Wisconsin vs Denver hockey final score: Pioneers come back to defeat Badgers

Denver men’s hockey looked to be on its way to a defeat when the Pioneers headed into the second intermission with a one-goal deficit against Wisconsin.

The Pioneers didn't quit, though. And for that, they are the Frozen Four national champion for the 11th time in program history, and the third in the last five years.

Behind a pair of third-period goals and some phenomenal goaltending from Johnny Hicks, the Pioneers were able to rally to defeat Wisconsin 2-1 in the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 11. 

"We had a terrible start," Denver defenseman Kent Anderson told ESPN's Quint Kessenich after the game. "The guys stuck with it. They believed in each other, and you can't do that (winning a national championship) without loving these guys."

Added Denver coach David Carle, who has now led the Pioneers to three national titles in the last five years: "We weathered it well."

The Badgers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first period when Vasily Zelenov beat Hicks off the left side.

That would be the lone goal of the game until the 7:31 mark of the third period when Rieger Lorenz beat Wisconsin goaltender Daniel Hauser for the equalizer. Less than four minutes later, freshman Kyle Chyzowski redirected a shot from Boston Buckberger into the net for the go-ahead goal against Hauser, who lost his stick during the possession.

Hicks, the Most Outstanding Player of the Frozen Four, played a big part in how and why Denver was able to weather the storm against Wisconsin. The star-studded freshman goaltender finished with 29 saves on 30 shot attempts on goal, including a pair down the stretch. Hicks recorded 78 total saves in the Frozen Four and improved to 16-0-1 this season.

Wisconsin's extends its national championship drought. The Badgers haven't won a men's hockey national championship since 2006, and came close to pulling off the first sweep in men's and women's hockey national championship games since that season as well.

USA TODAY Sports provided live scores, updates and highlights of Saturday’s Frozen Four championship game. Highlights are below. 

Wisconsin vs Denver hockey score

Wisconsin vs Denver hockey updates

Johnny Hicks named Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player

To no surprise, Denver goaltender Johnny Hicks was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Frozen Four.

Frozen Four All-Tournament team announced

Here's a look at the All-Tournament team for the Frozen Four:

Denver defeats Wisconsin

Denver steals one against Wisconsin with a pair of third-period goals from Rieger Lorenz and Kyle Chyzowski to win the Frozen Four.

Wisconsin shot hits off crossbar, Badgers get called for penalty

Wisconsin appears to have scored the equalizer, but the shot attempt from Ben Dexheimer hits off the crossbar, keeping the game at a 2-1 Denver lead. Then, a few seconds later, down on the other side of the ice, the Badgers get called for a holding penalty that gives the Pioneers a power play with 4:14 remaining in the third period.

Denver takes lead 2-1

Kyle Chyzowski redirects the shot from teammate Boston Buckberger into the back of the net to put Denver up 2-1 at the 14:08 mark of the third period against Wisconsin. The Pioneers kept firing shots at Badgers goaltender Daniel Hauser, who did not have a stick for much of the possession after getting it knocked away.

Johnny Hicks comes up with save

Oh my, Johnny Hicks! The Denver goaltender comes up with a big-time save on the other end of the ice to keep the game all knotted up at 1-1 as Wisconsin tries to jump back in front. Gavin Morrissey had the shot attempt for the Badgers.

Denver ties game in third period

Denver's attack finally gets past Wisconsin goaltender Daniel Hauser. The Pioneers get the equalizer from Rieger Lorenz to tie the game at 1-1 with the Badgers with 12:29 left in the third period. We've got ourselves a game in Las Vegas.

Denver can't take advantage of goal opportunity

Denver has a 3-on-2 advantage on the attack, but the Pioneers are unable to get the shot past Wisconsin goaltender Daniel Hauser, who pushes the puck to the side with a sliding save. It's the best opportunity Denver has had offensively on the afternoon.

The Pioneers have come out of the second intermission hot offensively.

Third period between Wisconsin, Denver underway

It's now or never for Denver to even this one up with the third period underway. The Pioneers are going to have to create better shots on net in the period against the Badgers' defense if they want a chance at another national title.

