Denver routs Notre Dame to advance to national championship game

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CHICAGO — A three-goal outburst in the last six minutes of the second period broke the game wide open on the way to Denver’s 6-1 win over Notre Dame tonight in the second NCAA national semifinal.

Denver will face NCHC rival Minnesota Duluth on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. CDT in the championship game.

Pioneer defenseman Will Butcher set up Denver’s second goal and eventual game winner when he carried the puck around the net from right to left. With no room to put it in near side and with Notre Dame goalie Cal Petersen’s paddle on the ice, Butcher slid a pass just past the end of Petersen’s stick. Henrik Borgström tapped it in at 14:50 of the period.

Emil Romig had made it 1-0 Denver at 8:18 of the first, speeding out from behind the net and roofing a sharp angle shot on a feed from Colin Staub.

Denver defenseman Tariq Hammond scored his third goal of the season at 14:07 of the second period to give the Pioneers a 3-0 lead. A stumble to the ice by backskating Notre Dame defenseman Luke Ripley in the neutral zone sprung a two-on-one Denver rush. Jannsen backhanded a pass on the doorstep to defenseman Hammond, who steered it into a wide-open net.

Dylan Gambrell scored on a wrap around at 16:31 to make it 4-0 when he took a feed from defenseman Tariq Hammond and jammed a puck that deflected over Notre Dame goalie Cal Petersen who dove to the left post.

Denver’s Evan Ritt rushed up the right wing and wristed a goal in around the top of the net at 18:18 to break the game wide open at 5-0 in the second period.

Notre Dame’s lone goal of the contest came just five seconds into its only power play of the game. Cam Morrison tipped a Jordan Gross shot from the blue line just inside the right post at 11:24 of the third period.

Gambrell’s second goal of the night came with just 3:18 left in the contest as he banked a shot in off of Petersen.

Denver outshot Notre Dame 42 to 17. Reported attendance was 19,626.

 

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