5 Calgary-born players help lead University of Denver Pioneers to 10th NCAA hockey championship

The University of Denver Pioneers, led by six Albertan-born players on their roster, won the NCAA men's hockey championship Saturday, defeating Boston College 2-0 (Photo: X@DU_Hockey)

Forget 23 and Me. Saturday afternoon in an NCAA men's hockey final to remember, Boston College ran into 23 and Matt.

Twenty-three was the number of shots the number-one ranked Eagles fired in the third period at Calgary-born Matt Davis, who stopped them all, backstopping the University of Denver to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Chmpionship to a 2--0 win.

Overall, Davis stopped 35 shots en route to a shutout victory.

The upset  victory gave the Pioneers 10 men's national championships -- more than any other school.

The buzzer set off a joyous celebration, as the team poured onto the ice to celebrate.

There are six Albertans on the Pioneers roster, with five from the Calgary area, including Davis, backup goalie Freddie Halyk from Cochrane, while defenceman Kent Anderson, forward Rieger Lorenz and forward Carter King all hail from Calgary.

Defenceman Cale Ashcroft is from St. Albert.

They aren't the only Canadians on the roster, either: there's Paxton Geisel from Estevan, Tristan Lemyre from Mirabel, Quebec, Massimo Rizzo from Burnaby, and Boston Buckberger from Saskatoon as well.

The team also has Swede, a Finn and numerous players from southern California on its roster.

Carter King, Freddie Halyk, Kent Anderson, Matt Davis and Rieger Lorenz (L to R) all play for the University of Denver Pioneers hockey team. (Supplied/University of Denver)

Davis was named the National Goaltender of the Month for March by the Hockey Commissioners Association.

He followed that up Saturday by being named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, after stopping 139 of 142 shots.

Lorenz scored the insurance goal Saturday, giving the Pioneers a two-goal lead.

This is Denver's second national championship in the past three years.