COLLEGE HOCKEY

• Denver tops Maine for NCAA hockey title

  
  

  Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Gabe Gauthier scored the game's lone goal for Denver and goalie Adam Berkhoel stopped all 24 shots he faced to lift the Pioneers to a 1-0 win over Maine in the NCAA Ice Hockey Championship at the FleetCenter in Boston.

  It marked Denver's sixth national championship in the sport and first since 1969. The six titles rank third all-time in NCAA history behind Michigan's nine and North Dakota's seven.

  The Pioneers (27-12-5) reached the final by knocking off Minnesota Duluth 5-3 in a semifinal encounter. Lukas Dora, Denver's third leading scorer on the season, who scored the game-winner against UM-Duluth, did not play in the contest after being suspended for violation team rules Friday night.

  Jimmy Howard stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced for the Black Bears (33-8-3), who were making their second appearance in the national championship game in the last three seasons. Maine fell to Minnesota in 2002's title tilt.

  "Obviously our goal was to win a national championship," said forward Todd Jackson, one of six Black Bears who played in the 2002 title game. "It is disappointing. We did a lot of good things this season, but this one stings a lot right now."

  Derek Damon beat Berkhoel with a snap shot two minutes into the contest to give Maine an apparent 1-0 lead. But the referee reviewed the goal and ruled that Black Bears forward Mike Hamilton's skate was in the crease, thus disallowing the tally.

  Denver took advantage of the break and went on top 1-0 at the 12:26 mark of the opening period with Gauthier's power-play goal. Connor James dug the puck out of the right corner behind the net and fed a pass onto the doorstep where Gauthier was waiting. The Pioneers forward gathered the puck and wristed it into a wide open net.

  After consecutive penalties by Denver, the Black Bears had a 5-on-3 advantage for the final 1:05 of the contest. The Black Bears also pulled Howard with 30 seconds remaining and had a 6-on-3 advantage, but Maine couldn't deposit the puck in the net, as it had two shots ring off the crossbar in the final seconds.

  "I can't ever remember having to defend a 6-on-3," Denver coach George Gwozdecky said. "You're just trying to get in the shooting lanes, and in that last minute, anything goes."

  Maine, which knocked off Boston College 2-1 in the semis, outshot the Pioneers 24-20.

  Berkhoel's shutout was just the third in championship-game history and the first since 1972. His performance helped to earn him tournament MVP honors.

  04/10 23:52:42 ET