Denver beats Minnesota State to capture the 2022 men's hockey championship
Denver takes down Minnesota State, 5-1, to win national championship
Denver took down Minnesota State, 5-1, on Saturday night to win the 2022 DI men’s ice hockey national championship. It’s the ninth national championship in program history for the Pioneers.
Despite being down 1-0 and heavily outshot heading into the third period, the Pioneers didn’t show quit. Instead, they turned up the heat and went to work.
The scoring started less than five minutes into the final frame when Ryan Barrow stuffed a rebound through Minnesota State goalie Dryden McKay’s legs. That tied the game, 1-1.
Just a few moments later, Mike Benning one-timed a rocket over McKay to give Denver the 2-1 lead. It was the eventual game-winner.
Massimo Rizzo one-timed another goal past McKay with under seven minutes to play to add some insurance.
Denver added two empty-net goals in the final three minutes. The first came from Brett Stapley, while the second came from Cameron Wright.
Minnesota State still outshot Denver, 28-20, come the end of 60 minutes.
With the win, Denver ties Michigan for most national titles in program history with nine.
Dryden McKay wins the 2022 Hobey Baker Award
Third time's the charm.
With this being his third season nominated as a top 10 finalist, Dryden McKay is the winner of the 2022 Hobey Baker Award.
McKay ranks second in the country in goals against average at 1.27. His .934 save percentage is tied for third. He will lead Minnesota State as the Mavericks take on Denver in the Frozen Four title game on Saturday night.
Along with the Hobey Baker, other awards were handed out Friday night. Here's a full list.
- Mike Richter Award (top goaltender): Devon Levi, Northeastern
- Hockey Humanitarian Award: Josh Kosack, Union
- Tim Taylor Award (most outstanding freshman): Devon Levi, Northeastern
- Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award: Jordan Seyfert, Merrimack
Here are the full East and West first- and second-teams.
East first team
- Goalie: Devon Levi, Northeastern
- Defense: Zach Metsa, Quinnipiac
- Defense: Scott Morrow, UMass
- Forward: Nick Abruzzese, Harvard
- Forward: Aidan McDonough, Northeastern
- Forward: Bobby Trivigno, UMass
East second team
- Goalie: Yaniv Perets, Quinnipiac
- Defense: Jordan Harris, Northeastern
- Defense: Henry Thrun, Harvard
- Forward: Colin Bilek, Army West Point
- Forward: Jack McBain, Boston College
- Forward: Ryan Tverberg, UConn
West first team
- Goalie: Dryden McKay, Minnesota State
- Defense: Ronnie Attard, Western Michigan
- Defense: Jake Sanderson, North Dakota
- Forward: Matty Beniers, Michigan
- Forward: Bobby Brink, Denver
- Forward: Nathan Smith, Minnesota State
West second team
- Goalie: Ryan Fanti, Minnesota Duluth
- Defense: Luke Hughes, Michigan
- Defense: Owen Power, Michigan
- Forward: Ethen Frank, Western Michigan
- Forward: Brian Halonen, Michigan Tech
- Forward: Ben Meyers, Minnesota
Title game set: It's Minnesota State vs. Denver
We're down to the last two, as Minnesota State and Denver will meet for the NCAA DI men's hockey championship on Saturday. Denver took out Michigan in OT in the first semifinal before the Mavericks swamped Minnesota 5-1 in the second.
Here's a look at each team's path to the final:
| Minnesota State | How they got here | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| 38-5-0 | Record | 30-9-1 |
| No. 1 | Seed | No. 1 |
| Def. Harvard, 4-3 | Regional semifinal | Def. UMass Lowell, 3-2 |
| Def. Notre Dame, 1-0 | Regional final | Def. Minnesota Duluth, 2-1 |
| Def. Minnesota, 5-1 | Frozen Four semifinal | Def. Michigan, 3-2 (OT) |
The Pioneers are going for their ninth national title; Minnesota State is playing in the championship game for the first time. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Minnesota State takes down Minnesota, 5-1, to advance to national championship
Minnesota State took down Minnesota, 5-1, in the second Frozen Four semifinal on Thursday.
Despite giving up the first goal on a turnover to Minnesota’s Matthew Knies, the Mavericks battled back and scored the last five goals over the course of the final two periods.
The scoring for Minnesota State began midway through the second period when Benton Maass converted on a wraparound chance to tie the game, 1-1.
Not a bad time for the third-pairing defenseman to cash in, right?
THIS is Minnesota State Hockey 👏👏#MFrozenFour x @MinnStMHockey pic.twitter.com/SlDM481DrB
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) April 8, 2022
Reggie Lutz followed Maass’ lead and scored on a wraparound of his own just moments later to make it 2-1 Minnesota. That ended up being the game-winner.
The Mavericks opened the third period by setting a tone and scoring when Ondrej Pavel tipped one past Minnesota goalie Justen Close to make it 3-1.
SILYE MAKES IT LOOK EASY!!
