Home Blog Page 2

NCAA leading goal scorer Gauthier leaves Boston College after sophomore year, signs NHL deal with Anaheim

By
-
Boston College sophomore Cutter Gauthier was an offensive spark plug this season for the Eagles (photo: John Quackenbos).

The NHL’s Anaheim Ducks have signed Boston College sophomore forward Cutter Gauthier to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning this season.

Gauthier led the NCAA with 38 goals at BC this season, tied for the most goals in a single season in program history and the most by an NCAA player since 1999-00. Gauthier helped Boston College to an appearance in the 2024 NCAA championship game, adding 27 assists for 65 points with a plus-23 rating in 41 games in 2023-24.

He also led the NCAA in game-winning goals (10), was second in points and tied for second in power-play goals (13). He was named a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist, NCAA All-American, Hockey East first team all-star and the winner of the Walter Brown Award as the top player in New England.

Acquired from Philadelphia for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round selection Jan. 8, Gauthier has scored the most goals among NCAA skaters the past two seasons (54), recording 54 goals and 102 points in 73 career games at Boston College. As a freshman in 2022-23, Gauthier scored a team-high 16-21=37 points in 32 games, leading the Eagles in goals, assists, points and power-play goals (7). He was named a Hockey East third team all-star and a unanimous selection to the Hockey East all-rookie team.

Born in Skelleftea, Sweden, and a native of Scottsdale, Ariz., Gauthier has helped Team USA earn medals at numerous international tournaments.

He led the Americans to a gold medal at the 2024 World Junior Championship, co-leading the tournament in points (2-10-12) and assists while serving as an alternate captain. He was named the best forward and to the 2024 tournament all-star team, leading Team USA in points and assists while scoring the game-winning goal in the third period of the semifinal to help the U.S. advance to the gold medal game.

He also represented Team USA at the 2023 World Championship, ranking tied for second in goals at the tournament and recording the most points by an under-20 player (7-2-9). Gauthier also helped the U.S. earn medals at the 2023 World Junior Championship (bronze, 4-6-10 in seven games) and 2022 U-18 World Championship (silver, 3-6-9 in six games).

Gauthier was originally selected by Philadelphia in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

First to 10: Denver wins record 10th NCAA title behind Davis’ shutout

By
-
Denver won its 10th NCAA championship Saturday, beating Boston College (photo: Jim Rosvold).

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Denver Pioneers have won the race to 10.

Third-seed Denver pitched a 2-0 shutout in the national championship game over top-seeded Boston College on Saturday behind an all-world performance by goaltender Matt Davis — the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player — to capture a record 10th national championship.

It’s Denver’s second national title in three years and third in the last seven tournaments.

Davis, who saw just 12 shots through two periods of play, stopped all 23 shots he faced in the third period, including a highlight-reel save on Ryan Leonard.

“Super human,” Denver coach David Carle said when asked to describe Davis’ performance. “This whole [NCAA] run, he gave up three goals. It’s incredible what he did. A lot of big-time saves in those games. It’s not like we weren’t giving up any chances. There’s many moments in all these games that he could have cracked and he didn’t.”

The save on Leonard came with 17:25 remaining in the game and Boston College trailing 2-0. The Eagles were on their first power play when Gabe Perreault passed to Leonard, who seemingly had an open net. Davis, though, had other ideas, diving across the crease in desperation and making a save that will be shown on highlight reels everywhere.

“I saw the puck go back door again,” said Davis. “I was like, ‘Uh-oh,’ and I dove over and made the save.

“I saw [the save] it on the jumbotron. I thought ‘Sweet.’ As long as it’s not in the back of the net, that’s sweet.”

Because of Davis, Denver’s offense, which entered the game ranked first nationally, didn’t need to be dominant. That said, it was opportunistic in the second period, when momentum could have swung either way.

