Live updates from the 2026 Men's Frozen Four in Las Vegas | NCAA.com
— Carter Lowe🦡🏒 (@BadgerVideo7) April 10, 2026
Denver freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks keeps his undefeated streak alive, winning his 15th start with 49 saves on 52 shots from the nation's most lethal offense. Clocking in at 92:35, this was the eighth-longest game in NCAA tournament history.
The Pios move on to face Wisconsin in the title game Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. We'll be back on site at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Be sure to follow along here all weekend for updates from the 2026 Men's Frozen Four on NCAA.com.
Eighty minutes...EIGHTY minutes, was not enough to decide this game.
And it's not for lack of trying — these two teams have battled their hearts out for all 80 of those minutes.
We had highlight reel saves, crossbar bounces, and a pair of powerplays in the dying minutes, but nothing could break the stalemate between these two elite teams.
Michigan will have 29 seconds remaining on a powerplay to start 2OT after a late Denver tripping penalty at the end of the first OT.
The freshman between the pipes is absolutely kicking for Denver tonight.
Johnny Hicks refuses to lose, keeping his undefeated streak and Denver's season alive with a ridiculous, point-blank, full split save.
JOHNNY "ON THE SPOT" HICKS KEEPS DENVER ALIVE IN OT 😱 pic.twitter.com/uid1NNP7iz
— ESPN (@espn) April 10, 2026
Hockey fans, I hope you brought your popcorn. If you're a Michigan or Denver fan, I hope you brought your stress ball.
The following are the best three words you'll read all night: overtime playoff hockey.
Sixty minutes wasn't enough for Denver and Michigan to settle this clash of titans, so we'll move on to sudden death OT. Both these teams have plenty of experience playing in overtime this season, but Michigan (5-0-1) has fared better than Denver in extra time (4-3-3).
Jayden Perron's goal looked like it would be enough for Michigan, the way the Wolverines have been locking down the Pios' offense. But there's something about a David Carle Denver team that is never out of a game. And wit less than four minutes to go, the Pios tied it up again.
Michigan holds a heavy advantage in shots, 31-18, but Hicks has been lights-out in net for Denver.
Overtime is on the way in Vegas. Buckle up.
We've got a tied game once again, with less than three minutes to go.
Denver was BUZZING that whole shift, pinning Michigan into its defensive zone for an extended period. Garrett Brown made an excellent play with a head fake as he glided down the half wall before firing a shot right at the stick of Clarke Caswell, who tipped it top shelf over Ivankovic's glove.
CLARKE CASWELL OH MY GOD
P3 2:46 | DEN 3 UM 3 pic.twitter.com/4I0sIS0YNA
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) April 10, 2026
Lesson No. 1 for Denver. Don't give Michigan's powerplay any chances.
That was probably near the top of HC David Carle's whiteboard for his Pios before this game — Michigan's top-ranked powerplay clicks at an astronomical 31.6%.
Denver did a good job of not taking any penalties. but it would only last until the third period, when a boarding call on Eric Jamieson gave the Wolverines their first powerplay of the night.
The Michigan powerplay took just 48 seconds to find the back of the net, as Jayden Perron rifled one from the point over Hicks' glove.
Wolverines on the power play!! 🤩 MICHIGAN LEADS! 😤
📺 ESPN2 #B1G x @umichhockey pic.twitter.com/fFUC5JBCbl
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) April 10, 2026
Denver freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks stayed down for a while after a hard collision with Michigan LW Malcolm Spence. There was no penalty called on the play, as a Denver defender pushed Spence into Hicks.
Scary moment as Denver goalie Johnny Hicks is collided with and is down on the ice
Seems he was a bit dazed but managed to get up, so that's a good sign#GoPios #GoBlue #MFrozenFour pic.twitter.com/14waH9xBWk
— Carter Lowe🦡🎞️ (@BadgerVideo7) April 10, 2026
We could hear every Denver fan gasp in the arena when Hicks — who is undefeated in 15 starts for the Pios — looked like he might be seriously hurt.
Luckily, he popped up after about a minute, and the Pios were given a powerplay shortly afterward for a different incident, though they couldn't convert. Denver is now 0-4 on the man advantage.
We've got a great finish brewing in Vegas.
Denver opened the second period with a quick goal, a top-shelf snipe from Cale Ashcroft to tie it up at two apiece.
It was all Michigan for the rest of the period, though. The Wolverines mounted a strong second-period push, outshooting the Pios 13-5 in the frame. Denver freshman G Johnny Hicks stood his ground though, keeping this one tied heading into the third.
