Denver, Penn State round out NCAA’s Frozen Four
Just four teams remain in the chase for the NCAA men’s hockey Division I championship.
Just four teams remain in the chase for the NCAA men’s hockey Division I championship.
Penn State downed UConn 3-2 in overtime while Denver outlasted powerhouse Boston College 3-1 to claim the final two spots in the Frozen Four on Sunday.
Waiting there for them are Boston University, who will face the Nittany Lions, and Western Michigan, set to take on the Pioneers. The semifinal matchups are slated for April 10 with the championship game two days later.
For now, a top-seeded Boston University team loaded with NHL prospects is heading home early.
Denver built a 2-0 lead midway through the second period thanks to markers from Eric Pohlkamp and defenceman Zeev Buium, the 12th overall selection in the 2024 NHL draft by the Minnesota Wild.
Teddy Stiga — who scored the golden OT goal for the U.S. at the world juniors, ironically assisted by Buium — attempted to recapture the magic by slicing the Pioneers’ lead in half with less than a minute to go in the second, but Boston never got any closer.
Buium clinched the Denver win with an empty-netter.
Boston’s loss could carry major implications on the NHL playoffs — namely, forward Ryan Leonard, who had 49 points in 37 games, is now free to sign his entry-level deal with the East-leading Washington Capitals.
Also going home are projected 2025 lottery pick James Hagens and Montreal Canadiens goalie prospect Jacob Fowler, who made 22 saves in the loss.
Meanwhile, Penn State advanced to its first-ever Frozen Four when Matt DiMarsico scored at 17:56 of overtime.
DiMarsico beat UConn goalie Callum Tung from the slot, capitalizing on a slick backhand feed on the wing from teammate Charlie Cerrato.
Joey Muldowney handed the Huskies an early 1-0 lead, but Penn State’s Dane Dowiak levelled the score by first intermission. After the Nittany Lions took a lead of their own thanks to Tabor Heaslip in the second period, UConn’s J.J. Wiebusch responded just 30 seconds later.
Neither team would find the back of the net again until Dimarsico’s winner.
