| Western started fast, causing a turnover in front of the benches and then attacking Denver's cage. After the puck was thrown behind the net, it bounce out the other side, forcing Matt Davis to make a tough save. He was unable to control the rebound and the puck hopped out into the open. Davis then slipped and was unable to regain the net. Zach Nehring had a wide open shot at the goal but the puck was on edge and his shot hit the crossbar and bounced away harmlessly. The pace cooled down afterwards as both teams appeared a bit nervous, particularly after the fireworks in the first minute. Only 2 shots were recorded in the first 5 minutes between the two clubs as the two NCHC rivals probed one another for weaknesses. The defenses on both sides was effective on the backcheck, melting down attacks by both sides and stopping any shots from getting on goal for several minutes. By the middle of the period, there were only 3 shots on goal in what was a tight-checking affair to that point. In the back half of the period the game began to open up and, within a minute, Kieran Cebrian was called for boarding to give Western Michigan the game's first power play. The Broncos were able to set up immediately and put pressure on the Denver goal but after a few saves from Davis, the Pioneers were able to clear the zone. After setting up a second time, Western was able to put the puck on goal several more times but Davis managed to stop all 5 shots on the power play. After killing off the penalty, Denver began to attack and were able to generate their first real scoring chance at about the 15-minute mark. Hampton Slukynsky was able to close his five-hole in time and send the Broncos up the ice on a counterattack. Western's shot was stopped by Davis but he was unable to find the puck. Fortunately for Denver, the rubber dropped straight down and when WMU took a shot at the loose puck it was easily stopped by Davis' left pad. During the ensuing play, there was a bit of a comical moment when several players got into a rugby scrum just inside the Denver blueline. With the puck pinned to the boards, the players locked their skated together stat stationary for several seconds. The referees yelled at them that they were not blowing the whistle and forced the two sides to sort the situation out for themselves. About a minute later, Alex Bump was able to get a hard one-timer on goal from the top of the circle but Davis made a spectacular glove save and kept the game scoreless. After a bit of back-and-forth, Eric Pohlkamp grabbed the puck and weaved his way through half a dozen skaters and fired a hard shot that Slukynsky stopped. The attempt came with just seconds to play in the period and was only Denver's third shot of the frame. Western again got a jump on the puck at the start of the second. Bump's fourth shot of the game hit Davis in the mask, knocking it loose and drawing a whistle. Denver tried to get their offense going in response but the pressure by WMU at both ends of the ice prevented the Pioneers from holding the puck long enough to generate a scoring chance. After forcing a turnover in the Denver end, Western Michigan threatened Davis once more but Denver's was quickly able to recover. As the play continued, Bump was handed a slashing call to give Denver its first opportunity on the man-advantage. With the #3 power play in the nation, Denver had a glorious chance to get the game's opening goal, however, Western Michigan was no slouch on special teams with the #4 penalty kill. The Pioneers were able to spend most of the time in the WMU end but the Broncos were largely able to keep Denver to the outside. A little after the penalty expired, Samu Salminen took a rather poor holding penalty behind his own net and put Western back on the power play. Poor puck management cost Western Michigan the first 30 seconds of the power play but after Denver's clearing attempt went into the bench, Western got a reprieve and scored off the ensuing faceoff into the far corner. Brian Kramer, a graduate transfer, scored just his scored goal of the year from the high slot to give WMU the first lead of the match. Western did not let up after the goal and continued to press Denver all over the ice. Just before the middle of the period, the puck came to the front of the Denver cage and was stopped by Davis. The netminder was then pushed into the goal and Western began celebrating a second tally, however, the referees immediately ruled the play dead. Upon review, the call was upheld and the score remained 1–0. Western Michigan continued to besiege Davis and kept the Pioneers on their heels. After a few minutes, Denver was able to get a lucky bounce and get a couple of open looks no goal but Slukynsky was able to stop both Aidan Thompson and Jared Wright. A few minutes later, Zeev Buium was retrieving a puck behind his net with Wyatt Schingoethe hot on his heels. When Buium tried to avoid the check, Schingoethe's leg caught him in the ankle and caused the speedy defenseman to crumple to the ice. Buium was able to skate off under his own power but was definitely feeling the effects of the hit. Moments later, as Denver was trying to exit their zone, Bump laid his stick on Thompson, knocking him to the ice. While Denver was yelling for a penalty, the puck slid right to Owen Michaels. The sophomore skated in a few feet and launched a shot by Davis' ear right into the far corner for the second goal of the game. During the ensuing play, Tim Washe was sent in on