LAS VEGAS — It’s clear that there’s mutual respect between Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings and Denver bench boss David Carle.
They went head to head in 2022’s national championship game when Hasting’s Minnesota State squad faced off against Carle’s Denver, with the Pioneers coming out on top, 5-1.
“Obviously, (I have) a lot of respect for Mike,” said Carle. “It seemed like they started the Thursday game similar to how they started the championship game in ’22 — very aggressive, assertive, playing fast.”
Carle says he sees some similarities between how each team got here.
“They went through a lull this year results-wise, similar to us,” he said. “They found their way through it. They probably are much better off for it. They’ve gone through a lot of adversity.”
Hastings echoed those comments.
“The amount of respect that I have for David, how he runs his program, to get to this moment, it’s difficult, right?” Hastings said. “A lot of it is focusing on yourself. You control what you get to control. We’ve asked our guys to do that. I’m going to do the same thing.”
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A Wisconsin win on Saturday will mark only the second time the same school has won both the men’s and women’s NCAA D-I hockey championships. The last school to pull off the double?
Wisconsin in 2006.
The significance of the chance to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in 20 years, at the same school no less, is not lost on the Wisconsin players.
“It would mean a lot,” Badger defenseman Joe Palodichuk said. “I think for the school, everyone in the program, alumni, all the players and staff, it would be amazing.”
The Badger women won the 2026 NCAA title with a 3-2 win over Ohio State in the championship game. It was the program’s ninth national championship, second straight and fourth in six seasons.
“The women’s team, what they’ve done, is so impressive over the last however many years,” Morrissey said. “Just to catch up with them a little bit would be great.”
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The teams met in the regular season last year, a 4-2, 6-1 sweep by Denver at Magness Area in October 2024.
“I know last year the series was really good,” said Denver defenseman Cale Ashcroft. “I think the first game was a pretty tight game, then we got the win on Saturday as well. We know it’s going to be a really good game against them.”
From a Wisconsin perspective, Palodichuk says those 2024 losses are in the rear-view mirror.
“Last year was last year, this year’s a new year,” he said. “They’re a great hockey team. We’ll cut it up, look at (the film) for (Saturday’s) game. That’s all we’re thinking about.
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Both teams are riding freshmen goalies who have built confidence throughout the season.
Denver’s Johnny Hicks was thrust into the starting role on Jan.24 when starter Quentin Miller was injured. Since then, he’s 15-0-1 with a .957 save percentage. He made 49 saves in Thursday’s 4-3 double-overtime win against Michigan.
Wisconsin’s Daniel Hauser has won eight of his last nine games with a .900 save percentage for the season.
“To me, (Wisconsin’s) playing obviously excellent hockey right now,” said Carle. “They’ve knocked off three excellent hockey teams in Dartmouth, Michigan State, then North Dakota. “We know our hands are going to be full tomorrow afternoon.”
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Mike Hastings isn’t new to the NCAA championship game, having led Minnesota State there in 2022. While it’s unlikely Saturday’s will be his last, he still has a way to go before catching up to Jerry York, who retired in 2022 as the winningest coach in NCAA hockey history.
York won five NCAA titles — one with Bowling Green in 1984 and four with Boston College (2001, 2008, 2010 and 2012). He coached in eight NCAA championship games with BC.
Hastings said he heard from York on Thursday via text, as the two are close friends.
“He says, ‘Enjoy tomorrow’s practice, we always thought it was the best practice of the year,'” Hastings said. “Then he wrote, dot-dot-dot, ‘it was hard to schedule that one’.”
Friday’s practice focused little on Denver, Hastings said.
“I don’t think you draw it up on a (board) and say, ‘this is what you have to do,'” Hastings said. “They’re too good. They’re too deep. Most teams play best when they’re not thinking, so let them go out and play.”