The NCAA Frozen Four didn't go as I thought it would. The chalk no.1 seed Boston College was shut out in the final as Denver won its 10th title and third in six seasons. Denver held some pretty valuable +600 opening odds at the start of the tournament.
NCAA College Hockey National Championship Odds
| Team | Opening Odds |
|---|---|
| Boston College | +250 |
| Boston University | +500 |
| Denver | +600 |
| Michigan | +1200 |
Odds as of April 11
NCAA College Hockey National Championships Odds: Denver
You've undoubtedly heard that defense wins championships before. That was certainly the case with this Denver squad.
The Pioneers allowed only three goals in their four-game run to the title. Goalie Matt Davis was exceptional in that run with a 0.75GAA and 0.978SV%. The shot-stopper from Calgary put on a clinic in the Final against BC.
"OH MY GOD! WHAT WAS THAT?! MATT DAVIS IS OUT OF HIS MIND!" - John Buccigross 🏒🎙️ #FrozenFour pic.twitter.com/8XCDlKyd84
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 14, 2024
The junior is surely going to attract some attention from NHL teams with that type of performance. Next year we've got to add "outstanding goalie" to our list of criteria for potential champion.
We've seen strong goalie play win championships outside of the NCAA a bunch. It's why the NHL's Stanley Cup playoff MVP trophy (the Conn Smythe) has been won by a goalie 17 times. The second most for any position.
Last 10 NCAA Champions
| Year | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Denver (10) | NCHC |
| 2023 | Quinnipiac | ECAC |
| 2022 | Denver (9) | NCHC |
| 2021 | Massachusetts | Hockey East |
| 2019 | Minnesota-Duluth (3) | NCHC |
| 2018 | Minnesota-Duluth (2) | NCHC |
| 2017 | Denver (8) | NCHC |
| 2016 | North Dakota (8) | NCHC |
| 2015 | Providence | Hockey East |
| 2014 | Union | Hockey East |
*The numbers in parentheses represent the number of total championships.
As you can tell, the NCAA Division 1 hockey national championship has been dominated by the NCHC and Hockey East conferences. They’ve traded the last nine championships.
But how about Denver?! Ten championships are incredible and three of the last 10 are dominant.
