Broz helps etch his name into Denver hockey lore

The Denver Pioneers became the first men’s hockey program to reach 10 national titles courtesy of a 2-0 shutout over Boston College on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.

Pioneers goaltender Matt Davis continued to shine in the final, stopping all 35 shots he faced including a barrage of 23 shots in the final period to not only help secure the national championship but also the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. He made more than a few spectacular saves when it mattered most including his best Eagles impression, diving across the open goal crease to preserve the shutout.

Denver coach David Carle simply said Davis’ play all postseason was, “Superhuman. This whole run, he gave up three goals. It’s incredible what he did. A lot of big-time saves in those games. It’s not like we weren’t giving up chances.”

Bloomington native Tristan Broz scored his second overtime goal of the postseason run to help Denver reach Saturday, sending a low shot between the skates of a defenseman before doing the same between the leg pads of the Terriers netminder to start a wild celebration.

One reference to the winning play included the very fitting headline “Ultimate Bro” as a fitting play-on-words with memories that will last a lifetime.

When asked about the play on the ice, he was speechless, just doing what they literally practiced the day before but with a little more at stake.

Carle summed it up well in the post-game press conference, saying Matt Davis was the best player in the first period and overtime. “And Broz finds a way to get one in the back of the net.”

When asked to describe the winning play, Broz said: “(Sean Behrens) made a nice pass to me in the middle. I knew it was kind of a 2-on-1, (Massimo) Rizzo had a little bit of a step on the guy. We ran that drill yesterday doing 2-on-1s and a few times I scored, just kind of no-look, trying to shoot five-hole. And just kind of blacked out in that moment and it happened to go in.”

When asked about playing for a national title in the same building where he grew up watching the Minnesota Wild, his response was, “I think that’s what every kid dreams of, to do something like that for your team, so definitely.”

Broz joined Denver through the transfer portal after his freshman season at Minnesota. Before that, he spent three seasons with the USHL’s Fargo Force and two seasons with Blake School.

When asked about his move and how it has helped his progression as a second-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Broz said: “It’s obviously meant a lot. I came in here, didn’t necessarily have the best freshman year. But this coaching staff, all of the guys in the room, from the moment I got here, just took me into their arms and allowed me to just grow and gain confidence. And it just meant pretty much everything to me to find a place like this. Coming through the transfer portal, it’s certainly a blessing.”

After securing that 10th national title, Carle summed it up in the post-game press conference saying: “There’s a lot of great college hockey programs. It’s really hard to win. And obviously, the nine title teams prior to this went through a huge lift to get us here. But we certainly try and attract people that want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They don’t necessarily care about individual success as much as the team’s success.”