Perfect 10: Denver Wins Record-Breaking 10th National Championship - University of Denver Athletics (2024)

Denver will host a National Championship Celebration on Monday, April 15 in Magness Arena at 6:30 p.m. MT. More information on the celebration will be released on Sunday.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Jared Wright and Rieger Lorenz scored second-period goals, Matt Davis had 35 saves and Denver beat No. 1 overall seed Boston College 2-0 Saturday night to win the 10th national championship in program history.

No. 3 seed Denver (32-9-3), which finished the season on a nine-game win streak, moved past Michigan (nine) for most titles all-time. Boston College is tied with Boston University (five) for fourth, behind Wisconsin (six).

Davis had 23 third-period saves in his third shutout of the season. The junior made his 26th consecutive start, the longest streak of his career, and stopped 68 of the 69 shots he faced at the Frozen Four. Davis had 33 saves in the Pioneers' 2-1 double-overtime win over Boston University in the semifinals.

After Denver won a faceoff in its defensive zone and quickly pushed it up the left side. Lorenz passed to Wright for a shot that ricocheted off the near post, bounced off Boston College goaltenderJacob Fowler's back above the bar before slipping inside the far post to open the scoring with 10:18 left in the second period.

Lorenz made it 2-0 about six minutes later. Zeev Buium drew a pair of defenders but slipped a pass between them to Lorenz, who fired a wrist shot into the net. Lorenz (16 goals, 14 assists) became the 10th Denver player with at least 30 points this season.

The Pioneers outscored their opponents 82-39 in the second period this season.

Boston College (34-6-1), which set the program's single-season record for wins, had its 15-game win streak snapped and was shut out for the first time since a 1-0 loss at Merrimack on March 11, 2023. The Eagles went into the game having outscored their five opponents in the NCAA Tournament 29-8.

Denver beat Boston College 4-3 in the only regular-season matchup between the teams back in October.

The Pioneers have won at least 30 games in three consecutive seasons.

TEAM NOTES (DU):

• All Tournament Team: Zeev Buium, Sean Behrens, Tristan Broz, Rieger Lorenzand Matt Davis (MOP)
• Denver's national championship completed Denver's race to become the first program to 10 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey National Championships. The Pioneers broke their tie for the most with Michigan (9), and are now two championships ahead of long-time conference rival North Dakota (8).
  • Denver has five national championships since 2004, two more than any other program in the country in that span.
• The Pioneers improved to 4-1 against Boston College in the national tournament.
• Denver improved to 10-3 in National Championship games.
• The Pioneers improved to 19-9 at the Xcel Energy Center.
• The Pioneers won all six of their neutral site contests this season, and finished 18-2-1 on Saturdays.
• Saturday wrapped-up Denver's 33^rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history. DU owns a 43-25 all-time record in the national tournament.
• Saturday night's shutout was Denver's fifth of the season and the 31^st under Richard and Kitzia Goodman Head Hockey Coach David Carle.
• Denver improved to 20-9-2 in its last 31 top-3 match-ups, including 9-2-1 in the last 12 such meetings.

PLAYER NOTES

• NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Matt Davis, made his 26^th-straight start in net on Saturday, made 35 saves.
  • Davis finished the NCAA Tournament with 138 saves and just three goals allowed.
  • Davis made 23 saves in the third period of the National Championship game.
  • Davis extended his career-long winning streak in net to nine games, Denver's longest since Jan. 15 – Feb. 11, 2022 (Magnus Chrona).
• Jared Wright scored the opening goal, his 15^th goal of the season and the 23^rd of his two-year Pioneer career.
  • Wright is from Burnsville, Minnesota, scoring in his home state in the national championship.
• Rieger Lorenz scored the goal to make it 2-0 in the second period, his 16^th of the season and the 18^th of his career.
  • Lorenz also had an assist on the Wright marker, his 14^th of the season and the 21^st of his career.
  • Lorenz was selected in the second round by the Minnesota Wild (home arena)
• Shai Buium earned the second-assist on Wright's goal, his 29^th of the season and the 61^st of his career.
• Zeev Buium earned the primary assist on Lorenz's second goal, the 39^th of his rookie season.
  • Buium has the most assists by a defenseman in the NCAA this season.
  • The point was the 50^th of his freshman season.
• Sean Behrens earned the second assist on Lorenz's goal, his 27^th of the season and the 71^st of his career.

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