At 9:42, Jared Wright found space on the right side and fired a high shot. The puck hit the left post, bounced off goalie Boston College goaltender Jacob Fowler’s back and then hopped along the ice multiple times, eluding the stick of Eagles defenseman Drew Fortescue, and it trickled into the net.

That sparked the Pioneers.

Fowler was forced to stop Wright on a breakaway at 12:55 and Aidan Thompson in close at 14:04.

But Fowler couldn’t stop a blocker side snipe by Lorenz at 15:16 that gave the Pioneers a 2-0 lead. It was the first time in the tournament that Denver has led by two goals. The Pioneers won their first three games 2-1.

In the third, the BC offense that had scored four or more goals in seven consecutive games but had been smothered through 40 minutes made a significant push. They began getting pucks in back of the Denver defense and establishing their forecheck.

But then it became the Davis show.

“We made a great push in the third,” said BC coach Greg Brown. “[We] had a lot of chances. Their goalie played great.”

Great is an appropriate way to describe Davis, who became the first goaltender to shut out Boston College all season.

It was an appropriate ending for a goaltender who stopped 138 of the 141 shots he faced in the four-game tournament, good for a .979 save percentage. And it’s a far cry from some of the struggles he faced earlier in the season.

“I had to go through a couple of hiccups to learn that throughout the year, it was just kind of trusting in the process,” said Davis.

The 10th championship moved the Pioneers past Michigan for the most titles in men’s Division I history. And it cements Carle (two national championships), the second-youngest coach in Division I men’s hockey, among the best in the game.

“It’s a far cry from six years ago when everybody said I was too young to do this,” Carle said. “I think we’ve got great people. I’ve been extremely blessed to have great mentors, be supported by an unbelievable wife and family, and it’s a total team effort to do what we do at Denver.

“These guys, everybody laid it all on the line, and we’re national champions. So proud of them. They’ll walk together forever.”

A spectacular save was only the start of a massive 3rd period for Denver’s Davis

By
-
Denver goalie Matt Davis starts to move to his right to stop a shot by Boston College’s Ryan Leonard, right, in the third period on Saturday (photo: Jim Rosvold).

ST. PAUL, Minn. — In Saturday’s 2-0 national championship win for Denver, most outstanding player Matt Davis made 35 saves. Many of them were great.

One was spectacular.

On the power play, Boston College freshman Gabe Perreault found an open Ryan Leonard on the left side and fed the puck across the crease.

“I just saw the puck go back door again,” Davis said. “I was like, uh-oh, and I dove over and made the save.”

Davis kept what seemed a sure goal out of a gaping net, preserving a two-goal lead for the Pioneers in a third period that saw Boston College pepper the net with 23 shots.

Davis caught the replay of the goal on the big center-ice video board as he caught his breath.

“I just saw it on the jumbotron,” Davis said. “I just thought, sweet. Like, as long as it’s not in the back of the net, that’s sweet.”

The shutout win capped an NCAA tournament in which Davis allowed only three goals.

Denver coach David Carle’s one-word description of Davis in the tournament: “Superhuman.”

Despite heroic numbers in the stretch, the season has had some peaks and valleys for Davis.

He saw limited action in the past two seasons behind Magnus Chrona in the lineup. With Chrona graduating, the starting job fell to Davis.

“I hadn’t played for a while,” said Davis. “So I had to get back into some certain details and habits.”

There were some games that didn’t go his way, the worst of which was getting pulled early in the second period at home against Western Michigan on Feb. 3 after giving up five goals on 17 shots.

So Davis had to focus, especially on being calm.

“I had to go through a couple of hiccups to learn that throughout the year,” said Davis. “It was just kind of trusting in the process that me and (goalie coach) Ryan Massa set out and my sports psychologist Stephen Gonzalez.

“And we made it so that I would just focus on my breath. Kind of pump my own tires in net when I would talk to myself. It sounds kind of weird, but I am a goalie, so …”

“It’s incredible what he did,” said Carle. “There’s many moments in all these games that he could have cracked and he didn’t.”

