Denver's dynasty faces an unexpected guest in Wisconsin. Two red-hot teams clash for college hockey's ultimate prize. Who will hoist the trophy?
With over 1,000 games in a college hockey season, there is nothing like the adrenaline or weight of this one.
Inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, #2 Denver will take on #3 Wisconsin in the National Title game at 5:30 PM EST.
Wisconsin might be known as a historic school with six national championships, but this run has seemed a little more Cinderella-branded than the others.
Apr 9, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Wisconsin Badgers crowd goalie Daniel Hauser (31) after defeating North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the semifinals of the NCAA men's ice hockey Frozen Four at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn ImagesThat’s not to say Wisconsin shouldn’t be playing on Saturday. Their resume has looked glistening through points of the season. 8 of the Badgers’ 24 wins came against ranked opponents.
But their six-game losing stretch in late January and early exit to the Big Ten Tournament have led people to question their consistency.
It was 15 days between that postseason loss to Ohio State and the bashing of Dartmouth, a rest period that Mike Hastings used to an advantage instead of the opposite.
Following that, college hockey fans have learned Wisconsin doesn’t need much time to do damage. Ben Dexheimer’s OT winning goal in the regional final came just 24 seconds into the first overtime.
They weren’t a one-trick pony when it came to time either, with two goals in 27 seconds in the first period to eliminate North Dakota. Simon Tassy scored the first, with Ryan Botterill sneaking past the second. They were the first team in the tournament to score past Jan Špunar, the freshman sensation in goal for UND.
On the West side of the matchup with Denver, consistency has been the name of the game for David Carle and the Denver Pioneers, winners of 12 straight games.
Apr 9, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Denver Pioneers defenseman Cale Ashcroft (3) celebrates defeating Michigan Wolverines in double overtime in the semifinals of the NCAA men's ice hockey Frozen Four at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn ImagesJohnny Hicks improved his unbeaten record to 15-0-1 as the interim starter who has now become a star. The freshman has not lost a game since he was back in the WHL last year with the Victoria Royals.
The ten-time national champions have won two of the last four in the NCAA, with 2022 and 2024 memories. Beating their regional opponents 11-2, they made sure the train wouldn’t stop at the tall task of the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines.
Down 3-2, a late tip-in eventually led way to Kent Anderson scoring just his second goal of the season to secure the semifinal in double overtime. Anderson, who wears a C for Denver, experienced scoring a goal for the first time since December 13 against St. Cloud State.
The Denver offense can look multiple ways, but Clarke Caswell has been a catalyst, with five points in the NCAA tournament.
These two red-hot teams will face each other in the National Championship for the second time ever, as Wisconsin took the only meeting so far in 1973.