Marc Del Gaizo scored in overtime just after midnight to send Massachusetts to its first-ever NCAA Championship game with a 4-3 win over Denver. The Minutemen will face defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth, which ousted Providence, 4-1, in the early Frozen Four semifinal on Thursday at Key Bank Center in Buffalo.
Del Gaizo's slapshot from above the left circle 15:18 into sudden death pulled out the victory for UMass, which had held a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes on three power-play goals, only to have
Denver's Cole Guttman score twice in the third period for the Pioneers to force the extra session. DU, which was looking to play in its second NCAA title game in three seasons, outshot UMass, 40-28,
although Filip Lindberg made 37 saves for the Minutemen.
Minnesota-Duluth overcame two disallowed first-period goals to earn a spot in its third consecutive national championship game, as Justin Richards scored twice for the Bulldogs in their win over the Friars. UMD broke a 1-1 tie in the third period on a goal by Billy Exell midway through the final stanza, before the Bulldogs added two late empty-net tallies to seal the contest. Hunter Shepard made 28 stops for the Bulldogs, who became the first team to advance to three straight men's hockey NCAA title contests since Boston College (2006-2008).
UMass and UMD will face off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday (ESPN2) to decide this year's Division I men's national champion. It will be the first time ever that a Hockey East school meets a
National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) school with the national title at stake.
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