BOSTON (AP) – The death in December of Keith Magnuson, a member of Denver’s last national championship team in 1969 who went on to an 11-year NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks, stunned the entire university community.

But this year’s team, which beat Maine 1-0 on Saturday night to win the school’s sixth national title, embraced the memory of Magnuson to inspire them through difficult times.

“We had a motto we got from Keith we lived by all year,” said Gabe Gauthier, who scored the only goal of the game. “‘For the team. For the journey. For the event.’ We did it for the team, we made the journey, and we won the event.”

Magnuson, 56, died in a car accident in suburban Toronto on Dec. 15 while returning from a funeral.

A month later, the Pioneers’ hopes of even making the NCAA tournament were fading fast. During late January, they won just once during a six-game stretch to drop to 16-10-4. But after a 1-1 tie with North Dakota on Jan. 31, the Pioneers (27-12-5) did not lose another regular season game.

“When things looked their darkest back in January, this team did some marvelous things,” coach George Gwozdecky said.

Then in early March, just before the start of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs, senior forward Connor James, the team’s second-leading scorer, broke his right fibula and the Pioneers were swept 2-0 in the first round by Colorado College.

James returned in time for the Frozen Four and assisted on Gauthier’s goal against Maine.

The final test came in the last minute against Maine when the Pioneers played three men down.

That’s when Frozen Four MVP Adam Berkhoel made the best of his 24 saves, gloving two bullet slap shots by Colin Shields, Maine’s top scorer.

Heavenly intervention? Gwozdecky isn’t so sure. But he wouldn’t downplay the former All-American’s influence on the team.

“Keith Magnuson is somewhere looking down,” he said, pausing to choke back the emotion, “And he’s proud too.”

While the Pioneers endured so much this season and had a relaxed “just happy to be here” air about them for the Frozen Four, Maine seemed to carry the weight of the world on their collective shoulders.

The Black Bears were under pressure to erase the bitter memory of the 2002 championship game, when they held a 3-2 lead over Minnesota with less than a minute to play. The Gophers tied the game with 52 seconds left, then won in overtime.

Senior Todd Jackson, one of six Black Bears who played in that game, even said Friday that he considered anything less than championship a disappointment.

“Obviously it hurts a lot having been here twice in the last three years and coming up one goal short both times,” Maine coach Tim Whitehead said. “We have this in perspective. This is hockey, this isn’t the war in Iraq. But yes, this will hurt for a long time.”

AP-ES-04-11-04 1945EDT