Denver wins Frozen Four
Denver rallied to beat Wisconsin 2‑1 and captured the 2026 NCAA men’s hockey championship with a third‑period comeback. (ncaa.com) The title is Denver’s 11th in program history and their third in five years, freshman goalie Johnny Hicks was named Most Outstanding Player after a 29‑save effort, and scorer Kyle Chyzowski was celebrated in the late rally. (denverpost.com) (usatoday.com)
Denver came from behind in the third period Saturday night to beat Wisconsin 2-1 and win the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s hockey championship in Las Vegas. (ncaa.com) Wisconsin led 1-0 after a first-period goal from Ryland Mosley, and Denver went scoreless for more than 46 minutes before Sam Harris tied the game early in the third. Kyle Chyzowski then redirected the winner with 5:52 left at T-Mobile Arena. (usatoday.com) Freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks stopped 29 shots in the final and 78 across Denver’s two Frozen Four games. He was named Most Outstanding Player after Denver also beat Michigan 4-3 in double overtime in the semifinal on April 9. (nhl.com) The victory gave Denver its 11th national title, extending its own record in Division I men’s hockey. It was also the program’s third championship in five years and second in three seasons under coach David Carle. (denverpioneers.com) Wisconsin finished 24-13-2 and was chasing its first title since 2006 and seventh overall. The Badgers reached the final after beating Boston University 6-3 in the semifinal on April 9. (nbcnews.com) This year’s Frozen Four was played in Las Vegas for the first time, with the semifinals on April 9 and the championship on April 11 at the National Hockey League’s T-Mobile Arena. Denver entered the tournament as a No. 2 seed, while Wisconsin was a No. 3 seed. (ncaa.com) Denver’s latest run adds to a stretch that has turned the program into the decade’s standard in college hockey. The Pioneers have now won titles in 2022, 2024 and 2026. (coloradoan.com) The comeback was the final turn in a game Wisconsin controlled for long stretches and Hicks kept within one shot. Denver finished with the trophy anyway, the same way it did most of the night: by surviving first and striking late. (uscho.com)