“I’m so happy for him,” said Denver captain McKade Webster. “And I don’t want to say I called it, but I said he’ll win a national championship one day here.

“So, like, we all knew this in the back room, how good he was, and he would carry us to a national championship.”

The 23 saves by Davis in the third period tied an NCAA championship game record set by former Pioneers goalie Peter Mannino in the third period of Denver’s 2005 win over North Dakota, 4-1.

Carle succinctly summed up the importance of Davis to Denver’s 10th national championship.

“Without him we’re not sitting here,” Carle said.

Wright reaches the pinnacle with Denver as he plays near Minnesota home

By
-
Jared Wright, right, celebrates his second-period goal for Denver on Saturday (photo: Jim Rosvold).

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Jared Wright knows a thing or two about scoring big goals in the Xcel Energy Center.

As a high schooler, the Burnsville, Minn., native scored the game-winning goal for St. Thomas Academy in the 2020 Minnesota State Hockey Tournament, helping the underdog Cadets knock off top-seeded Andover.

Wright remembers that goal, but his team ultimately came up short in the state tournament. In Saturday night’s national championship game against Boston College, the Denver sophomore scored a goal that he will no doubt remember forever — both for its uniqueness and for its impact.

His goal helped break open what was a scoreless tie midway though the second period as the Pioneers beat the Eagles 2-0 for their 10th national title.

“Obviously it’s a big dream growing up in Minnesota to win (a state championship), but winning this is I think so much bigger. It’s the pinnacle of my life so far,” said Wright.

The goal, which came off a Denver defensive-zone faceoff win, was a strange one. Wright used his speed to get up the ice quickly and then took a feed from linemate Rieger Lorenz. When he took the low-angle shot from close to the goal line, he was aiming over BC goaltender Jacob Fowler’s shoulder. Instead, the puck hit the post and bounced off Fowler’s back.

Fowler tried to make a backhand grab with his glove, but the puck fluttered in the net for the goal.

“I just threw it toward the net, and luckily it hit the post. It was rolling all over the place and somehow it found a way in,” Wright said.

Wright is one of two Minnesotans on Denver’s roster this season. The other — Bloomington native Tristan Broz — scored the overtime game-winner in Thursday night’s semifinal game against Boston University.

And that’s not to mention the third Minnesota connection on the team. Lorenz, a native of Calgary, was a second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2022; he scored the other goal in Saturday’s game. Broz and Lorenz were both named to the Frozen Four all-tournament team.

Broz, who played his freshman season at Minnesota, wasn’t on the team when Denver won the title in 2022. He’s grateful that he made the decision to transfer — he got to win two trophies on hometown ice this season, this one and the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.

“It’s unbelievable,” Broz said. “It adds a special extra part to it. And to do it with these guys is the best part.”

Wright, a sophomore who skated in all 44 of Denver’s games this season, scored 15 goals for the Pioneers. He might not be the first name that comes to mind when they think of Denver’s No. 1 scoring offense, but he’s an important player for coach David Carle.

“I’m not sure there’s a faster player in college hockey,” Carle said. “His speed is exceptional. I think his offensive confidence continues to grow. Again, 15 goals in college hockey is not an easy thing to do. And I think he’s learning to score in different ways.

“You watch him in juniors, a lot of it, truthfully, was the breakaway he had tonight. He scored a few of those goals this year. Most of his goals last year were that way. But he’s scoring in different ways around the net, finding open ice in quiet areas. So that’s been great to see.

“And he’s the nicest human you’ll ever meet. Amazing, amazing kid. So proud of him. Teammates love him. You can tell how much it means to him to be here and to be part of this, and there’s not many people that you cheer harder for than Jared Wright, I’ll tell you that.”

Wright’s enthusiasm for the program showed during a postgame interview in the Denver locker room. He smiled the entire time from underneath a somewhat oversized national title baseball cap and pieces of the net.

