The Pioneers are now tied with Michigan for the most Division I men’s collegiate hockey championships, having defeated the Wolverines in overtime in the national semifinal round. Ryan Barrow transferred to the University of Denver in the autumn of 2017 from Banff, Alberta, where his ice hockey team had just won the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men’s championship.He had heard incredible stories about how the 2017 squad won the university’s eighth title from upperclassmen and alumni, and he had seen the highlight film so many times that it was nearly memorized. Barrow attempted to emulate that feat and assist Denver tie for the most such titles, only to see the Pioneers again disappointed. However, on Saturday night, in his 168th collegiate game and at the conclusion of his fifth college season, Barrow achieved his goal.
His squad had been lethargic, apparently incapable of defeating Minnesota State goalkeeper Dryden McKay, the previous Hobey Baker Award winner as Division I men’s hockey’s finest player. However, little over five minutes into the third period of the final game, Barrow scored to tie the game, 1-1.
Denver added four more goals, including Mike Benning’s game-winning goal less than three minutes later, and two more into an empty net, as Denver beat Minnesota State 5-1 in Boston to claim their eighth title. Barrow, 25, will now be able to narrate his own story and remember a new movie.
“I can’t even remember how many times I watched the 2017 national championship video,” Barrow added. “It’ll be rather pleasant to see my own now.” Denver won at the same venue as it did in 2004 against Maine (Denver had won in Boston in 1960), and the Pioneers slept at the same Sheraton hotel as the 2004 squad.
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