Denver knocks off No. 1 Boston College, advances to Frozen Four

The defending national champion Denver Pioneers knocked off the No. 1 overall seed Boston College Eagles 3-1 on Sunday to advance to the Frozen Four.

San Jose Sharks prospect Eric Pohlkamp scored the opening goal, and Los Angeles Kings draft pick James Reeder added to the Pioneers' lead in the second period. Minnesota Wild first-rounder Zeev Buium iced the contest with an empty-netter.

Teddy Stiga, who was drafted by the Nashville Predators, tallied the Eagles' lone goal late in the second frame.

Denver goaltender Matt Davis made 35 saves and withstood a Boston College barrage in the third period. The Eagles outshot Denver 15-2 in the final frame but couldn't solve Davis.

Denver beat Boston College to win the national championship last year.

"Really proud of our team," Denver head coach David Carle said, according to College Hockey Insider's Mike McMahon. "Give BC a lot of credit. I have a lot of respect for them. It's really hard to end a team's season twice in a row."

The Pioneers will face the Western Michigan Broncos in the national semifinals April 10. Western Michigan beat Denver in double overtime last Saturday to win the NCHC conference title.

The Boston University Terriers will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the other semifinal game. It's the first time Penn State has made the national semifinals.

Boston College ends its campaign without any trophies despite being the No. 1 seed at the national tournament. The Eagles lost the Beanpot against Boston University and were upset by Northeastern in the Hockey East quarterfinals.

Multiple Boston College players, including top-10 Hobey Baker finalist Ryan Leonard, could turn pro now that their season is finished.

Leonard tallied 49 points this season and led the NCAA with 30 goals. The right-winger won MVP at the world juniors with Team USA in January and is a two-time gold medalist at the tournament. Leonard was drafted eighth overall by the Washington Capitals in 2023.