The University of Denver will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29, the school announced Wednesday. The matchup will mark the second time the Pioneers have played a regular-season game at Ball Arena. They previously beat Colorado College, 2-0, on Jan. 27, 2023, in front of 17,952 in attendance.

DU is coming off its third Frozen Four appearance in four seasons. The Pioneers have reached the Frozen Four 20 times in program history, just three behind Minnesota (23), and won their NCAA-best 10th national title in 2024.

This is the third time Denver has hosted the Hall of Fame game. DU beat both Notre Dame in 2008 and Boston University in 2012, with both wins coming on campus at Magness Arena. The Pioneers played in the fourth Hall of Fame game back in 2004, losing to Minnesota in St. Paul, Minn.

Tickets for the game will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Aug. 1 on Ticketmaster.com. There is an exclusive presale from July 29-31 for season-ticket holders, DU e-mail subscribers and those who donate a gift to the hockey program. Ticket prices begin at $35.

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While the Colorado Eagles were readying for a winner-take-all Game 5 of the AHL quarterfinals against the Abbotsford Canucks in late May, Sean Behrens had his own battle to wage. This would be another night where Behrens could sit and feel sorry for himself, wishing he could be on the ice with his teammates instead.

Another long night in a lost season, at least on the ice. Another test of his mental toughness.

“We talk about personal investment. This is a guy that lost an entire season in training camp,” Schneekloth, former head coach of the Eagles, said. “He’s been around the team every single day. With his rehab, with his workouts, team meetings, being with the guys — I mean, he’s invested. He’s making sure that this season isn’t a complete wash. He’s been watching all the games, working hard to make sure that he can be an impactful player next season.

“You can’t say enough about his character. Obviously, in a difficult situation, his first year pro, first NHL contract, just continue to show up and work tells you why he was a national champion at DU, tells you why he’s been a leader, been on the world junior team. Just a special kid and a special player.”

Behrens was in the middle of crafting a storybook tale.

A second-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2021 NHL draft, Behrens followed his older brother to the University of Denver. He had a decorated amateur career.

He won two national championships with the Pioneers. He played for his country in international events at the Under-17, U-18 and U-20 levels, earning an assistant captain role for the latter two teams.

Despite a diminutive frame, he became a two-way force at DU and one of the Avalanche’s top prospects. He got a taste of life in the AHL after his junior season, but made a solid impression at his first NHL training camp and headed north up I-25 for his first season as a professional.

A few days later, his season was over.

“It was just kind of a weird, weird incident, kind of a freaky play that happened,” Behrens said. “The next thing you know, my leg didn’t really work. It was a pretty humbling experience.”

Behrens was assigned to AHL camp Oct. 1, 2024. Behrens sustained a torn ACL during an Eagles practice four days after that.

Any season for a young hockey player is a critical one for development. But losing the first one as a pro could be a different level of adversity.

“He was really primed to start his professional career, and to have that taken away in an instant is tough, I think just as much or more so mentally,” Avalanche director of player development Brian Willsie said. “You’re checking in with him all the time.

“The coaches, the staff get focused on the team, but you can’t forget about the other players that are not in the lineup every night. So Aaron and his staff did a great job with that up there, including him in everything. He’s progressed well. It’s a long year. It’s just as much mental as it is getting that knee strong.”

It’s been nearly eight months since the surgery to repair Behrens’ knee. He’s been skating for a while and was back on the ice this past week for Colorado’s summer development camp.

Behrens was in a red no-contact jersey all week, but he expects to be fully ready for training camp in September.

“There’s been a lot of ups and downs throughout the whole recovery, especially when I got back on the ice,” Behrens said. “It was tough for a little bit, but it’s been feeling a lot better these last couple of weeks. Hopefully, I’ll be ready for contact here pretty soon. I’m really excited for that.”

He’s still just 22 years old, but one additional forthcoming test for Behrens will again be about patience and trusting his process. While he can’t wait to get back into full team practices and begin his first season as a regular with the Eagles, he can’t try too hard to make up for lost time either.

Behrens is going to need to adjust to the pace of AHL hockey, learn how to defend bigger, more experienced players. His dream of reaching the NHL is still out there. There’s still more work to do.