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) April 8, 2022
🎥 @espn #MFrozenFour x @MinnStMHockey pic.twitter.com/CHOe56EOMa
And then, with less than seven minutes left in the game, David Silye roofed one after dangling a Minnesota defender to make it 4-1 Minnesota State.
Brendan Furry added an empty-netter with 1:09 to play.
Minnesota State moves on to its first national title game in program history. The Mavericks will face Denver at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Carter Savoie scores OT winner, lifts Denver to title game
Michigan vs. Denver was so close that it needed overtime. But in the end, the better team won on Thursday: Denver took down Michigan, 3-2, in the Frozen Four.
In overtime, Bobby Brink had the puck in the corner of the Michigan zone. He found teammate Carter Savoie open in front of the net.
His first shot was stopped. The second was not. Denver's 33rd shot of the game — Michigan finished with 21 — was enough.
Bobby Brink to Carter Savoie, who scores on his own rebound to send Denver to the national championship with a 3-2 overtime win over Michigan. pic.twitter.com/omBxy6Bww3
— Patrick Donnelly (@PatDonn12) April 8, 2022
Denver got the scoring started in the first period when Brett Stapley roofed one over Michigan goalie Erik Portillo to make it 1-0.
Michigan’s offense struggled early on, but found itself early in the second period when Jimmy Lambert converted on a chance from right in front of the Denver net to tie the game, 1-1.
In the third period, both squads traded lamplighters. First it was Cameron Wright tipping one past Portillo to make it 2-1. But then, just a few moments later, Thomas Bordeleau knotted up the score, 2-2.
Denver will next play in Saturday's title game, which is set for 8 p.m. ET. The Pioneers are going for their first championship since 2017.
The Frozen Four begins tonight
It all comes down to this: the 2022 Frozen Four.
Tonight, four teams battle for two spots in Saturday’s national championship game. The first game is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET between Michigan and Denver. That game can be watched on ESPN2. The second is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET between Minnesota and Minnesota State. That game can be watched on ESPNU.
Click here for live updates from the Michigan-Denver game.
Click here for live updates from the Minnesota-Minnesota State game.
Here’s some pregame reading before Thursday’s national semifinals:
- Like all Frozen Fours, there’s a lot to follow in this one. But this year’s event is even more interesting given how great all four teams are. NCAA.com’s Evan Marinofsky wrote about all the interesting storylines and which ones are the best. There’s one particular goaltending matchup that is extremely interesting.
- All three Hat Trick finalists for the 2022 Hobey Baker award are here at the Frozen Four. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg of all the great players that are here. Marinofsky dove into the 10 must-watch players of the tournament. It wasn’t an easy task.
- The one constant among all Frozen Four teams: it’s not a surprise that they’re here. Still, Michigan, Minnesota, Denver and Minnesota State all had unique paths to get to Boston. Marinofsky details the journey each took to get to this moment and how that prepared them for Thursday and Saturday night.
- The regional finals were over a week ago, so you may need to refresh your memory. Here were the five most memorable storylines from the regional finals.
- The first round of regionals was even longer ago, so you may need to refresh your memory again. Here were the five most memorable storylines of the first round.
- Click here to access the official bracket for the 2022 DI men’s ice hockey tournament.
How they got here
It's no surprise that these are the four squads in this year's Frozen Four.
But how did they all end up here?
Click here to read the full story detailing each team's journey to this point.
10 players to watch in the 2022 Frozen Four
The 2022 Frozen Four is certainly not short on talent. There are tons of great players to keep an eye on later this week.
However, 10 had to be selected. Here are the 10 must-watch players in this year's Frozen Four.
10 biggest storylines in the 2022 Frozen Four
The 2022 Frozen Four is almost here and with that, let's take a look at the 10 biggest storylines heading into the peak of college hockey's big dance.
Click here to read about the 10 biggest storylines in the 2022 Frozen Four.
5 memorable storylines from the regional finals
The regionals are over and the Frozen Four is set.
Before we move on to previewing the Frozen Four, let's take a look back at the memorable moments from the regional final.
The 2022 Frozen Four is set
It all comes down to this.
With regionals over, here are the two matchups for the 2022 Frozen Four. Both games will take place on April 7 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Michigan holds off Quinnipiac comeback to win 7-4 and advance to Frozen Four
Michigan entered the third period with all the momentum, leading 4-0.
And then Quinnipiac rattled off three goals.
Jayden Lee got the Bobcats started with a shot from the point sneaking past Michigan netminder Erik Portillo to cut the Wolverines lead to 4-1. Five minutes later, Wyatt Bongiovanni found the back of the net and cut the Michigan lead to 4-2. Then came Desi Burgart's tally to bring Quinnipiac to within a goal and there was still 8:58 to play in the game.
With the score 4-3 in favor of Michigan and 3:57 left in regulation, Quinnipiac bench boss Rand Pecknold pulled goalie Dylan St. Cyr for the extra skater. Michael Pastujov deposited one in the empty net to make it 5-3 Michigan. That goal ended up being the game-winner.