Davis with a breakaway but the Denver goaltender kept his team in the match by making the save. After the following faceoff, Iiro Hakkarainen was called for hooking to give Denver's man-advantage a second opportunity. Despite good puck movement, Denver was not able to get a shot on goal. Instead, Matteo Costantini was able to turn the puck over at his own blueline and break in on Davis. The netminder was forced to make two massive saves on the Ontario native as well as another later from Washe and a further chance by Bump just as the penalty was expiring. Western ended up outshooting the Pioneers while on the penalty kill as a demonstration of just how in control of the game the Broncos were. Even when Denver was able to get a turnover late in the period, WMU's defense was able to quickly respond and stop the puck before it got to the net. At the end of 40 minutes, Western led with 32 shots to just 8 for Denver. With Denver in a precarious position, the team altered their style of play by leaning more towards the offensive end. The Pioneers were able to generate a decent scoring chance in the first minute of the period, but they also opened up their zone for Western's offense. in the third minute, that resulted in the Broncos getting another chance on goal where Davis was unable to control the rebound but fortune remained with the Pioneer netminder and the puck remained between his legs. Denver's counter resulted in another shot on Slukynsky but no follow up. Just prior to the 5-minute mark, Hagen Burrows clipped Michaels in the helmet with his stick and gave Western a third power play. The Broncos did not have the same urgency as they had on their first two chances and Denver managed to kill off the penalty with relative ease. Shortly afterwards, Denver was able to get into the WMU zone with possession and move the puck around to Thompson in the right circle. His initial shot was blocked by Samuel Sjölund but the rebound came right back to Thompson and he sent a fluttering shot past an over-extended Slukynsky to cut the lead in half. The goal appeared to breathe life back into the Pioneers and Denver suddenly began to pressure Western. After a little more back-and-forth, Denver got into the WMU end past the midpoint of the period and got several good looks at the net but were unable to get the puck past Slukynsky. Denver continued to search and probe for the tying goal but the Bronco defenders continued to hold them off. As time kept ticking away on Denver's season, the Pioneers were constantly on the attack and, with less then 3 minutes to play, Pohlkamp fired a hard shot on goal from the top of the circle. Slukynsky made the initial save but the puck bounced out and dropped into the crease. In a melee of four skaters, Wright was able to poke the puck between Slukynsky's legs and tie the game. However, Western challenged for goaltender interference, believing that Slukynsky had been pushed just prior to the goal. After a review, the goal was allowed to stand much to the displeasure of the Broncos. With the game not tied, Western Michigan now had to rouse its offense that had taken off most of the third period. Denver remained on the attack, looking for the winning goal in regulation. Neither side was able to find the back of the net again and, for the third consecutive meeting, the two would need overtime to settle the account. Denver took charge at the start of overtime but Western was able to prevent any good scoring chance from occurring. Through a combination of backchecking and shot-blocking, the Pioneers were unable to get a puck on goal for the first few minutes but were still directing the pace of play. As the period progressed, Western Michigan slowly took charge and began to tilt the ice back towards Davis. Denver continued to fight back but the Broncos were able to find Bump right in front of the net at the 8-minute mark but when he slapped at the loose puck it was fluttering in the air and went well wide of the half-open cage. A few minutes later, Denver was able to get a long shot on goal and force Slukynsky to save the rebound. The puck then was laying right in front of the goal but Western jumped on the puck and skated it out of danger. A short time later, Buium danced through the entire WMU defense but his shot was blocked by Cole Crusberg-Roseen. On the counterattack, Buium then deflected a shot from Michaels that nearly found its way into his own cage. About a minute later, Western nearly ended the game when Washe tried to find Hakkarainen in off to the side of the net. The puck was stopped by the skate of Rieger Lorenz but was then almost slid under a sprawling Davis before he managed to cover and freeze the puck. The pace picked up with both teams trying to end the match quickly but the two netminders were not accommodating. The two sides exchanged scoring chances for several minutes but could not get the puck into the net. With about 2 minutes to play, Buium was again involved in a collision where he attempted to avoid a check but was caught in the leg. Denver again screamed for a penalty but none was forthcoming. Western was able to get a 2-on-1 as a result but Davis made the save on Bump. In the end, 80 minutes was not enough and for the first time in 29 years, a Frozen Four game went into double overtime. Western was able to get control of the puck at the start of the fifth period and, less than 30 seconds into the frame, Costantini found Michaels in the high slot for the winning goal. |