He’s just happy to be doing it on the ice again. The end of his tale is still in his control.

“I kind of feel like missing last year kind of makes you want it more,” Behrens said. “It’s exciting to be back again. It’s exciting to kind of be around the team environment and be on the ice for practices again.

“I think going into next year, I feel good. Having the confidence in my knee and myself has me in a good spot. I still feel like I’m the same hockey player. Nothing has changed. It’s just rehabbing and getting back to not where it was before, but a little bit better than it was.”

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His father grew up in Canada and was a hockey player. After retiring, Jon Gustafson settled in San Jose and built a post-playing career in the sport, rising to Vice President of the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and one of the largest hockey-focused facilities in the country — Sharks Ice.

The younger Gustafson developed as a youth hockey player in San Jose and committed to play at his dad’s alma mater, Colorado College. Then, last month, something happened that, until now, would have signaled the end of his future as a college hockey player.

On May 13, Gustafson signed with the Portland WinterHawks of the Western Hockey League. And he did so with the blessing of Colorado College’s hockey staff. Gustafson will join the WinterHawks for this coming season and the next, but he’s still committed to arrive in Colorado Springs in the fall of 2027.

College athletics has seen massive changes across all sports in recent years — a temporary extra year of eligibility for athletes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the introduction of the transfer portal, and Name, Image and Likeness financial commitments. Revenue sharing is coming in just a few weeks.

But the college hockey landscape felt another seismic event in November. The NCAA Division I council voted to make Canadian Hockey League players eligible, effective Aug. 1.

“We have more really good hockey players available to us,” Colorado College coach Kris Mayotte said. “With an influx of talent — I mean, college hockey is going to be more talented than it’s ever been, and it’s not even going to be close, I don’t think — how much does it change roster composition in terms of winning championships and being the best team in your league?

“I think that’s what’s still so unknown.”

For decades, players have had to choose between the CHL, which comprises the top three junior leagues (WHL, OHL, QMJHL) in Canada, and NCAA hockey. That decision often had to be made when the player was 14 or 15 years old, even with college 3-4 years away.

Suiting up for a CHL team made a player ineligible for NCAA hockey. That changed with this ruling.

Gustafson is part of the first crop of players who can choose both. When Avalanche star Cale Makar decided to forego playing in the WHL in favor of college hockey at UMass, he spent two seasons with the Brooks Bandits in the AJHL, which is the second tier of Canadian junior hockey.

This ruling will change development paths all over North America. There will be plenty of uncertainty in the short term, which mirrors how the transfer portal and NIL have changed college sports.

But there can be positive long-term benefits as well.

“I think it provides more opportunities for youth players,” said Jordan Pietrus, Hockey Director for the Colorado Thunderbirds youth program. “Now, they don’t have to make a decision at 14 years old in Colorado to say, ‘Yes, I want to go to the Western league or not.’ Now they can say yes to everything and see what opportunities are available. From that perspective, I think it’s really, really positive.”

A modern gold rush

Players like Gustafson or kids currently in the Thunderbirds program will have more time to see how the new landscape develops, but the November ruling drastically altered how 2025-26 NCAA teams will be constructed.

While college teams have typically earned commitments from youth players years in advance, there was suddenly a flood of new players available and far less time to recruit them.

“It’s playing out in real time, and it’s been a little clunky here and there, but for the most part, I think it’s been pretty smooth,” DU coach David Carle said. “There’s never been more ways or avenues to build your roster. That started with the portal and then obviously the CHL player eligibility. So there’s a lot more players within the marketplace.”

Carle said last month that he expects to have between eight and 10 freshmen on his roster next season. His staff didn’t waste any time dipping into the new player pool.

The captains for Everett (Eric Jamieson) and Swift Current (Clark Caswell) from this past season both committed to join the Pioneers in August — a statement that would’ve read like a foreign language to college hockey fans before eight months ago.

Kyle Chyzowski, who scored 41 goals and 105 points in 66 regular-season games for Portland, is committed to joining them. The two goalies who will compete to replace program legend Matt Davis? Both have CHL experience.