“It means everything. Especially having my grandparents here, they don’t get to see me play a whole lot. Scoring in front of them, and my mom and my brothers and my family … it means the whole world,” Wright said of playing in Minnesota. “It’s the biggest moment of my life. I’m just so proud to be a Pio and to be part of this program. To know so many of the guys … I don’t even know what I’m saying now, but it’s the people here. The people make the program great, and I’m really proud to be here.”

5 numbers to know from Denver’s win over Boston College in the Men’s Frozen Four championship game

By
-
Denver’s Sean Behrens and Boston College’s Gabe Perreault chat after a whistle in Saturday’s game (photo: Brad Olson).

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Let’s look at these five numbers from Denver’s 2-0 victory over Boston College in Saturday’s national championship game.

Only 6 penalties taken all tournament

When you’re able to play disciplined hockey, it’s easy to maintain the edge over your opponent and keep playing your style. After taking only three penalties in all of the Springfield Regional, Denver went penalty-free on Thursday and took just two on Saturday, but killed off every one of them for a perfect penalty kill in the NCAA tournament.

2 is all they needed

The nation’s most potent offense at 4.65 goals per game entering Saturday was held to two goals per game in the NCAA tournament. Before the new year began, that kind of scoring output likely would not have been enough for the Pioneers to win.

But thanks to an incredible defensive effort, they won the title by giving up only three goals in the tournament and just one in the Frozen Four. While the defense stepped it up at the right time, goaltender Matt Davis got a lot of credit as Frozen Four most outstanding player.

Speaking of Davis … 139 saves is something else

Of the 142 shots Davis faced in the NCAA tournament, only three got past him, good for a .979 save percentage. And of the 68 shots he faced in the Frozen Four, only one got past him, and none did on Saturday as he made 35 saves.

Goaltending seemed to make the biggest difference in the 2024 Frozen Four; there were some spectacular saves made by the netminders.

2 shutouts in the Frozen Four is a record

The 2024 Men’s Frozen Four was the first with two shutouts.

Davis and Boston College’s Jacob Fowler were the two best goalies in the field, but Davis had some truly spectacular saves, especially against BC late Saturday when the Eagles were making their final push.

10 championships is a record

The Pioneers’ victory over the Eagles clinched them their 10th championship, breaking a tie with Michigan for the most all-time.

Denver figured things out at the right time to finish the season on a nine-game winning streak and with wins in 12 of its final 13 games.

2nd-period stretch without chances costly for Boston College in title game

By
-
Boston College players react after their 2-0 loss to Denver in Saturday’s NCAA championship game (photo: Brad Olson).

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Boston College hadn’t been shut out this season. Coming into Saturday’s national championship game against Denver, the lowest output in a game for the Eagles was one goal, and BC won that game — 1-0 vs. New Hampshire on March 3.

But Denver was able to bottle up the potent Eagles offense for two periods, and Pioneers goalie Matt Davis did the rest en route to a 2-0 win.

The turning point was midway though the second period, shortly after a Denver power play, when the Pioneers held Boston College without a shot for a 5:13 stretch that saw Denver out-attempt the Eagles 14-0 and score both of their goals.

“I thought (early in) the second period we did a nice job, had a great penalty kill, and then it seemed like they took momentum,” BC coach Greg Brown said.

“We should have taken momentum after a good penalty kill. But the next few minutes, five, seven minutes or so, they seemed to just have better legs right in that stretch.”

“They did a good job slowing us down, especially in the neutral zone,” BC forward Jack Malone said. “When we got into the offensive zone, I felt until the third period they did a good job keeping us to the outside and keeping our shots (to be) not as much of a threat we want them to be.”

“They were a little quicker on pucks, and they were able to capitalize on a couple, and then we made a great push in the third,” said Brown. “(In the third) we had a lot of chances. Their goalie played great. They got some blocks. We hit a post or two.”

