Denver takes hockey crown
Denver beat Wisconsin 2-1 to win the 2026 Division I men’s ice hockey championship, giving the Pioneers their third national title in five years and extending their all-time record to 11 NCAA hockey championships. (ncaa.com) Johnny Hicks, a freshman goalie who has been unstoppable since taking the starting role, made 29 saves in the title game and entered the tournament with a 14-0-1 record since Jan. 24 while Denver was unbeaten in that span. (denverpost.com) Freshman Kyle Chyzowski scored the championship winner at 14:08 — it was his 13th goal of the season and his third straight NCAA tournament game with a goal. (denverpost.com)
Denver rallied past Wisconsin 2-1 on Saturday night in Las Vegas to win the 2026 Division I men’s ice hockey championship. (ncaa.com) The title game turned in the third period after Wisconsin carried a 1-0 lead into the final 20 minutes. Denver scored twice in that stretch to finish the comeback on April 11. (ncaa.com) Freshman Kyle Chyzowski scored the winner at 14:08 of the third period, his 13th goal of the season. The Denver Post reported it was also his third straight National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament game with a goal. (denverpost.com) Freshman goalie Johnny Hicks stopped 29 shots in the final, anchoring the run that changed Denver’s season after he took over the starting job. The Denver Post reported he entered the tournament with a 14-0-1 record since Jan. 24, with Denver unbeaten in that span. (denverpost.com) The win gave Denver its 11th National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s hockey championship, the most of any program in Division I. It was also the Pioneers’ third national title in five seasons, after championships in 2022 and 2024. (ncaa.com) Denver’s path ran through two one-goal games at the Frozen Four. The Pioneers beat Michigan 4-3 in double overtime in the semifinal, while Wisconsin reached the final by beating North Dakota 2-1. (ncaa.com) Before Las Vegas, Denver rolled through the regionals with a 5-0 win over Cornell and a 6-2 win over Western Michigan. Wisconsin opened with a 5-1 win over Dartmouth and then beat Michigan State 4-3 in overtime. (ncaa.com) The championship also flipped last year’s ending to the season. Western Michigan won its first national title in 2025, but Denver is back on top a year later and alone again at the top of the sport’s record book. (ncaa.com)
