ST. LOUIS — Here are five numbers to know from Western Michigan’s 3-2 overtime victory against Denver on Thursday in the Frozen Four semifinals.
5
It had been five NCAA tournament games since Denver trailed. The last was against Cornell on March 30, 2024, when the Big Red scored first. Denver tallied the next two to advance from the Springfield Regional to the Frozen Four.
6
Denver’s NCAA tournament winning streak ended at six games. The Pioneers won eight straight in their back-to-back national championships in 2004 and 2005.
16
Owen Michaels’ bar down overtime game-winner was his 16th goal of the season. His 15th came in the second period of Thursday’s game to put Western Michigan ahead 2-0.
47
Denver was outshot by a total of 47 shots on goal in its three NCAA tournament games this postseason. The Pioneers defeated Providence 5-1, being outshot 31-20, and downed Boston College 3-1 after a 36-25 shots deficit. Western Michigan had 47 shots to Denver’s 22 in the national semifinal.
113
There have been 113 overtime games in the NCAA tournament and 19 multiple-OT games, including Thursday’s semifinal. The last two-OT game in a Frozen Four was Colorado College’s 4-3 win over Vermont in the 1996 semifinal in Cincinnati on deteriorating ice conditions after an ice attendant drilled into the refrigeration system while attempting to clean out the hole for the goal peg. Denver and Western Michigan contributed a two-overtime tournament game in 2011, with DU winning that one 3-2.