In the third, Boston College’s offense opened up, putting 23 shots on net, but Denver goalie Matt Davis was a wall. His 23 stops in the third tied a Frozen Four record for most saves in a period, also held by a Denver goalie: Peter Mannino made 23 in the third period of the national championship against North Dakota in 2005 (a 4-1 Denver win).

“I commend their goalie,” said Malone. “He did a tremendous job for them, and they have a great team. They know how to win, and I think that they just used their experience to their advantage.

“If we could go back and try to change the way we started, we would, but that’s not how it works.”

Denver coach David Carle stressed his team’s defensive play though the first two periods.

“(Slowing down BC) was everything,” said Carle. “We feel our offensive zone was the most important zone to slow them down with how they break pucks out, how they transition out of their D-zone, how they pull pucks out and really try to spread you out.

“They make it really, really challenging, and I thought in the third they actually started to put more pucks behind us, generate possession that way rather than trying to go through us off the rush. I thought we did that well the first two periods and the third period was Matt Davis’ show.”

Watch: USCHO analyzes the ‘perfection’ of Denver’s win over Boston College

By
-

ST. PAUL, Minn. — USCHO’s Ed Trefzger and Derek Schooley, the head coach at Robert Morris, break down Denver’s 2-0 win over Boston College for the 2024 NCAA men’s hockey championship on Saturday.

Photos: The on-ice celebration after Denver earns its 10th NCAA championship

By and
-

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Denver celebrated an NCAA championship for the 10th time on Saturday after defeating Boston College 2-0 at the Xcel Energy Center.

Here are photos taken after the horn sounded.

Photos: Top shots from Denver’s victory over Boston College for 2024 NCAA championship

By and
-

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Denver scored twice in the second period and got 35 saves from Matt Davis to beat Boston College 2-0 on Saturday to win the 2024 NCAA championship.

Here are game photos from the Xcel Energy Center.

Denver wins a record 10th NCAA title, beating Boston College in final

By
-
Denver’s Jared Wright, right, celebrates his second-period goal that put the Pioneers ahead for good in the NCAA championship game against Boston College (photo: Jim Rosvold).

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Second-period goals by Jared Wright and Rieger Lorenz and an all-world performance by goaltender Matt Davis — the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player — gave Denver its record 10th NCAA championship and second in three seasons, 2-0, over top-seeded Boston College in the 2024 national championship game.

Denver, the nation’s top offense this season, used the same formula it had all tournament: play stifling defense. When Boston College’s offense finally came alive in the third period, plastering 23 shots on Davis, he stood on his head.

The best of the saves came with 17:25 remaining in the game. Boston College was on its first power play. Gabe Perreault passed to Ryan Leonard, who seemingly had an open net. Davis, though, had other ideas, diving across the crease in desperation and making a save that will be shown on highlight reels everywhere.

Boston College was unable to take advantage of some early opportunities in the game’s opening period. Andre Gasseau hit the post at 2:48 of the frame when a rebound off a wide shot by Oskar Jellvik bounced to the slot.

Exactly five minutes later, BC’s leading scorer Will Smith was sent on a breakaway from the offensive blue line but Davis made a strong left pad save to deny the rookie phenom.

In the second, Denver’s defense became the story, limiting space and time all over the ice. Then at 9:42, the Pioneers offense struck.

Wright found space on the right side and fired a high shot. The puck hit the left post, bounced off goalie Jacob Fowler’s back and then hopped along the ice multiple times, eluding the stick of Eagles defenseman Drew Fortescue and it trickled into the net.

That certainly sparked the Pioneers.

Fowler was forced to stop Wright on a breakaway at 12:55 and Aidan Thompson in close at 14:04.

But Fowler couldn’t stop a blocker side snipe by Lorenz at 15:16 that gave the Pioneers a 2-0 lead. It was the first time in the tournament that Denver has led by two goals.

Denver held Boston College’s potent offense, which had scored four or more goals in seven straight games, to just 12 shots through two periods.