The crowd here at T-Mobile Arena is split pretty evenly between Michigan fans and Denver fans, and you could feel the tension rising in the building at the end of the second. Every loose puck or bounce in open ice draws an "ooh" or "ahh" from the respective fanbases, hoping it will go their team's way.
And this game could go either way in the third period. Who will be the hero? Will it be either of the Hobey Baker finalists: Eric Pohlkamp or T.J. Hughes?Who will join Wisconsin in the Frozen Four?
The only thing we know for sure is that it will be an electric finish.
Twenty minutes remain. Third period up next.
Denver got the second-period start it needed — Cale Ashcroft evens the score at two apiece with a snipe from the point over the blocker of Ivankovic.
What an absolute snipe 🎯
Cale Ashcroft ties it up for the Pioneers early in the second period! #MFrozenFour x 🎥 ESPN2 / @DU_Hockey pic.twitter.com/jvzqpIZaYH
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) April 10, 2026
Denver had a flurry of chances on an early-period powerplay, but two broken sticks on one-timers kept them from finding the back of the net. The Pios kept the pressure on after the penalty expired, cycling the puck to the point, where Ashcroft picked a corner, and wired it past Ivankovic.
That first period was about what we expected from these two powerhouses: smart, skilled hockey punctuated by timely scoring.
After a slow start to the period, Denver began to take control near the halfway point, forcing turnovers in Michigan's defensive zone. The agressive forecheck of the Pios paid off, as they forced a turnover and turned a nifty passing play that resulted in a Kyle Chyzowski goal to break the ice.
But Michigan wouldn't be kept quiet for long. The nation's top offense did what it does best, scoring in flurries. Two quick goals from Josh Eernisse and T.J. Hughes gave the Wolverines the lead.
There's still a long way to go in this one, but here are some stats to keep in mind in the second period:
- Denver is 19-3-0 when scoring first, but 4-4-2 when trailing after the first period.
- Michigan is 7-4-1 when its oppnent scores first, but it's 21-3-0 when leading after the first period.
Second period is up next.
It was a quiet period for the Wolverines for 16 minutes, but the fourth line woke up the Michigan bench, scoring their first goal of the Frozen Four. Josh Eernisse picked up a loose puck off a faceoff tie up in the offensive zone, and he wired a wrister through a screen past Denver G Johnny Hicks.
The Wolverines even the score 😤 @umichhockey
📺: ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/uqh77SSjiX
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) April 10, 2026
Then just 1:01 later, Hobey Hat Trick finalist T.J. Hughes struck again, his 22nd of the season to give Michigan a 2-1 lead late in the first. After Hicks stopped a shot from the point, Hughes found himself alone at the side of the net, picking up the rebound and sliding it into the open net.
Michigan takes the lead ‼️ @umichhockey
📺: ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/0yz7zLziRr
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) April 10, 2026
Denver gets on the board first in the semifinal, as Kyle Chyzowski nets his 12th of the season 9:29 into the first period.
BING, BANG, GOAL! 🚨
Kyle Chyzowski opens the scoring for the Pios midway through the first! #MFrozenFour x 🎥 ESPN2 / @DU_Hockey pic.twitter.com/3RNLesH5g2
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) April 10, 2026
Denver controlled play for most of the first half of the period, outshooting Michigan, 8-4. Neither team had any dangerous chances early — that was until Denver forced a turnover in the offensive zone, and McMorrow, Cebrian and Chyzowski went tic-tac-toe, with Chyzowksi sneaking one through the five hole of Michigan G Jack Ivankovic.
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, Tyson vs. Holyfield, Michigan vs. Denver.
It's the latest heavyweight bout in a city that has seen hundreds over the years, and it's less than 30 minutes away.
The first NCHC vs. Big Ten matchup of the night went the Big Ten's way, with Wisconsin downing North Dakota, 2-1. Now, the Wolverines and Pioneers take center stage in Las Vegas for Pt. II.
Michigan comes into the Frozen Four off a nailbiter against Minnesota Duluth in the regional finals. The Wolverines nearly let UMD come back from a 3-0 deficit, but they slammed the door late in the third to squeak out the 4-3 win.
Michigan has the longest title drought of the four teams in Vegas: 28 years. A win tonight would put the Wolverines one step closer to ending the drought and tying Denver for the most national titles all time.
Meanwhile Denver has cruised into the Frozen Four, shutting out Cornell, 5-0, and stomping defending champion Western Michigan, 6-2, in the Loveland Regional.
The Pioneers' 10 championships are the most of any school, and their 2024 title is the most recent of any of the teams in Vegas. Another title this year would be their fourth since 2017 giving them more separation as the top program in college hockey of all time.