Down I-25, Mayotte and the Tigers are excited for their incoming group of newcomers as well. The leading scorer for Prince Albert this past season, Tomas Mrsic, is one of multiple NHL draft picks in CC’s incoming class.

How this influx of older, more accomplished freshmen will affect college hockey remains a mystery. This ruling could open the door for a few more first-round picks who chose the CHL to spend a season or two in college, but it goes deeper than that.

“I know we’re getting really good hockey players, and probably as good as we’ve ever gotten type of hockey players, but so is everybody else,” Mayotte said. “What’s that going to look like in terms of, how do you become one of the best teams in college hockey?

“I think the ceiling is going up, but I think the floor is getting closer to the ceiling. I think the floor is rising at a faster rate. If you add 5-10 more of those (high draft picks across college hockey), how much of a difference is that versus the fact that you’re going to add 150 more 19-20-year-olds that are really good hockey players?”

A trickle-down effect

Just like the extra “Covid” year and the transfer portal, the effects of CHL eligibility go beyond just a stream of new talent available to the 64 Division I programs.

Some players who were committed to those programs for next season have had find a new place to play. The USHL has been the top source of NCAA players from the junior ranks, while those tier two leagues in Canada like the AJHL and BCHL have also been strong pipelines.

Now, those leagues will have to compete with the CHL teams for youth players who can still go to college.

“I think you’ll see guys bounce around all over and find the place that they think is best for their development,” Mayotte said. “I think that’s one of the best things that options create, is it allows the player to do what’s best and not just have one option that they feel like they have to take or else their career is in jeopardy.

“I think you’ll see teams in all leagues that know how to develop players, how to resource development — those programs will thrive no matter what league they’re in.”

Just as NCAA teams are scrambling to adjust, changes will come for the other levels as well. CHL draft pools will change because a Canadian-born phenom like Macklin Celebrini won’t have to tell WHL teams he’s going to college when he’s 15 years old.

Not only could recruiting and scouting at all levels of amateur hockey get tweaked, but player retention is going to be very different now that players can leave the USHL or AJHL for CHL clubs without losing college eligibility. One of Carle’s incoming recruits, goalie Johnny Hicks, began last season with Makar’s old club in Brooks and finished the year with Victoria in the WHL.

How it will affect youth programs like the Thunderbirds also remains to be seen.

“I think it’s going to take a little bit of time to matriculate down to the youth market,” Pietrus said. “I think there’s still a lot of unknowns that are going to sort itself out at the junior level, which will then give more clarity at the youth level.

“Junior clubs are likely going to be looking for top youth organizations to recruit from, so that they know what they can expect. And that’s going to force youth hockey organizations to be better.”

An eye toward the future

When DU announced a new contract extension for Carle in May, one of the reasons he gave for eschewing NHL opportunities was his desire to help create further change in college hockey. While all of the alterations to college sports have led some (mostly older) high-profile coaches in other sports to leave for professional jobs or retire, Carle is leaning in.

“I kind of get excited about the changes and trying to navigate it,” he said. “I’m trying to drive more change than less change, certainly with our sport. I feel like I’m banging my head against the wall sometimes, but I think there’s a lot of room to still make the sport better.”

One of his objectives is changing the NCAA tournament structure, which has long been a thorny issue for Western schools. But another is tied to the CHL eligibility ruling.

He wants the college hockey recruiting calendar to change. Under the current rules, NCAA coaches can first speak with recruits starting Jan. 1 of their sophomore year in high school and officially extend scholarship offers Aug. 1 ahead of their junior year.

The scouting and evaluation start even before that.

“Why do we need to do that now?” Carle said. “Let’s let the kids be kids. We don’t need to be in rinks watching them in U-15 and U-16 hockey. They’ve got enough going on. Let them be with their teams, let them be coached, let them not have the noise and the pressure of colleges talking to them, and push it all back a year.

“I think it’s on the radar. We’re not changing tomorrow on it, but it’s something that could potentially change in the next year or two.”

While every college team could have more talent in the coming seasons, there is another side effect. Some players who have the ability to play NCAA hockey are going to be pushed down a level or delay their college careers.

Mayotte has a solution for that, too.

“Hopefully, it allows more schools to start hockey programs,” he said. “Because there are just going to be more good players than there are roster spots at the Division I level.”