The loss for the Eagles snapped a 15-game winning streak.

The championship for Denver, its 10th, moved the Pioneers past Michigan for the most titles in men’s Division I history.

Watch: Denver’s Matt Davis makes a ridiculous save to preserve 2-goal lead

By
-

ST. PAUL, Minn. — It looked like Ryan Leonard had a sure power-play goal to pull Boston College within one goal in the third period of the NCAA championship game on Saturday.

Denver goalie Matt Davis denied it with a remarkable save, and the Pioneers maintained a 2-0 lead.

Watch the play here:

Denver leads Boston College after 2 periods of NCAA championship game

By
-
Connor Caponi celebrates one of Denver’s two second-period goals (photo: Jim Rosvold).

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Second-period goals by Jared Wright and Rieger Lorenz gave Denver a 2-0 lead over Boston College in the 2024 national championship game.

Boston College was unable to take advantage of some early opportunities in the game’s opening period. Andre Gasseau hit the post at 2:48 of the frame when a rebound off a wide shot by Oskar Jellvik bounced to the slot.

Exactly five minutes later, BC’s leading scorer Will Smith was sent on a breakaway from the offensive blue line but Denver netminder Matt Davis made a strong left pad save to deny the rookie phenom.

In the second, Denver’s defense became the story, limiting space and time all over the ice. Then at 9:42, the Pioneers offense struck.

Wright found space on the right side and fired a high shot. The puck hit the left post, bounced off goalie Jacob Fowler’s back and then hopped along the ice multiple times, eluding the stick of Eagles defenseman Drew Fortescue and it trickled into the net.

That certainly sparked the Pioneers.

Fowler was forced to stop Wright on a breakaway at 12:55 and Aidan Thompson in close at 14:04.

But Fowler couldn’t stop a blocker side snipe by Lorenz at 15:16 that gave the Pioneers a 2-0 lead. It was the first time in the tournament that Denver has led by two goals.

Denver held Boston College’s potent offense, which has scored four or more goals in seven straight games, to just 12 shots through two periods.

Watch: Jared Wright’s goal breaks a 2nd-period tie for Denver in NCAA title game

By
-

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Jared Wright’s goal midway through the second period put Denver ahead of Boston College 1-0 in the NCAA championship game Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.

Wright’s shot from the left side hit the left post, bounced off the back of Eagles goalie Jacob Fowler and rebounded into the net. Take a look here:

Boston College, Denver tied after 1st period of NCAA championship game

By
-
Denver’s Matt Davis stops Boston College’s Will Smith on a first-period breakaway (photo: Jim Rosvold).

ST. PAUL, Minn. — No. 1 Boston College and No. 3 Denver were scoreless after one period of play in the 2024 national championship game.

Denver held a slight advantage in shots on goal, 8-5, but the Eagles had some of the best looks. Andre Gasseau hit the post at 2:48 of the frame when a rebound off a wide shot by Oskar Jellvik bounced to the slot.

Exactly five minutes later, BC’s leading scorer Will Smith was sent on a breakaway from the offensive blue line but Denver netminder Matt Davis made a strong left pad save to deny the rookie phenom.

Denver’s best chances came in the closing seconds when Massimo Rizzo moved down the right side, cut to the net and fired a low, hard shot that forced BC netminder Jacob Fowler to make a right pad save, sending the game to intermission scoreless.

Boston College plays Denver for the NCAA championship: live stats

By
-
 …

Watch: USCHO previews the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four championship game

By
-

ST. PAUL, Minn. — USCHO’s Jim Connelly and Derek Schooley, head coach at Robert Morris, look at some of the story lines in Saturday’s NCAA Men’s Frozen Four championship game between Boston College and Denver.

Saturday episode on demand: USCHO Frozen Four Live! at 2024 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four

By and
-

USCHO podcasts are going on the road, and you can join us for live broadcasts during the 2024 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn., including Friday from 6 until 7 p.m. CT.

