Frozen Four set: Denver vs Wisconsin
Denver and Wisconsin will meet for the national title after two tense semifinals in Las Vegas—Denver beat Michigan 4‑3 in double overtime, and Wisconsin edged North Dakota 2‑1. (Denver’s 2OT win and Wisconsin’s 2‑1 result set the championship matchup for Saturday.) ( ).
Denver needed 87 minutes and 25 seconds to get there. Wisconsin needed 60. By Thursday night in Las Vegas, the national title game was set for Saturday: Denver against Wisconsin at T-Mobile Arena. (ncaa.com) The late game turned into a survival test. Denver beat Michigan 4-3 in double overtime when senior captain Kent Anderson scored from the slot at 7:25 of the second extra period, after goalie Johnny Hicks stopped 49 shots. (espn.com) That result flipped the bracket because Michigan entered as the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed. Denver came in as a No. 2 regional seed, and now the Pioneers are one win from a third national championship in five years after titles in 2022, 2024, and a chance at 2026. (espn.com) Wisconsin’s path looked different but was just as tight. The Badgers beat North Dakota 2-1 in the first semifinal, ending the night by holding off a late push from the tournament’s No. 2 overall seed. (usatoday.com) That pairing gives the final a neat split-screen feel. Denver comes from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, Wisconsin comes from the Big Ten Conference, and both semifinals were cross-conference matchups between those same two leagues. (nchchockey.com) It also puts two of the sport’s oldest brands back in the middle of April. Denver entered this Frozen Four with 10 national titles and Wisconsin with 6, which is why this field felt less like a surprise bracket and more like college hockey’s blue-blood reunion. (sportingnews.com) The difference is recent history. Denver won the national title in 2024 and has been chasing another quick turn at the top, while Wisconsin is trying to finish a comeback season by turning a one-goal semifinal win into its first championship since 2006. (sportingnews.com; espn.com) Now the turnaround is brutally short. Denver played deep into double overtime on Thursday, and the championship game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, April 11, on ESPN. (ncaa.com) So Saturday is set up as a contrast between fresh legs and proven endurance. Wisconsin arrives after a 2-1 grinder, and Denver arrives after the longest game of the night produced the last ticket to the final. (usatoday.com; espn.com)