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Carle signed a multi-year contract extension to remain the University of Denver hockey coach, the school announced Monday. Terms were not disclosed, including the actual length of the deal.

“I am grateful for Chancellor Jeremy Haefner, Chairman John Miller, as well as the entire Board of Trustees and Vice Chancellor of Athletics Josh Berlo for their continued support of and investment in Denver hockey to ensure we maintain our position as the best college program in the country,” Carle said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to continuing to work with our student-athletes, coaches, administration, alumni, supporters, and fans over the coming seasons.

“Denver is home for me and my family.”

Carle has won two national championships and helped the Pioneers to four Frozen Four appearances in his seven seasons as the team’s head coach. DU won the national title in 2022 and 2024, and returned to the Frozen Four in 2025 before losing to eventual champion Western Michigan in the semifinals.

Along with four straight 30-win seasons with the Pios, Carle has also led the United States to back-to-back gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championships for the first time in the country’s history. Carle has already said he will not seek a three-peat with Team USA next season.

Carle has been on the NHL radar for a few years now. He has interviewed with multiple NHL franchises in each of the past two years.

There are currently four NHL vacancies, plus three more coaches on interim contracts. Carle has stated on multiple occasions that he is in no rush to leave DU, and that he feels comfortable with where the Pioneers program fits in the hockey landscape.

Carle is fourth in Pios program history with 179 wins, and he’d move into third place next season. He is also 12-3 in NCAA Tournament play, the second-best winning percentage among coaches with at least 10 games.

“We are thrilled to have David continue to lead the exceptional legacy that is Denver hockey,” Berlo said in a statement. “His dedication and passion are second to none, and we look forward to furthering our partnership and building upon our NCAA-record 10 national championships as the most accomplished college hockey program all-time.”

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Whiny Pete DeBoer does. Still. After all these years. After all those trades. After all those draft picks.

If not now, when?

The Avs were up 2-0 in the third period on Saturday night, laughing old demons away while the fans partied back home. With about eight minutes left on the clock, PDB reached into his back pocket, pulled out the title and waved it in the face of Mikko Rantanen.

The Moose got loose. The Avs got hoosed, as they say in Saskatoon.

If not now, when?

Colorado went into Dallas with a full series from Val Nichushkin, depth at center, a fourth line with real teeth, two new goaltenders and a miraculous return from Gabe Landeskog.

The Stars came in limping after a so-so April and without top scorer Jason Robertson and top defenseman Miro Heiskanen.

Dallas won anyway.

Jared Bednar has been a tremendous servant to this organization, the kind of stand-up guy who leaves a room better than he found it.

But this Whiny Pete thing is real. And it’s not going away unless one of them does first.

Bednar’s 0-4 against DeBoer in playoff series with the Avs. He’s now 0-2 against the guy in Game 7s. Only the Tampa Bay Lightning (11.1%) and New Jersey Devils (0.0%) had a worse power-play percentage than Colorado’s 13.6% conversion rate during the first round.

“I don’t know,” a justifiably dour Nathan MacKinnon told reporters Saturday. “Make better adjustments. We had looks. Not going in. Yeah. Bad adjustments.”

Stan Kroenke and son Josh have to ask themselves a simple question: What would do MacKinnon more justice? Not rocking the boat and then watching it get tipped over by DeBoer every other spring? Or going after Dallas and/or Vegas with a new voice and a new plan?

Because hoping for Whiny Pete to miss the postseason — as he did in 2022, and you know what happened after that — isn’t a strategy.

Wyatt Johnston is 21. Big Lian Bichsel is 20. Thomas Harley is 23. Jake Oettinger, the netminder who’s surely eliminated the Avs about 38 times already, is only 26.

If not now, when?

The Mike Krzyzewski of college hockey, University of Denver coach David Carle, is just down the street. Make a call, Josh. Better yet, make five or six. If Jim Montgomery could work at the next level, so can Carle.

“All those (wins with) World Juniors and whatnot, I think it goes to show that he obviously gets the most out of his players,” Avs forward and DU alum Logan O’Connor told me late last month when Chicago was reportedly chasing Carle for its vacancy. “He’s great at developing his players. I mean, the winning culture that he represents from DU has been pretty remarkable to see. And if he decides to go pro, I have no doubt that he’s going to have great success with that as well.”

