SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – For the fifth time in the last eight NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournaments, Denver is heading to the Frozen Four. The top-seeded Pioneers locked up the program’s 19th all-time Frozen Four berth with a 2-1 win over third-seeded and No. 12 Cornell Saturday afternoon at the Mass Mutual Center in the Springfield, Mass. Regional final.

With the win, No. 3 Denver (30-9-3) returns to Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. where the Pioneers just lifted a trophy last Saturday after winning the 2024 NCHC Frozen Faceoff. DU will battle fellow No. 1 seed and No. 2 ranked Boston University in the national semifinals at the Frozen Four on Thursday, April 11.

The 2-1 victory was DU’s second straight, and only two all season, after also clipping fourth-seeded and regional host UMass in the regional semifinals, 2-1, on Thursday behind junior forward Tristan Broz’s double overtime winner. Saturday’s 2-1 win over Cornell (22-7-6) also gave DU some payback after the Big Red eliminated the Pioneers, 2-0, in the 2023 NCAA regional semifinals last year.

After freshman defenseman Boston Buckberger scored the Pioneers’ opening goal against UMass on Thursday, it was two more rookies who delivered the goals on Saturday against Cornell. Freshman forwards Miko Matikka and Sam Harris each scored late in a period and junior goaltender Matt Davis was again stellar in net, making 24 saves against the Big Red after a career-high 46 in the double-overtime win against UMass.

The Pioneers got off to a rocky start Saturday, however, as Cornell opened the scoring only 6:44 into the regional final. The Big Red fired a shot on net that was saved, but Davis tried to cover the loose puck with his glove and was unable to get the stoppage. The puck squirted free to Nick DeSantis, who slid his shot past Davis on the scramble for a 1-0 Cornell lead.

Matikka pulled the Pioneers even with only 1:32 left in the first frame with his 20th goal of the season (second on the team). The NCHC All-Rookie Team selection gathered a loose puck along the half wall and skated towards the slot, firing a wrister that beat Cornell’s Ian Shane to tie the game at 1-1. It was Matikka’s fourth goal in four games, while senior captain McKade Webster and Buckberger picked up the assists.

It was another late-period tally that lifted DU to the win. Harris scored the game-winner on the power play with less than five seconds left in the second stanza to put Denver in front, 2-1. Junior defenseman Shai Buium fired a shot from the point that Harris redirected in front of the net and the puck trickled past Shane for his 14th goal of the season.

Cornell made a push in the third period, but a late penalty on Ryan Walsh left the Big Red short-handed for two of the final three minutes. After DU failed to convert on the power play, Cornell had one last chance to tie the game, but Davis made a stellar save on a one-timer in the closing seconds to preserve the win. Davis compiled nine of his 24 stops in the third period to help DU advance to the Frozen Four.

Despite the loss, Cornell finished with a 25-18 edge in shots on goal but Davis came up large throughout, totaling 70 saves in the regional. Denver went 1-for-2 on the power play Saturday and killed Cornell’s lone man advantage.

Denver becomes the 14th NCHC team in conference history (10 NCAA Tournaments) to make the Frozen Four, giving the NCHC at least one team in nine of the last 10 men’s Frozen Fours. DU is searching for its 10th national championship in program history, while the NCHC has won five NCAA titles in its 11-year history so far (two by Denver).

Start time for the Pioneers Frozen Four match-up on Thursday, April 11 against Boston University is still to be announced, but all three Frozen Four contests from Saint Paul will be televised on ESPN2. The National Championship Game is set for Saturday, April 13 at 6 p.m. ET.