Michael Pastujov from Thomas Bordeleau and Mark Estapa, Michigan leads 5-3 pic.twitter.com/y0YTCjEm19
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 28, 2022
The final two minutes were filled with goals. Nolan Moyle tallied an empty-netter to make it 6-3, Brendan Brisson scored one on St. Cyr to make it 7-3 and then Zach Metsa scored for Quinnipiac and cut Michigan's lead to 7-4, which is how it ended.
Michigan controlled the scoresheet for the first 40 minutes.
The Wolverines opened the scoring 33 seconds into the game when Moyle snuck one past Quinnipiac netminder Yaniv Perets. Jimmy Lambert made it 2-0 later in the period when he tapped in a pass from Luke Hughes.
In the second period, Thomas Bordeleau and Garrett Van Wyhe were the two goalscorers. The Bobcats inserted St. Cyr into the net at the start of the third period.
Nick Blankenburg to Garrett Van Wyhe - a short-handed goal and Michigan leads 4-0! pic.twitter.com/8Mz4BYhxer
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 27, 2022
Quinnipiac outshot Michigan, 34-30. Portillo stopped 30 shots en route to the win. Perets allowed four goals on 23 shots before being pulled. St. Cyr stopped four of the five shots sent his way.
Michigan will play Denver in the Frozen Four on April 7.
After 2: Michigan 4, Quinnipiac 0
Tic-Tac-Toe, it's 3-0 pic.twitter.com/BPtBTIWbkO
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 27, 2022
Michigan added two more goals to its lead in the second period, as the Wolverines lead, 4-0, after 40 minutes.
Both came with special teams.
The first was on the power play from Thomas Bordeleau with 13:54 to play in the period. Owen Power sent the puck to Brendan Brisson on the half wall. Brisson immediately dished it to Bordeleau in the bumper who fired a shot past Quinnipiac goalie Yaniv Perets to make it 3-0.
Nick Blankenburg to Garrett Van Wyhe - a short-handed goal and Michigan leads 4-0! pic.twitter.com/8Mz4BYhxer
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 27, 2022
Then, with a little over a minute to play in the second, Nick Blankenburg forced a turnover while killing a penalty and led a 2-on-1 with Garrett Van Wyhe. Blankenburg threw the puck on Perets and it lay there for Van Wyhe to push in the net to make it 4-0 Michigan.
Michigan leads in shots, 23-20.
After 1: Michigan 2, Quinnipiac 0
Michigan on the board first! Nolan Moyle from Owen Power and Jimmy Lambert
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 27, 2022
Catch the game LIVE on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/DRxolGriaQ
In an action-packed period full of chances, saves and hits, Michigan emerged with the 2-0 advantage.
It all started just 33 seconds into the period when Nolan Moyle pushed one past Quinnipiac goalie Yaniv Perets to give Michigan the 1-0 lead.
With just over five minutes to play in the first, Jimmy Lambert deflected a crisp pass from Luke Hughes past Perets to extend the lead to 2-0.
Jimmy Lambert wins the draw back to Luke Hughes and buries it to make it 2-0 Michigan pic.twitter.com/CbxkoFJ5Qd
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 27, 2022
Shots are even at 14-14 after one period. Both teams had tons of quality chances. Michigan goalie Erik Portillo escaped the period stopping all 14 shots sent his way.
Minnesota takes down Western Michigan, 3-0, to advance to Frozen Four
Entering the third period, Western Michigan looked to be close to catching up to Minnesota and tying the game. The Broncos thought they scored a goal to tie the game in the second period, 1-1, but it was called back due to offsides.
Then the final 20 minutes began and Minnesota set a tone.
The Golden Gophers got a power play to begin the third period and immediately cashed in. With sustained offensive zone time, Minnesota star Ben Meyers found an open passing lane and hit Aaron Huglen with a pass. Huglen one-timed a shot right past Brandon Bussi to make it 2-0 Minnesota just 33 seconds into the final frame.
Ope, Aaron's just gonna pop this in the net real quick. pic.twitter.com/7TWWBHMSRC
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) March 27, 2022
Western Michigan could never generate any prolonged offense in the third period and the Gophers punched their ticket to the Frozen Four after taking down the Broncos, 3-0.
The scoring started 9:50 into the first period when Matthew Knies fired a one-timer from right in the slot past Bussi to give Minnesota the 1-0 lead.
#LeafsForever prospect Matthew Knies with his second goal of the tournament to put Minnesota up 1-0. Picks the corner from the slot. Nice assist by #GoKingsGo pick Brock Faber. pic.twitter.com/IM8mkFujml
— Patrick Donnelly (@PatDonn12) March 27, 2022
In the second period, Western Michigan's Ronnie Attard looked to have tied the game, but the goal was called back due to the play being offsides.
Blake McLaughlin extended Minnesota's lead to 3-0 with under two minutes to play when he fired home an empty-net goal.
The game was a defensive battle from start to finish. Still, Minnesota held a 26-24 advantage in shots.
Justen Close put up a 24-save shutout. Bussi turned aside 23 of the 25 shots thrown his way.
Minnesota will play Minnesota State in the Frozen Four.