Bednar’s 9-7 in playoff overtime games with the Avs. But he’s 6-7 since 2020 and 1-4 since lifting the Cup in 2022. Bednar’s 15-17 as Avs coach in one-goal postseason tilts, and 2-7 since dancing with Lord Stanley.

“I think tactically, (Carle’s) adjustments on the fly will set him apart (in the NHL),” O’Connor said. “I think that’s something that he’s always done a good job at, even when he was an assistant — he was on the penalty kill and (I) worked a lot with him on the penalty kill, (and) his small adjustments in games that other coaches maybe wouldn’t see.”

Meanwhile, when it comes to fine margins, the Avs keep falling through the cracks.

Does Stan care? Does Josh care? The Kroenkes know football, basketball and soccer pay the big bills. You get the sense they look at hockey the way many Power 4 college athletic directors sometimes look at women’s basketball. If it’s fine, leave it alone.

And the Avs are … fine. Technically. But they’re also, potentially, teetering on the brink. GM Chris McFarland has maxed out the credit card to buy MacKinnon and Cale Makar a second title now, to no avail.

Colorado doesn’t have a first-round draft pick again until 2027, which is when Bednar’s deal is up. Landeskog’s return is the story of the year so far, feel-good or otherwise — but it’s also about to add $7 million to the cap going forward. Makar is next up for the big payday MacFarland didn’t give Rantanen, and … how did that last one work out again?

It’s a Nuggets-esque dilemma without the Nuggets’ internal drama.

Which is why I asked Bednar last week: How are things with Josh and Stan, anyway? And did their quick trigger with their other championship coach in town, Michael Malone, give you any pause?

“Well, so, (the) relationship’s great,” Bednar replied. “They’re obviously busy people, so we see them every once in a while when Josh is in town and (when) he’s around, I talk to him. I talked to him right before the playoffs. But he’s really supportive. He gives you good insight. They’re terrific owners, no question. I think no one’s going to put any more pressure on me or on our team than we put on ourselves. I think we’ve got high expectations for a long time here.

“I don’t really think about that a lot. I see a good coach (in Malone) get let go. Things aren’t working. It happens all the time. I understand it’s the business side of it. There’s a personal side to it. I know they really liked each other and liked him. You sometimes have to make a change, and that’s the business.”

The Avs blew a two-goal lead in the third Saturday. They blew a two-goal lead at home last Thursday. They blew three third-period cushions in this series.

Once is a lousy break. Two is lousy karma. Three? Three is lousy coaching. Period.

If not now, when?

“They were missing their best D and maybe their best forward, (and) we still couldn’t beat them,” MacKinnon told reporters Saturday. “Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Who can you get who’s better? In Bednar’s defense, that’s a tough ask. But if the Avs don’t make a serious run at Carle, then just like many of those 50-50 pucks in Game 7, somebody else is going to beat them to it.

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Davis earned Most Outstanding Player honors in the 2024 national championship, making 35 saves and shutting out No. 1-ranked Boston College to help the Pios claim their 10th national title. The 23-year-old from Calgary, Alberta, followed that up with a 29-10-1 record this season for the Pioneers, who made their second straight run to the Frozen Four and their third appearance in four years. His 29 victories in 2024-25 rank second all-time at the school, behind only George Kirkwood, who had 30 in 1960-61.

A 2025 Richter Award semifinalist, Davis put up a .924 save percentage and a 2.07 goals-against average this season. In his collegiate career, the 6-foot-1, 192-pound netminder appeared in 90 games (83 starts) and recorded 59 wins, a .921 save percentage, 2.13 goals-against average, .783 winning percentage as a starter, and five shutouts.

The Barracuda are the top affiliate of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks and will open their first-round playoff series Thursday against the Ontario Reign. Their current goalie room includes 2020 No. 11 draft pick Yaroslav Askarov, 35-year-old  Aaron Dell and Gabriel Carriere, a 2024 undrafted signee out of Vermont.

