Apr 10, 2024 - Sports

DU hockey faces Boston's Celebrini as it goes for 10th national title

John Frank

The Denver Pioneers celebrate a goal against the Cornell Big Red during the regional championship final on March 30. Photo: Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images — The Denver Pioneers celebrate a goal against the Cornell Big Red during the regional championship final on March 30. Photo: Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images

The University of Denver men's hockey team enters Thursday's Frozen Four game with the three ingredients it needs to deliver a victory: a hot goalie, three freshman phenoms and nine veterans with a championship ring.

State of play: The Pioneers — who lead Division I schools with the top scoring offense at 4.71 goals per game — face off at 3pm against Boston University in St. Paul, Minnesota, the first of two games DU needs to win to claim a record 10th national title. It'll be aired on ESPN2.

Goalie Matt Davis stopped 70 of 72 shots in two NCAA regional games and won Most Outstanding Player.
Defenseman Zeev Buium, one of 11 freshmen on the team, leads the squad in assists and is second in scoring.

By the numbers: The team is 13-2-1 since the start of February, when a blowout home loss to Western Michigan acted as a midseason wake-up call, the Denver Post reports.

The other side: Boston is led by 17-year-old Mackin Celebrini, a freshman who is a projected No. 1 NHL draft pick this summer and hockey's next big superstar. Celebrini has 32 goals and 64 points in 37 games and is the reigning Hockey East player of the year.

"He's so talented in every aspect of the game," Buium told the Post about his former youth teammate. "I think he's always making a difference out there."

What's next: The winner plays in the national championship at 4pm Saturday, facing the winner of the Boston College-Michigan game.

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DU hockey faces Boston's Celebrini as it goes for 10th national title

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