College sports
Matt Davis had an absurd night in the post, but the Pioneers needed a lot more than that to shut out the Eagles.
Matt Davis stopped 35 shots, including 23 in the third period, Saturday. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Boston College had one of the best offenses in the country and the best power play units heading into Saturday night’s national championship game. The Eagles scored four or more goals in each of the first three rounds and aimed to match the favorites’ chances of winning the title.
Instead, Denver completely stifled the No. 1 team in the country en route to its second title in the last three years.
Few people – except those in the Pioneers locker room – could have predicted a shutout of BC on Saturday night. Especially since the Eagles haven’t been shut out all season.
So how did this happen? Well, several key factors helped DU achieve an impressive victory.
Matt Davis played amazing in net.
You can’t talk about Saturday’s game without first mentioning the stellar performance of Pioneers goaltender Matt Davis. The junior was lights out throughout the NCAA Tournament, but saved his best night for last.
Davis made 35 saves, including 23 in the third period and on many of BC’s key chances. The highlight of the evening – and the tournament, for that matter – came in the latter frame when Davis emphatically denied Ryan Leonard’s point-blank attempt into a seemingly empty net.
“What a save from Matt Davis there,” Pioneers coach David Carle said in his postgame interview.
Davis faced 142 shots during the tournament and stopped 139 of them; his save percentage was an unfathomable .979. This deservedly earned him Most Outstanding Player honors of the tournament.
Denver’s neutral zone defense frustrated the Eagles.
Against a team as good as BC, it would still take more than a herculean effort from Davis to get the job done on Saturday. Fortunately for him, the Pioneers put together a great game plan in front of him to help take some of the load off his shoulders, especially in the first two periods.
Denver played an aggressive trap in the neutral zone, and it seemed like all five skaters behaved at all times as if they were attached to the same rope. The Pioneers’ strong structure not only hindered the Eagles in their transition; it completely slowed them down.
“It was an incredible battle, I think our guys did a great job buying time and space,” Carle said. “Our sticks were excellent. They’re obviously very dangerous, they had a lot of beauty…the commitment of our guys to come home, put sticks on pucks, make a lot of blocks tonight. It was a total team effort.
BC is designed to go fast and score quickly, and with the first step of that formula canceled, the Eagles were left searching for answers. They didn’t find one before the last horn sounded.
Puck luck did not favor the Eagles.
Call it hockey’s greatest superstition, or just a series of unfortunate events. But whatever you call it, puck luck favored Denver on Saturday night.
BC hit the post several times, missing potentially game-changing goals by inches. If even one of those chances had come earlier, Saturday’s game could have been very different.
To add insult to injury, the Pioneers’ first goal of the night came off a major lucky rebound. DU’s Jared Wright skated into the zone and fired a high shot to the short side of the net. The ball came off the pipe before hitting BC’s Owen Fowler in the back and falling just beyond the goal line.
The Eagles looked unstoppable throughout the year, setting a program record for most wins in a single season (34). Their young group had a forgettable season, but ultimately Denver played a near-perfect game en route to their second title in three seasons.
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