Minnesota State finishes as National Runner-Up

Courtesy MSUMavericks.com

Boston, Mass. - Minnesota State scored first, but could not hold the lead in the national championship game of the 2022 NCAA Division I Frozen Four, played in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN2 and in front of a sell out crowd of 17,850 at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., Saturday night.

Denver responded with five unanswered third-period goals in claiming the national title with a 5-1 win

The Mavericks, who had won 18 games in a row heading into the national championship game, finish the season with a 38-6-0 record.

Minnesota State outshot the Pioneers by a 9-3 margin in taking a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. It was junior forward Sam Morton's one-timer from the right dot at 6:01 that beat DU netminder Magnus Chrona that gave the Mavericks the first lead of the contest. The goal, which came off a pass from Lucas Sowder with Minnesota State on the power play, is the ninth of the year for Morton, a native of Lafayette, Colo.

The two teams battled through a scoreless second period before the Pioneers mounted their comeback. The first goal came on a rebound chance by Ryan Barrow at 4:46 of the third period, knotting the score at 1-1. Then, just as a Minnesota State penalty expired, defenseman Mike Benning wired a shot from the left dot that found the back of the net at 7:33 to give DU at 2-1 lead. It became a 3-1 lead at 13:34 of the third, with DU capitalizing on an odd-man rush. Massimo Rizzo, with his 12^th of the year, made it a two-goal lead. The Pioneers scored a pair of empty-net goals to close out the scoring in the contest.

Senior netminder Dryden McKay, this season's Hobey Baker Award recipient as the top men's college hockey player in the nation, stopped 15 shots in the contest and finishes the season with a 38-5-0 record.