USCHO Frozen Four Live! with Ed Trefzger, Jim Connelly and Derek Schooley will have live events featuring special guests and giveaways on four days at Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub, 258 7th St W, near the Xcel Energy Center.

We previewed the Boston College-Denver national championship game and were joined by these guests:

  • Jeff Schulman, NCAA D-I men’s ice hockey committee chairman and Vermont AD
  • Jeff Fulton/Erik Martinson, NCAA officiating
  • Michelle Morgan, AHA
  • Sadie Lundquist, College Hockey Inc.
  • Andrew Mahoney, Boston Globe

If you won’t be in St. Paul, check out the podcast from wherever you are on our site, on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

Check out all of USCHO’s college hockey podcasts, including USCHO Weekend Review and USCHO Edge, plus our entire podcast archive.

How to watch, listen to Boston College vs. Denver in Saturday’s NCAA Men’s Frozen Four championship game

By
-

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Top overall seed Boston College is looking for its sixth NCAA championship in Saturday’s Men’s Frozen Four final, while Denver is seeking to become the first to 10.

They’ll play at 5 p.m. CT Saturday at Xcel Energy Center, which is hosting the championship for the fourth time. Minnesota won in 2002 and Minnesota Duluth earned titles in 2011 and 2018.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN+ for subscribers, with John Buccigross and Colby Cohen on the call. A Spanish-language broadcast is on ESPN+. A pregame show starts at 4 p.m. CT on ESPN2, and postgame celebration coverage will be on ESPN+.

Westwood One has rights for radio broadcasts distributed to local stations around the U.S. Brian Tripp, Dave Starman and Shireen Saski are on that broadcast.

The Boston College radio broadcast is on 850 AM in Boston and accessible online.

The Denver radio broadcast is on 104.3 FM in Denver and accessible online.

Michigan’s Nazar leaves Wolverines after sophomore season, inks NHL deal with Blackhawks

By
-
Frank Nazar III scored 17 goals this season for the Wolverines (photo: Michigan Photography).

The NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks have signed Michigan sophomore forward Frank Nazar III to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Nazar skated in 41 games with Michigan during the 2023-24 campaign, posting collegiate career highs in games played (41), goals (17), assists (24) and points (41). He tied for second on the team with three game-winning goals. Additionally, Nazar’s 17 goals ranked fourth among all Michigan skaters, while his 24 assists ranked fifth on the club.

A native of Mount Clemens, Mich., Nazar appeared in 54 games with Michigan from 2022 to 2024, totaling 48 points (19 goals, 29 assists). He helped the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship in 2023 and back-to-back Frozen Four appearances (2023, 2024) during his time in Ann Arbor.

Nazar, originally drafted by Chicago in the first round (13th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft, also captured a gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, recording eight assists in seven games. His eight helpers ranked third among all tournament skaters and second on the team.

NCAA title game features top offenses but Boston College, Denver have different formulas

By
-
Boston College’s Will Smith carries the puck behind Michigan’s net on Thursday (photo: Jim Rosvold).

ST. PAUL, Minn. — When Boston College and Denver square off on Saturday with an NCAA championship on the line, it will be a matchup of the top two offenses in the nation.

But don’t read too much into that.

This game could be as much a tight checking, difficult-to-score barn burner as opposed to a track meet, shootout type of game, particularly if the game’s underdog, Denver, has its way.

The Pioneers have averaged 4.65 goals per game this season, tops in the nation. And their defense has been middle of the road for most of the year, allowing 2.79 goals per game, ranked 25th in the nation.

But the formula for Denver to reach the national title game has run completely counter to those statistics.

On Thursday, Denver won its third straight 2-1 game, this one coming in overtime over Boston University. The Pioneers defense has been stifling and is best of any team in the tournament.

That’s hardly a fact lost on Boston College coach Greg Brown.