Davis is among several departing DU players signing pro contracts. Pioneers forward Jared Wright signed with the Los Angeles Kings, forward Jack Devine signed with the Florida Panthers,  defenseman Zeev Buium is headed to the Minnesota Wild, and forward Carter King signed with his hometown Calgary Flames.

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Wright, a native of Burnsville, Minn., will report to the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, on an amateur tryout for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.

Three other Pios players have signed with NHL teams since losing to eventual national champion Western Michigan in the Frozen Four last week. Jack Devine signed with the Florida Panthers, Zeev Buium with the Minnesota Wild and Carter King with the Calgary Flames.

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King, the University of Denver captain who had a breakout season to cap off a distinguished college career, signed an entry-level contract Monday with the Calgary Flames. He was one of the most sought-after undrafted free agents after the Pios’ season concluded with a loss to eventual national champion Western Michigan in the semifinals.

The 23-year-old King is a Calgary native and attended development camp with the Flames this past summer.

A two-time national champion, the Pios won 124 games during King’s career. He set career highs with 21 goals and 43 points in 44 games for DU this season, helping to lead the club to the Frozen Four for the third time in his career after winning national titles in 2022 and 2024.

He was part of the most productive line in college hockey this season, centering Jack Devine and Aiden Thompson. Both of his linemates signed this past weekend with the NHL clubs that drafted them — Devine with the Florida Panthers and Thompson with the Chicago Blackhawks.

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The Pios’ sophomore defenseman confirmed to The Denver Post early Friday evening that he plans on joining the Minnesota Wild soon.

“I think I’m ready to take that next step and play in the NHL and try to make that jump,” Buium told The Post after the 2025 Hobey Baker award ceremony. “I think I’m ready for it.

“I think I’m going to do my best I can to make an impact and do whatever I can to help my team win. At the end of the day, that’s always what I want to do. It doesn’t matter what level I’m at. I want to win. It doesn’t matter where I’m playing or what level. I just want to win — (and) want to help in any way I can.”

The 6-foot, 186-pound Buium was selected by the Minnesota Wild 12th overall in the 2024 NHL draft. He collected 48 points on 13 goals and 35 assists for the 31-12-1 Pios, whose season ended Thursday night at the Enterprise Center with a 3-2 loss in double overtime to Western Michigan.

Buium played 51:41 in the defeat, finishing with two blocks and a shot. The defenseman appeared to suffer a slew foot during a collision along the boards late in the second period but returned to finish the contest.

The San Diego native led all NCAA defensemen in scoring and was named NCHC Player of the Year.

Asked about a specific timeline to report to Minnesota, Buium said, “I don’t know. I think it’s more so between us — me and the team, and I’m going to keep that between us for now.”

Buium, the Pios’ venerated young D-man, was a finalist for the Hobey Baker, presented to the top NCAA Division I hockey player in the country, but lost out Friday to Michigan State’s Isaac Howard.

The Hobey Baker Award, named for the late Princeton hockey player Hobey Baker, has been presented to collegians since 1981. The honor is given to the player who “exhibits strength of character both on and off the ice” and “contributes to the integrity of the team and displays outstanding skills in all phases of the game,” according to the award’s website.

Earlier this month, Buium was named one of three Hobey Hat Trick finalists, along with Howard and Boston College forward Ryan Leonard.

The final round of voting was conducted by a nationwide panel of media, NHL scouts, college hockey coaches and collegiate officials.

Previous winners include Avalanche star Cale Makar, who won it with UMass in 2019; Vegas’ Jack Eichel (Boston University, 2015); Chris Drury (Boston University, 1998); and Paul Kariya (Maine, 1993). Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2024, won the award last spring.

DU senior forward Jack Devine was also named one of the top 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker last month. Devine and Buium were announced as first-team All-Americans by the American Hockey Coaches Association on Friday. Both were repeat selections in the West region.

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“I’m just forever proud to be a Pio,” the DU goaltender whispered, eyes puffy and red, a few minutes after his Pioneers fell to Western Michigan in double overtime, 3-2, in a Frozen Four semifinal. “I love this program with everything …

“Yeah. Yeah, I don’t know.”

