Denver wins 11th title

Denver erased a third-period deficit Saturday and beat Wisconsin 2-1 in Las Vegas for the program’s 11th National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s hockey title. (ncaa.com) Wisconsin led 1-0 after Vasily Zelenov scored at 13:36 of the first period, and Denver did not equalize until Rieger Lorenz scored at 7:31 of the third. Kyle Chyzowski then tipped in the winner at 14:08 of the third period. (espn.com) Denver goalie Johnny Hicks made 29 saves in the final, two days after stopping 49 shots in a double-overtime semifinal against Michigan. The National Hockey League’s game report said Hicks was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after recording 78 saves across the Frozen Four. (nhl.com) The win extended Denver’s own record for the most championships in Division I men’s hockey. It also gave the Pioneers their third national title in five seasons, after earlier championships in 2022 and 2024. (ncaa.com) Denver reached the title game by outlasting Michigan 3-2 in double overtime on April 9, while Wisconsin advanced by beating Penn State 3-1 in the other semifinal. The championship game was played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (ncaa.com) Coach David Carle has now led Denver to national titles in 2022, 2024 and 2026. The Associated Press report on the game said the latest one came with Denver finishing 29-11-3 after a comeback in a final where Wisconsin outshot the Pioneers 30-15. (apnews.com) Wisconsin finished 24-13-2 and was chasing its first men’s hockey championship since 2006. The Badgers had opened the tournament by beating Minnesota State 4-0 and then reached the final with the win over Penn State. (denverpioneers.com) Denver spent most of Saturday trailing and generated only nine shots through the first 47 minutes, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association live report. It still left Las Vegas with the same result that has defined the program’s history: another trophy, and a wider gap atop the sport’s all-time title list. (ncaa.com)