Denver 4, Michigan 3, 2OT
THE MODERATOR: We'll start with some thoughts from Coach.
DAVID CARLE: Yeah, I mean, it was a really good hockey game, obviously very entertaining. Credit to Michigan, I thought they were excellent tonight. Our guys found a way to win a game. Johnny was obviously excellent for us. Kent with a huge goal. It took everybody to try and get this victory.
Really proud of our group that we have an opportunity to play on Saturday. We are in a bit of a rush because of the food situation at our hotel unfortunately. So apologize for brief answers. Again, just want to commend Michigan on a great season. They look like a completely different team this year than they did four years ago. I think Brandon and his staff have done a great job.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for the players.
Q. Was there something that you saw from him on that play that led you to that goal?
KENT ANDERSON: Nothing specific. He was protecting the puck well, found me in a good spot. Let 'er rip and it went in.
Q. This has been a next-man-up mentality all season long, scoring coming from everywhere. What is it about your team that keeps this magic going?
RIEGER LORENZ: Yeah, I think DC touches on it a lot. All four lines, it's pretty even throughout our lineup. A key contributor every night. Hickey been awesome for us. A little bit different than teams we've had in the past where we have that pretty explosive line. Next-man-up mentality and we are proud of this group.
KENT ANDERSON: It's takes a village, like Rieger said, it takes everybody. All four lines have contributed all year. Obviously Hickey has been unbelievable.
Q. Kent, seems like you guys found your legs in overtime. Did something change in overtime? Did anything change going into overtime?
KENT ANDERSON: Yeah, we just stuck with it. Throughout the whole game, our belief didn't change. When we were down one in the third we didn't change anything and just stuck with it. Obviously double overtime, playing a lot of minutes. Takes everyone, yeah.
Q. Kent, your D partner has a gruesome injury going into double overtime, comes back out, on the ice. You see your goalie get ran over. You don't seem fazed by any of this stuff. Was there any chatter of anyone feeling hurt or tired?
KENT ANDERSON: No, not really. If guys are feeling cramps, hurting, it's the time of year everyone wants to play no matter what.
Bucky, when he came back out, that gave our group a little extra juice. Shows what kind of guy he is, wants to come back and help this team.
Q. Kent, how would this goal rank for you in your career? How important it was? The opportunity for you to play for another national championship?
KENT ANDERSON: Yeah, first of all, I don't score many goals, so this is ranking up top so far. It means everything to play in this national championship game. It's our goal at the beginning of the year. It's what we work for and what we play for at Denver.
Q. Obviously the game duration was over four hours long. How do you maintain your focus for that long?
RIEGER LORENZ: Yeah, we work our tails off all spring, summer to prepare for moments like this. The staff does a tremendous job getting our bodies in the best shape that we can.
It's a belief we have in our group. We're pretty battle tested. In the last six to eight weeks we've been in some close, tough games, especially in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. We pulled out every time. I think there's a pretty deep belief in this group right now. Reminds me of the '24 group.
Super excited to play on Saturday.
KENT ANDERSON: Yeah, we've had a lot of adversity this year. This group has been through everything. I think that's made us closer. When you go back into the locker room in overtime, double overtime, you just love that group of guys around you. Makes it easy.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks very much. We'll continue with questions for coach.
Q. The collision with Hicks, was there ever a thought of challenging for a penalty after that play?
DAVID CARLE: No. I mean, we had a good look at it, thought there was contact from our player to a degree that pushed him in. At that stage of the game needs to be egregious.
We thought about it, but didn't.
Q. For Johnny to come up with answers time after time, what does that say about him as a player?
DAVID CARLE: He's been doing it, his 16th game many for us, 17th, whatever it is. He's had an unbelievable run the last two, three years. Obviously was our best player tonight. Very unfazed by the moment.
Made a lot of great saves. Yeah, made the saves you're supposed to. Made a lot that he wasn't supposed to.
Q. You were 0-for-5 or 6 on the power play. Are you going to do anything different heading into Saturday?
DAVID CARLE: Yeah, power play wasn't good enough certainly tonight. We'll look at everything to try to be better for Saturday.
Certainly is a factor in the game being how it was, the lack of momentum and opportunities we created for ourselves on the power play.
Q. The second goal of the game, felt like that really settled things down. Do you feel like that tying goal at the start of the second got your guys on a different level?
DAVID CARLE: I mean, it was a race to four, so it was a big moment for sure. I think they carried the play in the second. We scored that goal early. So I don't know if it necessarily, like, generated momentum for us or anything.
It's always good to be able to tie the hockey game. Yeah, did we feel a sense of relief open the bench to tie it? For sure. But you feel good in this tournament, you feel really good anytime the puck goes in the back of the net on any team.
Q. What does it mean not necessarily for the program but for you to see Kent Anderson scoring that goal as the captain?
DAVID CARLE: Yeah, it was a big moment. Really proud of him, how he's led this team. He's grown a lot as an individual and as a leader this year and through his career. It was a great play obviously to get it off his stick. He works that shot a lot in goalie skates. We do a drill that's very similar to that almost on a weekly basis.
Really proud of him that he was able to come through for us on a huge goal. Unsung hero, not many had him on the BucciOT Challenge. No matter.
Q. What do you have to say about Michigan's better offensive players and how they matched up to Denver's scoring talent?
DAVID CARLE: Excellent players, really good team as I said in my opening statement. I think Brandon and his staff are doing a really good job. We haven't played Michigan since 1981 in the regular season. We'll be playing them in Magness Arena next year for a two-game set, then we'll be going to Yost the following year.
A lot of respect for Brandon. We have a very good relationship. We're excited to renew the rivalry in the regular season, as well.
Q. You talked a little bit about Johnny, but when he goes down on the ice, what is going through your mind?
DAVID CARLE: I mean, we got a lot of confidence in Quentin Miller. Go talk to Q, make sure he's ready to go mentally. Certainly hope for the best for John in the moment.
Again, live, you don't get a great look at it on the bench. I haven't seen a replay. Anytime a goaltender gets hit like that, they're going to take their time, make sure they're okay. It was obviously a real hard net drive by Spence. And J-Mo is trying to defend that space. Sometimes those plays happen in hockey.
Johnny is tough, a real competitor, obviously wasn't fazed by it. Real proud of him and our team not being fazed on it by the bench.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports