ST. PAUL, Minn. — Playing their fifth game in eight days, and third consecutive overtime, the Denver Pioneers must have really wanted to play some more hockey. How else can you explain their thrilling 4-3 double-overtime upset over defending NCAA champion Minnesota Duluth in Friday’s WCHA Final Five semifinals at the Xcel Energy Center?
This heartwarming story featured a combined 119 shots and physical and emotional pain on both sides.
“Whatever it takes,” said an exhausted DU coach George Gwozdecky, whose team will begin its 21st period over a nine-day stretch tonight. “It wouldn’t be any fun if it wasn’t exciting. If it wasn’t hard work, it wouldn’t be worth it.”
DU earned a return trip to tonight’s Broadmoor Trophy championship game behind goalie Sam Brittain’s school-record 67 saves and freshman Zac Larraza’s goal 8:14 into the second OT. Larraza, who is DU’s 13th forward, buried a backhander past senior goalie Kenny Reiter after classmate Matt Tabrum clanged a shot off the crossbar and senior defenseman John Ryder threw the puck on net. The rebound was left at the top of the crease.
“All I had to do was pull it to my backhand, and I had a wide-open net,” Larraza said.
It was Larraza’s first career goal on his first shot of the game. “I had fresh legs in overtime,” joked Larraza, who served freshman Larkin Jacobson’s five-minute major in the first period and played sparingly.
The Pioneers (25-12-5), who blew a 3-0 lead, will play North Dakota, a 6-3 winner over Minnesota, for the league tournament title. DU has played in the two longest games in Final Five history. Friday’s victory was the longest, breaking the record set in the 2011 championship game against North Dakota, a 3-2 double-OT Sioux victory.
Brittain took the loss a year ago as a freshman. “It was a very exciting game, and I’m very fortunate to have that (single-game saves) record, but right now, the biggest thing is, we have to focus on (tonight),” Brittain said.
DU has defeated every WCHA opponent it has faced this season, knocking off the two teams it failed to beat in the regular season at the Final Five. The Pioneers, who beat Michigan Tech 3-2 in overtime in Thursday’s quarterfinals, went 0-1-1 against Michigan Tech and Minnesota Duluth in the regular season.
DU has won its past four overtimes, over a stretch of six games.
“Sometimes you get a little lucky and sometimes, when you combine that confidence that we have right now in tight games and overtime games, sometimes that swings it in your favor,” Gwozdecky said.
DU got its regulation goals from Shawn Ostrow, Jason Zucker and Dustin Jackson to take its lead. The Bulldogs’ Mike Seidel scored twice midway through the second period. WCHA player of the year Jack Connolly tied it with 7:22 left in regulation.
Zucker was taken down in the waning seconds of regulation on a semi-breakaway, but a penalty shot was not called, and DU failed to capitalize on the ensuing power play that spilled into OT.
Shots were 65-40 in UMD’s favor after the first up-and-down OT, in which the Bulldogs held a 16-15 shots edge.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers @denverpost.com
DU Recap
The Post’s three stars
1. Sam Brittain. In 62 years of DU hockey, nobody has made more saves (67) in one game.
2. John Ryder. Senior defenseman led the Pioneers in minutes and had the game-winning assist.
3. Mike Seidel. Bulldogs wing had two goals and assist.
What you might have missed
DU junior Paul Phillips was scratched because of a leg injury and the Pioneers are down to five healthy defensemen, perhaps for the rest of the season. The Pioneers have played with five D most of the past three games.
Up next
Minnesota or North Dakota, Broadmoor Trophy championship game, 6 p.m. tonight (TV, Root; radio, 102.3 FM)
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
