LAS VEGAS — Denver needed a spark. Reiger Lorenz was there to provide it. Dominated in almost every statistical category, Lorenz’s goal finally got things going for the Pioneers in the third period, tying the game at a goal apiece. Kyle Chyzowski put Denver ahead for good late in the third, and the Pioneers held … Read more
LAS VEGAS — Let the power schools have their football money and TV contracts. The small schools still rule college hockey. Denver — enrollment 6,619 and without a football team since 1961 — has its 11th NCAA Division I hockey championship, most of any school, after a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Wisconsin before a … Read more
LAS VEGAS — Five numbers to know from Saturday’s 2-1 national championship win by Denver over Wisconsin. .957 Johnny Hicks wrapped his freshman season leading the country with a .957 save percentage. That should give Hicks the record, unofficially edging Jimmy Howard’s .956 for Maine in 2004. Hicks also led nationally with a 1.19 goals-against … Read more
[gameday game_id=2656] JD (8:06): A sincere thanks to everyone who followed along. Please join USCHO all night long from Las Vegas with full coverage and analysis of Denver’s 2-1 win over Wisconsin in the Frozen Four championship game. Video, highlights, stories, analysis and more, all coming your way. Keep clickin’! And thanks JD (8:05): It’s all over … Read more
LAS VEGAS — Denver and Wisconsin will play for the NCAA title on Saturday. Not too long ago, neither team could win much of anything. Flashback to January 2026: Wisconsin closed out the month on a six-game losing streak, in which it was outscored 30-15. Denver had just one win in its first seven games … Read more
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 … Read more
LAS VEGAS — Kent Anderson’s goal at 12:35 of the second overtime lifted Denver to a 4-3 win over Michigan in the second Frozen Four semifinal Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena. The Pioneers will face Wisconsin in Saturdays NCAA title game, looking for their 11th national title. The game was the 48th longest in men’s … Read more
LAS VEGAS — Johnny Hicks was under siege all night, and never broke. The Denver goalie had 49 saves, including 21 in overtime, as Denver survivesd Michigan 4-3 in a double-OT thriller on Thursday night at the Frozen Four at T-Mobile Arena. Outshot by a 2-1 ratio over 90 minutes, Denver needed every save Hicks … Read more
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 … Read more
[gameday game_id=2655] https://x.com/i/status/2042466306566324535 JD (12:49): Denver is your winner in double overtime. The Pioneers will play Wisconsin Saturday in search of their 11th NCAA championship. Kent Anderson with the game-winner at 12:35 JD (12:45): I have just been informed that the North Dakota team plane has touched down in Grand Forks. Kidding. I have no … Read more
[gameday game_id=2654] JD (7:45): It’s all over. Wisconsin will play for the NCAA championship vs. either Michigan or Denver. JD (7:40): North Dakota scores, with Spunar pulled, trail 2-1 with 52.7 seconds left. Hold on to your seats… JD (7:34): SPUNAL PULLED. EMPTY NET FOR NORTH DAKOTA JD (7:32): Can Wisconsin do it? Up 2-0 … Read more
While Denver is obviously a college hockey powerhouse, claiming 10 national titles and shooting for an 11th this weekend. But in the larger sports picture, the Pioneers and fellow NCHA member North Dakota are relatively small compared to their Big 10 counterparts in this year’s Frozen Four, Michigan and Wisconsin. The four teams have combined … Read more
Denver Pioneers Season record: 27-11-3 How they got to Las Vegas: Won the Loveland Regional, beating Cornell 5-0 and Western Michigan 6-2 Top players: F James Reeder (10-23-33), F Rieger Lorenz (16-18-34), D Erik Pohlkamp (18-21-39), F Sam Harris (15-19-34) Top goalie: Johnny Hicks (14-0-1, 1.12, .958) Why they’ll win the national championship: Hicks has … Read more
The 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award will go to one of three men — Denver defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante or Michigan forward T.J. Hughes. The finalists — known as the “Hobey Hat Trick” were announced Thursday. Pohlkamp is looking to become the third Denver player to win the award, joining Matt … Read more
Finalists for the 2026 Spencer Penrose Award, given annually to the Division I Men’s Hockey Coach of the Year, were announced by the American Hockey Coaches Association. The nominees consist of those named coach of the year by their respective leagues, and those whose teams qualified for the Frozen Four. Brandon Naurato of Michigan, Mike … Read more
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback PAULA: Dan, that was a tournament weekend for the ages. The level of skill and grit on display in all four regionals matched anything I’ve seen in my decades of covering … Read more
The first Frozen Four in Las Vegas will have the teams who rank first through fourth in NCAA titles.
Loveland Regional, March 27-29 | Blue FCU Arena No. 1 Western Michigan (26-10-1) vs. No. 4 Minnesota State (22-10-7) | March 27, 2:30 p.m. p.m. ET (ESPNU) No. 2 Denver (25-11-3) vs. No. 3 Cornell (22-10-1) | March 27, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN-plus) Loveland Regional Championship | March 29, TBD WESTERN MICHIGAN How they got … Read more
In our last Monday 10 of the season, we’ll catch you up on 10 things to know about the men’s D-I hockey championship weekend and the NCAA tournament field.
Michigan is the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Division I men’s championship tournament. North Dakota (No. 2 overall), Michigan State (3) and defending NCAA champion Western Michigan (4) join the Wolverines as the four regional top seeds, while Dartmouth is making its first tourney appearance since 1980. FULL NCAA DIVISON I MEN’S … Read more