Before Denver’s late rally, Georgetown appeared to be in control, including three of the game’s first four goals, netted by Patrick Crogan, Kade Goldberg and Alexander Vardaro. Denver’s Michael Lampart made it 3-2 on a highlight-reel goal, cutting back on an over-run defenseman and diving toward the crease before burying a shot in the left side of the net.
As the wind picked up early in the second quarter, Connell tied it at 3 on a rip at least 15 yards away, but Jordan Wray responded for the Hoyas less than 90 seconds later by tiptoeing around the crease. Then Chase Llewellyn added another close-range strike to return Georgetown to a multi-goal lead.
After more than seven minutes of relative quiet, Edinger fired a quick flick from the left side to bring Denver within one goal, but Will Tominovich responded with 1:34 left in the half to maintain the Hoyas’ advantage heading into the break.
AJ Merucio put Denver on the board first in the second half. However, he followed that with a one-minute, non-releasable penalty for a hit to the head. The Pioneers killed the penalty, but the Hoyas tickled twine less than a minute later on a laser from Aidan Carroll.
Denver’s Joshua Carlson and Georgetown’s TJ Haley kept the back-and-forth dance going, putting the Hoyas at an 8-6 advantage to end the third quarter and setting up Denver’s surge in the fourth.
Although the Pioneers’ offense was on full display in the final frame, Connell was quick to shift focus to the defensive groups and faceoff specialist, saying they were the keys to the victory.
“We have to credit every ounce of our success there to our defense and Alec Stathakis [the faceoff specialist],” Connell said. “Our rope unit killed it, and it all came together. It was awesome.”
While Georgetown will look to rebound against St. John’s on April 20, Denver will once again head to the East Coast and face Providence on the same day. The Pioneers are the last team undefeated in Big East play, but Brown said the Friars present a tough challenge.
“You don’t think about anything besides Providence,” Brown said. “We’re going to go into the locker room, and we’re going to talk about recovery, we’re going to talk about making sure they’re taking care of their bodies. We’ve been on the road a lot. We’re used to being on the road. But Providence is not easy to get to. It’s probably one of the hardest places to get to in the country, and they’re a very good team. We’ll need to be ready.”