Saturday, April 11, 2026

Denver Does it Again

Pioneers Rally Past Wisconsin to Claim 11th NCAA Title

LAS VEGAS—After a one-year hiatus, Denver is back on top of the NCAA Division I men’s hockey world.

Rieger Lorenz (Sr., Calgary, Alberta) and Kyle Chyzowski (Fr., Surrey, British Columbia) scored in the third period to erase a 1-0 deficit and lift the Pioneers to a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday, securing DU’s record 11th Frozen Four championship and third in the last five years.

Chyzowski’s deflection of a Boston Buckberger (Jr., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) point shot with 5:52 remaining in the third broke a 1-1 deadlock. It came just over six minutes after Lorenz had pulled the Pioneers even with a rebound tally on the doorstep.

Box Score

Prior to DU’s offense coming to life, Wisconsin had executed a flawless performance over the game’s first 48 minutes. The Badgers grabbed the lead on a Vasily Zelenov (Fr., Moscow, Russia) snipe from the top of the left circle just 6:24 into the game, and Wisconsin smothered DU from there, limiting the Pioneers to just five shots on goal over the first two periods.

“I think what we struggled with the most was obviously winning some wall battles and getting the puck out of our end,” said DU head coach David Carle (Denver ’12), who has led the program to three NCAA titles. “You’re stuck dumping and changing because you’re tired. It’s hard to build momentum that way. We did it a couple times in the first and second, but just not sustained enough like we were able to in the third period, whether it was the urgency of the last 20 minutes or what.”

DU, perhaps still finding its collective legs following Thursday’s double-overtime marathon win over Michigan in the semifinals, leaned heavily on freshman netminder Johnny Hicks (Kamloops, British Columbia) until the Pioneers could get to their game.

Hicks, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, stopped 29 of 30 shots and was named the game’s No. 1 star. The 5-foot-10, 157-pounder netminder finished his spectacular rookie season with nary a loss, going an incredible 16-0-1 after taking over for injured starter Quentin Miller (Fr., Montreal, Quebec) midway through the year.

“We all believe in Johnny, but none of us knew Johnny would do what Johnny did over the last 16, 17games,” said Carle. “It was that spark of urgency the group needed.

“Johnny kept us within striking range [Saturday],” said Carle. “It’s a 60-minute game for a reason.”

In front of Hicks, Denver blocked a season-high 31 shots in the title game, 10 more than its previous season high.

“I thought we played our tails off,” said UW head coach Mike Hastings (St. Cloud State ’93). “You knew they were going to make a little bit of a push, and they did. But I thought, again, we had some opportunities. We just didn’t capitalize. We needed, in my opinion, to get it to two. We just couldn’t do that.”

Hicks’ counterpart at the other end of the ice, Wisconsin’s Daniel Hauser (Fr., Chestermere, Alberta), was less busy but equally as effective when called upon. A sequence of three straight point-blank stops during a DU power play with 2:30 left in regulation gave the Badgers chance to eventually lift Hauser for an extra skater in an effort to tie the game.

But DU junior defenseman Garrett Brown (San Jose, Calif.) made a key shot block in the final minute after a UW faceoff win, enabling the Pioneers to clear the zone and run out the rest of the clock.

“I feel like every single person who steps in that locker room, they know what it’s all about, and that’s winning. It’s all about team-first mentality,” said DU senior center Samu Salminen (Helsinki, Finland). “We don’t have individuals in this team. If we do, that’s a short run for those guys.”

Denver finished its championship season on a 13-game winning streak and unbeaten in its last 17 (16-0-1).

“We could have thrown in the towel a long time ago, and the guys didn’t,” Carle added. “They committed to each other. That’s what champions are made of.”

2026 NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team

G Johnny Hicks, Denver (Most Outstanding Player)
D: Boston Buckberger, Denver
D: Ben Dexheimer, Wisconsin
F: Kyle Chyzowski, Denver
F: Rieger Lorenz, Denver
F: Vasily Zelenov, Wisconsin

Notes:

Attendance for the championship game was 17,849 at T-Mobile Arena, bringing the two-day total to 35,791.
It was the first time since 2018 that all three Frozen Four games were decided by one goal.
Both Denver (0-2) and Wisconsin (0-1) were scoreless on the power play.
The Pioneers held a slight 34-32 edge in faceoffs.
Eight of the last 10 Frozen Fours have been won by an NCHC team.

Must Read

The Athletic: Denver men’s hockey defeats Wisconsin to win third NCAA championship in five years
The Athletic: Inside Ben Dexheimer’s journey to NCAA title game — and NHL free agency next
Boston Globe: Denver rallies in third period to beat Wisconsin, win NCAA Division I men’s hockey title
College Hockey News: Some How, Some Way, Denver Did It Again
College Hockey News: Carle, DU Paint Another Masterpiece Of Their Own Kind in Championship Triumph
College Hockey News: These go to 11
College Hockey News: So Close And Then … Heartache
Denver Post: DU Pioneers win 11th national championship at Frozen Four behind Johnny Hicks’ 29 saves
Duluth News Tribune: Denver wins another NCAA championship for the NCHC
The Hockey News: Denver Shares What It Took To Triumph At NCAA Frozen Four Yet Again
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Denver rallies past Wisconsin in 3rd period, captures NCAA Frozen Four title
LetsGoDU: Even-Year Magic! Pioneers Erase Third-Period Deficit to Bring Home Championship #11
NHL.com: Denver holds off Wisconsin to win 11th NCAA championship at Frozen Four
USCHO: Denver wins another one for the little guys
Wisconsin State Journal: Silent locker room tells pain of Wisconsin’s loss: ‘Life’s hard sometimes’

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Did you know? 93% of NCAA Division I men’s hockey players earn their degree!