Denver wins NCAA hockey

Denver erased a third-period deficit and beat Wisconsin 2-1 on April 11 in Las Vegas, giving the Pioneers another National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s hockey title. (ncaa.com) Wisconsin led 1-0 after two periods, but Denver scored twice in the third to flip the game. Kyle Chyzowski scored the winner on a tip-in with 5:52 left, and the final was 2-1 at T-Mobile Arena. (ncaa.com) Freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks kept Denver close while Wisconsin controlled much of the night. Hicks stopped 29 of 30 shots in the final after making 49 saves in a 4-3 double-overtime semifinal win over Michigan. (ncaa.com; nhl.com) The win gave Denver its 11th men’s hockey championship, extending the program record in the sport. It was also the school’s third title in five seasons, after earlier championships in 2022 and 2024. (nchchockey.com; denverpioneers.com) That run has come under coach David Carle, who took over in 2018 and had already led Denver to the 2022 and 2024 crowns. The 2026 title gave Carle three national championships in his first eight seasons behind the bench. (denverpioneers.com; du.edu) Wisconsin’s loss ended its deepest tournament run in 16 years. The Badgers had reached the championship game for the first time since 2010 by beating North Dakota 2-1 in the Frozen Four semifinal on April 9. (washingtonpost.com; news.wisc.edu) Denver’s path was harder than the final score suggests. The Pioneers needed double overtime to get past Michigan in the semifinal, then survived being outshot for long stretches by Wisconsin before the late comeback. (du.edu; jsonline.com) Hicks was named the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player after stopping 78 of 82 shots across the two games. Denver finished the weekend with the trophy again, and college hockey’s standard stayed where it has been for much of this decade. (ncaa.com; sports.yahoo.com)