SAINT PAUL, Minn. – On Thursday night, Denver freshman defenseman Zeev Buium was unanimously named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Rookie of the Year. On Friday night, the 18-year-old showed why, capping a two-goal, three-point night with the overtime game-winner to give the No. 3 and second-seeded Pioneers a thrilling, 5-4 victory over No. 17 and third-seeded St. Cloud State in the second Frozen Faceoff semifinal at Xcel Energy Center.
 
Buium’s second goal of the night came 6:21 into the extra session and gave Denver (27-9-3) its first and only lead of the night, sending the Pioneers pouring over the bench. Denver overcame four, one-goal deficits to top the Huskies (17-16-5) in a back-and-forth affair and advance to Saturday’s championship game. DU will battle No. 11 and fifth-seeded Omaha for the Frozen Faceoff title tomorrow night.
 
Buium scored his overtime winner with a nifty move off a feed from classmate Sam Harris. Harris found Buium streaking into the offensive zone, where Buium skated around a Huskies blueliner and across the crease to backhand the game-winner past SCSU freshman netminder Isak Posch. After the teams traded two goals apiece in each of the first two periods, the third period was scoreless, leading to the extra session.
 
The Huskies started the night strong, with sophomore defenseman Cooper Wylie firing a shot past DU junior goaltender Matt Davis only 1:40 into the game for an early SCSU lead. Buium answered midway through the first frame with his first of the night to tie it for the Pioneers. He used a shot-fake to get around a defenseman, then quickly went top shelf for what was his 10th goal of the season (he now has 11).
 
Junior forward Nick Portz quickly reestablished the Huskies lead only 1:17 after Buium’s goal with his second tally of the year. However, DU captain McKade Webster tied it late in the first frame, gathering the puck behind the goal and backing his way towards net to slam it home for a 2-2 draw after 20 minutes.
 
Only 60 seconds into the second stanza, SCSU again grabbed the lead when sophomore Adam Ingram finished a perfect pass from freshman Verner Miettinen in front of the net on an odd-man rush. Another Denver NCHC All-Rookie Team member then stepped up with freshman Miko Matikka burying a power play tally to knot the game at 3-3 5:30 into the middle period.
 
Freshman forward Barrett Hall gave the Huskies their final lead only a few minutes later with a power play goal of his own. SCSU fifth-year senior Kyler Kupka put the initial shot on net, which Davis saved, but Hall came crashing in to clean up the rebound for his eighth of the season. Again Denver had an answer as Matikka struck for a second time with only 1:43 left in the second period, deflecting a shot from Zeev’s brother, junior Shai Buium, to tie the game at 4-4 after 40 minutes.
 
Zeev Buium led all players with his three points, while Matikka also had two goals and now has 18 on the year. Shai Buium had two assists and sophomore forward Aidan Thompson also had two helpers for DU. No Husky recorded more than one point in the 5-4 loss.
 
Denver finished with a 41-25 advantage in shots on goal, including 13-6 in the second period and 9-3 in the third. Posch compiled a career-high 36 saves in defeat, while Davis finished with 21 stops for DU.
 
With the win, the Pioneers improved to 3-7 all-time in Frozen Faceoff semifinals, having played in them every year of the NCHC’s existence. DU won the two previous times it reached the final in 2014 and 2018. For SCSU, meanwhile, this was its first-ever loss in the Frozen Faceoff semifinals, falling to 6-1 all-time. The Huskies won the Frozen Faceoff last season, but see their campaign end at the championship this season.
 
Denver will take on Omaha, which is in search of its first ever NCHC title, on Saturday for the NCHC Tournament and Frozen Faceoff championship. Puck drop is set for 7:38 p.m. CT and will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.