LAS VEGAS — Five numbers to know from Thursday’s 4-3 2OT win by Denver over Michigan in the late national semifinal.
.667
Denver now has a 6-3 record in NCAA tournament overtime games. The Pioneers lost in the semifinal round in two overtimes to eventual champion Western Michigan, 3-2, last season and beat Boston University 2-1 in OT en route to their 10th national championship in 2024.
2
The Pioneers have beaten Michigan in overtime in their last two meetings, both in the national semifinal. Carter Savoie scored with 14:53 elapsed in overtime in a 3-2 win on April 7, 2022. Denver went on to defeat Minnesota State 5-2 in Boston for its ninth national championship. The Mavericks were coached by Mike Hastings, now behind the bench for Wisconsin, Denver’s opponent on Saturday.
15
Denver has 15 wins (and one tie) since its last loss: vs. St. Cloud State at Magness Arena on Jan. 23. That 15-0-1 record is identical to Johnny Hicks’ collegiate record, as he took over the net the next night. Denver was just two games over .500 before the unbeaten streak.
49
Hicks stopped 49 of 52 shots in a game in which his Pioneers were outshot 52-26. Hicks made 21 saves in the two overtimes. The NCAA tournament record his held by Chris Terreri for Providence, in a 4-3 triple-overtime win over Boston College in the national semifinal on March 28, 1985.
119
Thursday’s game was the 119th overtime game in NCAA men’s D-I tournament history. The other this season was Wisconsin’s come-from-behind 4-3 defeat of Michigan State in the Worcester Regional on March 28.