You know where DU is without Davis on Thursday? Buried between Thomas Hart Benton and Adolphus Busch. A national champion blown out of its title defense with a wave and a whimper.

“It (stinks) to lose, for sure, when you’re expected to win championships,” DU forward Connor Caponi told me matter-of-factly in the Pios’ locker room. “So yeah, heartbreaking for the guys. And really sad that we couldn’t help our goalie out more than we did.”

Davis didn’t just deserve the victory. He deserved a Nobel Prize for grace under fire, a primetime Emmy for sheer guts.

The Broncos outshot DU 12-3 during the first period, 18-5 during the second and 10-5 through the first overtime. In his Pios finale, Davis faced 47 attempts, turning away all but three.

Context: That’s twice as many stops (22) as his WMU counterpart, Hampton Slukynsky, had against Davis’ teammates. It was one-way traffic from the jump. If Davis hadn’t kept DU within shouting distance, the crying in the Pios camp would’ve started a heck of a lot sooner.

“Credit to Matt Davis,” Broncos coach Pat Ferschweiler said, “for holding them in there. We were really pushing in the second period.”

If you’re an NHL front office, how have you not called this guy? Especially after the show he put on at the Enterprise Center? The Avs are happy as clams with Mackenzie Blackwood, who’s 28 and blocks out the sun. But you can never have too much of a good thing.

Matty Davis is a good thing. A special thing. A two-time national champion with the tattoos to prove it.

He deserved another happy ending, another trophy. Instead, his collegiate eligibility ended on a crazy bounce, the way most of them seemed to go against Western. Some 26 seconds into the second extra period, the biscuit bopped off DU defenseman Zeev Buium’s stick, bounded straight to Western Michigan forward Owen Michaels, and wound up kissing twine.

You gotta be bleepin’ me.

“He’s a heck of a goaltender,” Michaels said of Davis. “It’s not too fun playing against him. His resume speaks for itself. He’s a winner. And he keeps it nice and stable back there for their team.”

He’s the kind of netminder you can build a dynasty around. It was the first time Davis had given up more than one goal in an NCAA tourney appearance.

While DU’s offense floundered, Pios captain Carter King rallied the troops between periods. Coach David Carle tweaked their forecheck in the neutral zone to put more heat on the WMU d-men in the third period. The added temperature worked like a charm. And with two goals over the final 13:11 of regulation, thanks to Aidan Thompson’s rebound and Jared Wright’s 5-hole poke, the Pios darn near gave everybody in maroon a carDUvascular episode late.

Without Davis pulling rabbits out of hats over the first 40 minutes, though, the Pios don’t have a snowball’s chance in Aruba. At one point, with 7:45 left in the opening stanza, Matty D even found himself defending the crease without a stick, squatting like an MMA fighter.

“MATTY-DAVIS!” the DU faithful chanted from one corner of the arena.

Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap!

“MATTY-DAVIS!”

Davis spent so much of the opening period standing on his head that, 11 seconds into the second stanza, his mask came off.

“I can’t speak enough about Matty,” Caponi said. “He’s obviously a phenomenal goaltender. And if you’re an NHL team, I don’t see how you’re not all over him. And he’s obviously a gamer. And it’s been an honor to share the ice with Matt. And I wish nothing but the best for him in this future. And he’s gonna have a great career.”

Just turn on the tape. Any tape. But especially the NCAA tape, when the lights burned brightest.

“I mean, I was just trying to do whatever I was called upon to do,” Davis said softly. ” And you know …”

A pause. He trailed off.

“Can you reflect upon the memories,” a reporter asked, “the four years, the titles, the friendships?”

“Yeah,” he said, the hurt surfacing again. “Sorry.”

The moments were a blur. So were the salvos, furious to the last. With 7:43 left in overtime, Davis took a flukey bounce and caressed it off his right pad, his right abdomen, then his right pad again. The biscuit somehow trickled forward, to the point where a prone goalie managed to cradle it between his helmet and his hands.

“How?” I wondered.

“Yeah,” Davis replied. “I mean …  yeah. I was just trying to do whatever I could.”

Another pause. Longer this time.

“Sorry,” Davis said. “I’m not giving you much here.”

It’s OK, man. You gave the Pios plenty.

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