DENVER 3, MINNESOTA-DULUTH 2 | CHAMPIONSHIP
Last Year’s Loss Propels Denver to Its Eighth N.C.A.A. Title
By JEFF ARNOLDAPRIL 9, 2017
CHICAGO — For the better part of 12 excruciating months, the Denver University men’s hockey team had gone about its business to leave the past in the rearview mirror, determined not to revisit the bitter emotions it has carried since last year’s Frozen Four.
A loss to North Dakota in the 2016 national semifinals had driven the Pioneers this year. They finished the season ranked No. 1, were the top seed in the N.C.A.A. tournament and entered Saturday’s championship game against Minnesota-Duluth having lost just once in their past 18 games.
The sophomore left wing Jarid Lukosevicius made certain the Pioneers would have a better ending, registering a hat trick with three second-period goals as Denver captured its eighth national title with a 3-2 win at United Center.
The victory, which was preserved by 38 saves by Tanner Jaillet, helped erase any any pain that may have lingered since the Pioneers were eliminated a game shy of the title contest last year.
“After that loss, it seemed like everyone was focused to become better, to become committed to excellence, like we always talk about,” defenseman Will Butcher said.
Lukosevicius became the first player with a hat trick in the N.C.A.A. title game since his coach, Jim Montgomery, scored three goals in the third period for Maine in its 5-4 victory over Lake Superior State in 1993.
Denver and Minnesota-Duluth, both members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, had split their two regular-season meetings in December.
Denver (33-7-4) scored twice in a 16-second span to grab the momentum Saturday. About five minutes into the second period, Lukosevicius redirected a Matt Davies shot past Minnesota-Duluth goalie Hunter Miska, who weathered an early barrage of Denver shots and finished with 25 saves.
Lukosevicius doubled the Pioneers’ lead after right wing Troy Terry sliced through the Bulldogs’ defense and sent the puck to Lukosevicius.
Minnesota-Duluth (28-7-7) got to within 2-1 on an Alex Iafallo power-play goal. Iafallo, who sent the Bulldogs to the championship game by scoring the winning goal with 26.6 seconds against Harvard on Thursday, took a pass from Joey Anderson to get the Bulldogs on the board a little more than two minutes after Lukosevicius’s second goal.
Minnesota-Duluth, whose four previous games were decided by one goal, appeared to be on the rebound against the top-ranked Pioneers.
But any energy that came from Iafallo’s goal did not last long.
Lukosevicius tallied his third goal of the period from close range to restore Denver’s two-goal advantage. As Lukosevicius celebrated with his teammates, a couple of baseball caps floated from the stands onto the ice.
The Bulldogs again got to within a goal with 5 minutes 21 seconds remaining in the third period. An Avery Peterson shot hit the right post, and Riley Tufte slipped the rebound into the net.
Minnesota-Duluth pulled Miska in the closing minute to give itself an extra attacker, but it could not complete the comeback.
Denver’s lone setback since a 3-2 loss to St. Cloud State on Jan. 20 had come to North Dakota in the N.C.H.C. tournament semifinal. Undeterred, the Pioneers rolled through the N.C.A.A. tournament. Before Saturday, they had not won by a smaller margin than three goals, including a 6-1 victory over Notre Dame in the national semifinals.
“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”
