The No. 1 DU Pioneers defeated No. 4 Notre Dame by a score of 6-1 in the National Semifinals on Thursday night at the United Center to advance to the 2017 NCAA Title Game. Denver will now face NCHC rivals Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday (7pm CT/6pm MT), also at the United Center, in the final game of the 2016-17 college hockey season with the winner taking home the ultimate prize – an NCAA Championship Trophy.
“I’m amazed at the effort our team produced tonight,” Denver head coach Jim Montgomery said following Thursday’s impressive win. “To turn in a performance like that on a big stage like this shows what this team is made of and I’m very proud to coach this tremendous group of young men.”
The Pioneers took an early lead on Thursday when senior forward Emil Romig (Vienna, Austria) wired a high wrist shot to the back of Notre Dame’s net in the ninth minute of play. Denver went up 2-0 courtesy of Florida Panthers prospect Henrik Borgström (Helsinki, Finland), who buried a nice cross-ice feed from senior blueliner Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wis.) late in the opening stanza to register the 22nd goal of his freshman season.
Period No. 2 saw the Pioneers’ offensive production continue unabated as junior blueliner Tariq Hammond (Calgary, Alta.) scored to make it 3-0 for the Crimson & Gold with San Jose Sharks prospect Dylan Gambrell (Bonney Lake, Wash.) then converting on a wraparound to give DU a four-goal lead. A late-stanza tally off the stick of senior center Evan Ritt (Lakewood, Colo.) put the Crimson & Gold up 5-0 at the game’s forty minute mark. Notre Dame cut Denver’s lead to four by converting on the power play in the third period but another goal from Gambrell restored the Penrose Cup champs’ five-goal lead shortly thereafter, which is ultimately how the contest ended.
Saturday’s National Title Game will be broadcast by ESPN and 104.3 FM The Fan.
