Tristan Broz’s game-winner gives DU Pioneers win over UMass in first round of NCAA Tournament

Over 90 minutes into a win-or-go-home hockey game, it becomes a battle of will, more than talent.

It’s fitting that junior forward Tristan Broz — a player who's been asked to do so much for his team over the last six weeks — was the one to deal the knockout blow for Denver.

Broz, who has filled in as the top line center for the Pioneers in place of an injured Massimo Rizzo, scored the game-winning goal with a little over seven and a half minutes left in the second overtime period to send No. 1 seed DU past No. 4 seed UMass in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

It was the longest tournament game in program history.

“Just really proud of our team,” DU coach David Carle said postgame. “That’s a game that we, in the first half (of the season) hadn’t been forced to play in, we weren’t comfortable in a game like that. When we talk about the growth of our team, I think it’s in playing hockey games like that.”

For the highest-scoring team in the country, it was a rarity to see them play in such a physical game where neither team was able to capitalize on more than one chance in regulation.

Both goaltenders — DU’s Matt Davis and UMass’s Michael Hrabal — stopped over 40 shots each. Carle was pleased with the way his team battled and stayed composed in a tight, low-scoring affair.

“It’s our first 2-1 game, either way, the whole year,” Carle said. “We knew we’d have to face a game like this. We had to do it in ‘22, playing (UMass)-Lowell and (Minnesota) Duluth in the Loveland Regional. You get to this time of year (and) everyone’s a great team. Goals are hard to come by. I thought both teams were pushed to the limit tonight.

“It didn’t even look like the same team we saw on film. They made life hard on us all night.”

The 46 saves made by Davis were a career-high. The junior from Calgary has now won his last six starts, dating back to the season finale against Colorado College when DU held on for a 4-3 win in Magness Arena over its biggest rival.

It looked like Davis would need to come out of the game in the second overtime period, but was able to stay in the net and make a handful of additional key saves for his team.

“I’m all good,” Davis said. “Just some cramps. Long game, (it’s) humid out here.”

Freshman defenseman Boston Buckberger opened the scoring for the Pioneers in the second period before the Minutemen answered to tie the game at one apiece heading into the third period.

Broz’s game-winner is a special moment for him. Not only has he had to replace the production of the team’s top player in Rizzo, but he wasn’t a part of the 2022 national championship team. He spent his freshman season at Minnesota before joining the Pios prior to last season and during the multiple overtime intermissions, he thought back to what it felt like to lose to Cornell in the opening round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

“It’s been a long journey to get back to this tournament and I think it was just a testament to the culture here at Denver,” Broz said. “We stuck together, there was no real panic in our group.”

The Pioneers will get their chance for revenge against the team that ended their season a year ago. They’ll face No. 3 seed Cornell on Saturday at 2 p.m. with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line.