“They’re hard to open up. They really play well as a team defensively,” said Brown, who seeks to lead the Eagles to their sixth national title and first since 2012. “They seem like, watching last night, they’re moving as a group of five all over the ice. There’s not a lot of free space, they’re not spread out. They do a great job of getting numbers around the puck.”

Denver coach David Carle acknowledged that his team’s commitment to defense wasn’t where it needed to be for much of the season. He said around the halfway point, he and his staff decided to address it head on with the players.

“We kind of gave the first half of the season a snapshot to the guys, where we were at. I think at that time we were, like, 40th in goals-against per game,” Carle said. “We just showed them data. I think the lowest goals-against per game [of a national champion] was 10 or 11. I believe that was us in ’22.

“It’s certainly been excellent once we’ve hit the national tournament here and our level of desperation and urgency to defend and defend properly has been there. There’s no doubt that’s been a huge part of our success.”

The Pioneers understand that they will once again need their shutdown defense to play its best on Saturday, but this time the challenge may feel a little different.

Plenty has been written on the Boston College offense, particularly the freshman line of Will Smith, Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard, as well as Hobey Hat Trick member Cutter Gauthier. Most teams, particularly since early February, haven’t found a way to stop them.

When the Pioneers and Eagles faced off in mid October, Denver did a decent job containing those four players in a 4-3 win (Smith did score twice and Gauthier, Perreault and Leonard each added assists). But Denver’s offense — as often happens in the postseason — hasn’t been as potent of late.

“I do think that the goal scoring is more of an anomaly the last three games,” said Carle. “Remembering who we’re playing, these are the best teams in the country.

“We obviously played [Boston College] earlier, we’ve seen what they done. They’ve really gone wire to wire as the No. 1 team in the country from December on. They haven’t really looked back or taken their foot off the gas.”

Is there correlation between how many total goals are scored Saturday and which team comes out on top? You might think so. High scoring should favor Boston College. Lower scoring should give Denver a chance at a 10th national title.

But this Boston College team, which rides a 15-game winning streak entering Saturday, seems comfortable with whatever style lies ahead.

“We said we can win any type of game,” said Will Smith, the nation’s leading scorer with 71 points. “We take pride in that. If we play a 1-0 game or high-scoring game, we’ll be there.”

123...1,479Page 2 of 1,479

Latest Stories from around USCHO

After leading Denver to second national championship in three seasons in 2023-24, Pioneers’ Carle selected USCHO.com Coach of the Year

USCHO Staff -

Union assistant men’s coach Childs steps down, heading back to junior hockey as new head coach of USHL’s Lancers

USCHO Staff -

Muckalt feels ‘instant connection’ as former Michigan hockey player, coach takes over as new bench boss at Lindenwood

USCHO Staff -

Women’s Division I College Hockey: The PodKaz Episode 20 – Thoughts on the World Championship, transfer portal, Michigan’s feasibility study

Nicole Haase -

Boston University’s Celebrini tabbed USCHO.com Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year for 2023-24 college hockey season

USCHO Staff -

Denver’s Carle returning as head coach of 2025 U.S. National Junior Team, also bringing back entire staff from 2024 gold medal-winning squad

USCHO Staff -

USCHO.com announces trio of all-USCHO men’s NCAA Division I hockey teams for 2023-24 season

USCHO Staff -

Broz gives up senior season at Denver, signs NHL deal with Pittsburgh

USCHO Staff -

Behrens leaves Denver back end, forgoing senior season with Pioneers, signs NHL contract with Avalanche

USCHO Staff -

Western Connecticut State announces plans to add men’s, women’s NCAA D-III hockey programs

USCHO Staff -

NCAA D-III hockey men’s national tournament going from 12 teams to 14 teams, while women’s tournament moving from 11 teams to 12 teams

USCHO Staff -

Saint Michael’s standout Ciancio tabbed winner of Northeast-10 Conference Sport Excellence Award for men’s hockey

USCHO Staff -
©1996-2024 USCHO.com – U.S. College Hockey Online