Frozen Four set
The men’s college hockey title is locked: Denver and Wisconsin will meet Saturday after both won dramatic semifinals — Denver beat Michigan in double overtime and Wisconsin edged North Dakota. (timesunion.com) This matchup matters because Denver survived the tournament’s most grueling semifinal, and the final will decide the national champion in Las Vegas with full TV and streaming guides available for viewers. (ncaa.com)
Denver needed 92 minutes and 35 seconds to get out of its semifinal, and the goal that finally ended it came from captain Kent Anderson, who scored with 7:25 left in the second overtime to beat Michigan 4-3 in Las Vegas. Wisconsin had already punched in first by surviving North Dakota 2-1 in the opening semifinal. (espn.com) That leaves Saturday’s national championship with a contrast built in: Denver arrives after the tournament’s longest and most draining game of the week, while Wisconsin arrives after a one-goal grinder that ended in regulation. The title game is set for April 11 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN at T-Mobile Arena. (ncaa.com) Denver’s path looked shaky even before the winner. Michigan entered as the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, Denver trailed 2-0 early, and goaltender Johnny Hicks had to stop 49 shots to keep the Pioneers alive long enough for overtime to matter. (espn.com) Wisconsin’s semifinal was the opposite kind of stress. The Badgers scored twice in 27 seconds in the first period, then leaned on goaltender Daniel Hauser’s 21 saves to hold off a North Dakota push and close out a 2-1 win. (bostonglobe.com) The matchup also carries conference weight. Both semifinals were National Collegiate Hockey Conference against Big Ten Conference games, and the final keeps that same split alive with Denver from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and Wisconsin from the Big Ten Conference. (nchchockey.com) Denver is chasing a familiar kind of history. United States College Hockey Online lists the Pioneers at 10 national titles already, which is why Saturday is a shot at an 11th banner for one of the sport’s most decorated programs. (uscho.com) Wisconsin is back on this stage after knocking out one of the bracket’s biggest favorites. ESPN’s tournament recap notes that the Badgers and Pioneers both eliminated the top two seeds, Michigan and North Dakota, which is why the final is not the matchup the bracket seemed to point toward a week ago. (espn.com) If you are watching, the setup is simple now: one game, one night, one champion. After Thursday’s split-screen drama — a regulation escape by Wisconsin and a double-overtime marathon by Denver — the 2026 men’s college hockey season ends Saturday in Las Vegas. (ncaa.com)
