Denver claims the NCAA title in comeback win
The University of Denver capped off another dominant run with a comeback 2–1 victory over Wisconsin, securing its third national title in five years behind a record-breaking performance from freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks.
Photo courtesy of Mindy Haas Kuhlman/Wikimedia Commons
Every college student’s worst nightmare is the spring semester—you are burnt out and finals are about to start. Springtime for college sports fans and athletes, though, is the epitome of what college athletics is all about. Straight off of March Madness comes the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Frozen Four ice hockey tournament.
On Saturday, Apr. 11, the University of Denver took home the title of National Champions after their 2-1 comeback victory over the University of Wisconsin. This win marks Denver’s third championship title in the past five seasons and another heartbreak for Wisconsin.
Heading into the championship, the question on everyone’s minds was whether the Denver Pioneers had enough gas left in the tank after their double-overtime 4-3 win against the number one seed, the University of Michigan.
The championship was sure to be Wisconsin’s after the Badgers held the Pioneers scoreless for the first two periods. The physical style of play by Wisconsin helped to keep Denver at bay, with their forechecks and backchecks limiting scoring opportunities. By the end of the second period, Wisconsin outshot Denver 19-5.
University of Denver’s head coach, David Carle, spoke on the late comeback, saying, “We weathered it well… They threw a lot of stuff to the paint, a lot of stuff off the rush. We were finally able to crack them a little, obviously, and possess some pucks. We got a puck on the net ourselves and capitalized. We found a way to make two plays in the third.”
By far the biggest performance came from University of Denver goaltender Johnny Hicks, whose stop at the end of the second period kept the championship at just a one-point deficit heading into the third period. With Hicks between the pipes, he stopped 29 shots and gave Denver senior forward Rieger Lorenz the chance to tie up the game. Hicks made another save to keep the game tied before freshman forward Ryan Chyzowski tipped the puck past Wisconsin goaltender Daniel Hauser to put the Pioneers ahead by one.
The Denver freshman goaltender ended his season winning the NCAA title, but also broke the NCAA single-season save percentage record. In his debut season, Hicks posted a 16-0-1 record and a .957 save percentage. He allowed just 22 goals on 514 shots, which is insane to even think about. The previous record was a .956 save percentage set in 2004 by University of Maine goaltender Jimmy Howard. In the Frozen Four, specifically, Hicks made 128 saves and allowed only six goals, including an impressive 49 saves in the semifinals against Michigan.
Wisconsin came close to tying up the game with a shot off the crossbar, just before Denver drew a holding penalty in the last five minutes of regulation play. The Badgers were able to kill off the penalty and pulled Hauser in the final two minutes to gain an extra skater, but they simply could not match Denver’s offensive performance.
Carle spoke on the win, saying, “I couldn’t be prouder of our team for sticking with it… We could’ve thrown in the towel a long time ago, and the guys didn’t. They committed to each other and that’s what champions are made of.”
Carle is the ninth head coach in program history and has led the Pioneers to the 2022, 2024, and 2026 National Championships, four Frozen Four appearances, and an appearance in the NCAA tournament for five seasons. The 2024 NCAA title he led Denver to was the program’s 10th in its 75-year history and set an NCAA record for the most championships by a college hockey team.
This victory solidified the University of Denver as one of the, if not the best, programs in college ice hockey. It will be exciting to see if the Pioneers can defend their title as the best in the game.