DENVER – Sophomore Jack Devine scored 86 seconds into overtime on Saturday to lift the No. 4 University of Denver hockey team to a 3-2 win over the No. 11 Providence College Friars on a night when the Pioneers also lifted their 2022 national championship banner to the rafters of Magness Arena.
 
Providence (3-2-0) forced the extra session after Taige Harding tallied with 2:56 remaining in regulation, but Devine sent the homecoming crowd of 6,324 to the exits in a better mood after taking a pass from freshman Rieger Lorenz in the slot and scoring with a wrister that beat Friars goalie Philip Svedback glove-side.
 
"It was a really nice play by Rieger, finding a spot and I was just able to shoot it," Devine said. "It felt good. Last year against those guys, we blew a 4-1 lead in the third, so definitely a lot of emotions after losing that game last year, and it was just really fun to celebrate with my brothers out there."

After a scoreless first period, the Friars potted the first tally of the night with a power-play goal by Jaroslav Chmelar at 15:51 of the middle stanza, but the Pioneers (4-2-0) responded before the second intermission. Carter Mazur scored with the man advantage with 2:43 left in the frame and Massimo Rizzo gave DU a 2-1 lead in the break just 1:49 later.
 
Mazur and Rizzo both had an assist on each other's goals, while defensemen Sean Behrens also had a multi-point night with a pair of assists as well. Casey Dornbach also contributed a helper in the game.
 
"It was a really competitive game, a playoff type of game, and to go down and fight back, you know respond in the second and then to give up the late one and then respond in overtime was awesome," said Richard and Kitzia Goodman hockey head coach David Carle. "I think it sent out a lot of happy people out of the building at Magness tonight.
 
"I thought we showed a lot of heart and guts to be able to stay together, and it's a really good building block for what the team can become."
 
Denver goaltender Magnus Chrona made a season-high 29 saves in net as the Pioneers were outshot in a game for the first this season, with the Friars gaining the 31-25 edge
 
Both teams had seven power-play chances in the contest, with PC converting on two and DU just on Mazur's marker in the second.
 
Prior to the game, the Pioneers raised their 2022 NCAA Championship banner to the rafters of Magness Arena. It was the final celebratory piece of the DU's record-tying ninth national title from April when it defeated Michigan in overtime in the Frozen Four and rallied with five unanswered goals to down Minnesota State in the championship contest.
 
Among the highlights of the ceremony featured last season's alternate captain and this year's captain Justin Lee taking a lap with the national championship trophy on the ice in front of the sold-out home crowd.
 
"It was really emotional, especially enjoying it with all of my teammates who worked so hard to win that banner," said Mazur of the ceremony. "To finally see it up in the rafters is pretty special, and to get this win in overtime was even more special."
 
UP NEXT: Denver begins NCHC play next weekend as it travels to Oxford, Ohio, to face the Miami RedHawks on Friday and Saturday night. Both games begin at 5 p.m. MT and will be broadcasted on NCHC.tv.
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Casey Dornbach now has a team-leading eight points on the season (4g/4a).
• Jack Devine scored his first overtime and game-winning goal of his collegiate career.
• The Pioneers picked up their first overtime win since Carter Savoie scored in the Frozen Four semifinals against Michigan on April 7.
• Denver has now won seven-straight home games dating back to last season.
• The program has won 15 consecutive home non-conference matchups since Oct. 18, 2019 and is 19-0-2 in its last 21 such non-NCHC games at Magness Arena dating back to Dec. 30, 2017.
• DU improved to 9-10-3 all-time against Providence and 5-0-2 in matchups at Magness Arena.

 
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Period
No Scoring
 
2nd Period
15:51 PC (0-1) – PPG, Jaroslav Chmelar broke the stalemate by tallying from the slot after taking a pass from Liam Valentine at the right circle.
17:17 DU (1-1) – PPG, Carter Mazur buried a loose puck in the low slot after it rebounded to him from Casey Dornbach's shot.
19:06 DU (2-1) – Carter Mazur drove to the net and passed the puck across the crease to Massimo Rizzo, who knocked it into the cage.
 
3rd Period
17:04 PC (2-2) – PPG, Taige Harding's shot from the right circle found its way through the goalie and into the net.
 
Ovetime
1:16 DU (3-2) – Rieger Lorenz found Jack Devine open in the slot and Devine scored on wrist shot that went glove-side.
 
 
QUOTABLES
Head Coach David Carle
On the banner-raising ceremony: "I thought the recognition of last year's team was awesome. I thought our people did a really nice job of putting all that together. The fans were really engaged in it as well. I think it made the guys from last year's team feel really special. The new guys on the bench with the staff, I think it drives a hunger for them to want to be a part of it."
 
On players stepping up in the game: "Everyone was asked to do a little bit more and also to simplify a little bit. Like a guy like, [Connor] Caponi can't hit as much when we're down a guy or two, and he's expected to play more. We got to simplify our game with the puck a little bit. I thought we did that. Unfortunately, we didn't close it out at the end of regulation. But it wasn't for lack of effort, and I love the way we responded in overtime."

Sophomore Forward Jack Devine
On the emotional night with the banner-raising ceremony: "I think it was a really special moment to see that banner getting raise. It was definitely a testament to all our hard work last year, and it was definitely awesome to be there with some of my brothers from last year and watch it raised. I think for us, it was just  to stay focus on tonight's game. It was a lot of fun, glad we got that win and I think it's going to be a big step in our direction."
 
On the game having a postseason-type atmosphere to it; "Yeah definitely, I think that it is early in the season, but to be tested like that is really important. I thought from last weekend, our team grew a lot and it's really good and I'm happy to see our team grow in that direction and be able to close out a game in the third."
 
Sophomore forward Carter Mazur
On the team's resilience: "I feel like our team has really grown, our younger guys are stepping up in big ways. If people step up in the moment and just play their game then the team will be able to win games."
 
On how they were able to refocus after last weekend: "I feel like we still played our game against UMass, we just didn't get the right bounced. We just took the bad things and turned them into good things this weekend, and then turned that into two wins."
 

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