMU to hit the ground running. The pace was breathless from the jump, and it was difficult at times to keep up with the puck. But both teams looked like the seasoned postseason veterans they are, rolling with the momentum shifts and doing their level best to play smart playoff hockey (you know, get pucks in deep, keep the puck to the outside, etc.).

About mid-way through the first period, it was clear to every person inside Magness Arena and all NCHC.tv viewers that this was going to be a goaltending clinic between DU’s Johnny Hicks and WMU’s Hampton Slukynsky. Both goalies kept the back of the net clean through two periods with strong positioning and periodic sprawling saves. Each goalie matched the other save-for-save and highlight-for-highlight until the second half of the third period when Bobby Cowan finally broke the scoreless tie for the Broncos. Hicks wasn’t out of position; Cowan just turned and fired a perfectly-screened shot from the point that beat him glove-side.

The way both teams and goaltenders had been playing, it certainly seemed like one was all it was going to take to move on to next weekend’s championship game. But barely a minute after Cowan’s goal, Iiro Hakkarainen handed the Pioneers a golden opportunity pull back even with a hooking penalty. DU head coach David Carle called a timeout mid-way through a lackluster power play and decided to gamble a bit – he pulled Hicks for the extra skater to make the power play six-on-four. And it paid off almost immediately as Boston Buckberger beat Slukynsky high glove side with a one-timer from Eric Pohlkamp off of a perfectly executed faceoff play started by freshman center Clarke Caswell.

Overtime. Naturally. What else?

This time, though, DU and WMU fans didn’t have to wait for nearly an overtime and a half to be played before getting a game-winner – Samu Salminen ended the game just under six minutes into the extra frame with one of the flukier goals you’ll see, and only video can do it justice:

Salminen’s goal capped a fantastic hockey game that did a perfect job showing why the move to campus sites for the Frozen Faceoff semifinal and championship games was necessary. The energy inside the building at University and Buchtel was palpable throughout the broadcast, and only helped both teams deliver yet another instant classic. Yes, last year’s double-overtime championship thriller won by the Broncos in St. Paul was incredible, but the fact that it was dress-like-a-seat night at the X sort of turned what should have been a fantastic celebration into a bit of a dud.

Now, the Pioneers get set to host the first-ever NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game held on campus, with the #4 seed Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, 5-1 winners of the other semifinal over North Dakota, coming to Denver next weekend. It will be Denver’s third-straight championship game appearance and first against the Bulldogs since the 2022 Frozen Faceoff championship in St. Paul, which saw UMD’s Hunter Shepard shut out the Pioneers in a 2-0 slog (we all know what happened next in Loveland and then Boston, though). Tickets for the championship are not yet on sale, but we will at the very least retweet the DU Hockey account with the link when they are.

Highlights

Top photo courtesy of Denver Athletics

7 thoughts on “Pioneers Exact Overtime Revenge on Broncos to Advance to NCHC Title Game”

  3. What a fantastic game! The Pios carried the play for most of the 1st and much of the 2nd period, However, the Broncs were faster to the puck and stronger from then on until the end of regulation. Hicks was tested several times in the last half of the game. Save for the single goal, he stood tall.
    The score sheet appears to give the winning goal to Salminen, with Lorenz getting the primary assist. It doesn’t really matter. I’d give the credit to grit and a touch of luck.
    Can’t wait for the championship game next Saturday vs Duluth, a surprise 5-1 winner over NoDak.

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  4. Great playoff hockey.

    DU finally started well and set the game tone early, with the fourth line starting against the Broncos’ top group, and the rest of the Pio team carrying the high energy level, playing with precision and leg drive, testing Slukynsky and carrying the play in the scoreless first period.

    But in the second Western adjusted and responded, as Champions do, by exploiting DU’s gaps and using quick transitions to get their skilled guys into more open spaces

    Sometimes, you need your goalie to step up in win a game for you, and I thought Hicks did just that for Denver. Western was the better team from the midpoint of the game to the end, but Hicks made some very big saves to keep the Pios in it, and Hicks set the stage for the high drama in the final minutes.

    The one genius coaching move was Carle’s riverboat gamble to pull Hicks in DU’s PP in the final five minutes for the extra skater was an amazing piece of coaching. The superb execution on Bucky’s game-tying goal was masterful – a wired shot only a handful of offensive d-men can make at this level, and he drilled it for the home fans.

    Now UMD comes to town next weekend with DU on Spring Break. Hope DU can fill the building again. I can remember 40 years ago to the last time DU played for a league trophy on home ice back in 1986, when a red-hot University of Minnesota squad came to town for a two game, total goals series. The Pios cooled the Gophers, beating Minnesota in clutch style, 3-0 and 3-2 before a sellout DU crowd to advance to the NCAAs.

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  5. It was electric in Magness. After the game, David Carle said the home host NCHC format was ‘proof of concept.’ If Saturday was any indication, it was a huge success. DU players said during their time in Denver, it was the loudest it had ever been in Magness during the third period.

    What a game!

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  6. Agree. Lots of students. Lots of energy. Definitely the campus sites for NCHC is the best! The crowd was giving the refs a hard time and that’s always fun.

    As a side note, I do believe the school could do a better job with the national anthem. Our daughter used to sing in front of large crowds and the female performing it is marginal. Once again, I’ll say Lamont School of Music and ask the question.

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  7. DU’s best pre-game anthems are when the DU’s Lamont School Choirs sing them, usually vs CC. They sound elegant and quite majestic…

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