Anchorage’s David Carle. Photo courtesy of the University of Denver
Coach Carle keeps crushing.
University of Denver bench boss David Carle of Anchorage has guided the Pioneers into the Frozen Four for the third time in his six seasons as the leader of one of NCAA men’s hockey’s most dynamic programs.
The No. 3-ranked Pioneers on Thursday beat UMass 2-1 in double overtime in Springfield, Mass., then eliminated Cornell, and junior winger Sullivan Mack of Anchorage, 2-1 in Saturday’s regional final.
Those two wins, which pushed Denver’s winning streak to seven games, earned the Pioneers (30-9-3) a spot in the Frozen Four, April 11-13, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn, where it will face face No. 2-ranked Boston University (28-9-2) in a semifinal.
Carle led the Pioneers to the 2022 NCAA Championship. He also helped Denver to an NCAA title as an assistant coach under current Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. Earlier this season, he coached Team USA to gold at the World Junior Championship.
In his career as Denver’s head coach, Carle’s teams have gone 146-62-16 (.688 winning percentage).
He’s just 34, so, uh, so far, so good.
Sullivan Mack
Mack and Cornell advanced to face Denver by virtue of Thursday’s 3-1 win over Maine, which Mack highlighted with the third two-goal game of his Big Red career. His two goals and four shots on goals were both his most this season.
Mack, who fired two shots in the loss to Denver, earned 7-10—17 totals in 29 games this season. All those scoring numbers were college career highs for him, as were his 44 shots on goal.
Also last Thursday, the college career of RIT captain Caleb Moretz of Fairbanks ended when the Tigers fell 6-3 to Boston University in the first round of the Sioux Falls, S.D., regional.
Moretz finished the season with 1-5—6 totals in 39 games and closed his career with 22-43—65 totals in 159 games.