Denver takes Frozen Four
Denver defeated Wisconsin 2–1 to win the 2026 NCAA Division I men's ice‑hockey championship. ( ) The Pioneers scored two third‑period goals to rally, secured their program’s 11th national title, and goalie Johnny Hicks finished with 29 saves in the final. ( )
Denver erased a one-goal deficit in the third period Saturday night and beat Wisconsin 2-1 for the national championship in Las Vegas. (ncaa.com) Rieger Lorenz tied the game with 12:29 left in the third, and Kyle Chyzowski tipped in the winner with 5:52 remaining at T-Mobile Arena. (ncaa.com) Wisconsin led 1-0 after Vasily Zelenov scored at 13:36 of the first period, and the Badgers carried that edge through 40 minutes while holding a 21-5 shots advantage. (nhl.com, nchchockey.com) Denver’s push turned on goaltender Johnny Hicks, who stopped 29 of 30 shots in the final after making 49 saves in a double-overtime semifinal win over Michigan on April 9. (ncaa.com, nhl.com) The title was Denver’s 11th in Division I men’s hockey, extending the program’s own record. It was also the Pioneers’ third championship in five years and second in three seasons. (ncaa.com, nbcnews.com) Denver coach David Carle said after the game that the 2026 team reached the same result as his earlier champions through a different path, built on “culture, team first, selflessness.” (nhl.com) Hicks, an undrafted freshman who took over as Denver’s starter on Jan. 23, finished the season 16-0-1 and was named the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player. (nhl.com, nchchockey.com) The result also extended the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s run atop the sport: league teams have won eight of the past 10 NCAA tournaments, including the last three. (nchchockey.com) Denver spent most of the night chasing the puck and generated little early offense, but the final six minutes looked like the program’s history: one rebound, one tip, and another trophy. (ncaa.com, nchchockey.com)