Wisconsin loses the opening period faceoff for the first time on the day. The Badgers are looking to keep their 1-0 lead (or extend it) to bring back the national championship trophy to Madison for the first time in two decades.

End of second period: Wisconsin leads Denver 1-0

It's a scoreless second period for both teams. Wisconsin takes a 1-0 lead into the second intermission over Denver, and is now 20 minutes away from its first national championship since 2006. The Badgers put back-to-back shots on net at the buzzer, but Johnny Hicks comes up with back-to-back saves to keep his team in the game.

Johnny Hicks makes big save for Denver

Johnny Hicks comes up with a big save for Denver to keep it at a 1-0 deficit, as he makes the save on Grady Deering's 1-on-1 shot in front of the net. It was the best opportunity for a second goal from the Badgers in the second period.

Wisconsin outshooting Denver

Wisconsin continues to lead the offensive momentum for both teams, as the Badgers are outshooting Denver 16-4 on goal in the first 32 minutes of the game. Johnny Hicks has 15 saves for the Pioneers, while Daniel Hauser has been quiet with just four saves for the Badgers.

The Pioneers do have 17 blocks defensively, though.

Wisconsin still leading at media timeout in second period

Not much has changed since the last media timeout on the ice. The Badgers continue to pour it on the Pioneers' defense with shots on goal, but have yet to get one past Johnny Hicks. Denver has gotten a few shots up themselves since the last stoppage of play, but none on goal.

Wisconsin leads 1-0 with nine minutes to go until the end of the second period.

Wisconsin leads Denver in second period

It remains 1-0 Wisconsin at the first media timeout of the second period. Denver is struggling against Wisconsin's defense to get a shot on goal. The Pioneers haven't had a shot on goal in over 14 minutes, a drought that goes back to the 7:07 mark of the first period.

Wisconsin is outshooting Denver 13-3 on goal. There remains 12:15 left in the second period.

Denver can't capitalize on scoring opportunity

Denver continues to come out strong to start the second period. The Pioneers get back-to-back shots on goal, but both are blocked by the Badgers' defense. Denver had an opportunity with one of those blocked shots going behind the Wisconsin net, which created a brief open net on the right side, but the Pioneers were not able to capitalize on it with no attackers behind the net.

Second period between Wisconsin, Denver underway

Wisconsin wins the faceoff to start the second period against Denver in Las Vegas. It's the second straight faceoff the Badgers have won to start a period. Denver starts the second period with a quick shot on goal, but it is blocked by a Wisconsin defender.

The Badgers hold a 1-0 lead over the Pioneers.

End of first period: Wisconsin leads Denver 1-0

It was all Wisconsin in the first period in Las Vegas, as the Badgers didn't waste any time making their presence felt on both ends of the puck. Vasily Zelenov gave the Badgers a 1-0 lead at the 13:36 mark of the period with a shot past Johnny Hicks from the left side.

The Badgers came close to a second goal in the winding seconds of the period, but were not able to get multiple shot attempts past Hicks. The Pioneers' goaltender made a nice leg save to kick the puck out.

Wisconsin outshot Denver 10-2 on net in the period. Both teams were called for a penalty.

Vasily Zelenov gives Wisconsin lead

Moments after missing out on its first power play opportunity, Wisconsin jumps out in front 1-0 in the first period against Denver thanks to a goal from Vasily Zelenov. The Badgers finally get one past Johnny Hicks after getting their first seven shots on goal saved by the Pioneers' freshman goaltender.

Wisconsin outshooting Denver 8-2 on goal. It's Zelenov's sixth goal of the season.

Here's another look at Zelenov's goal in the first period:

Denver kills Wisconsin penalty

Like Denver, Wisconsin is unable to capitalize on its first power play of the game. The Badgers got two shots up on the power play, but they were unable to get one past Denver goaltender Johnny Hicks, who is up to seven saves on the day.

Wisconsin jumps on power play

It's a power play coming up for Wisconsin out of the second timeout in the first period, as Denver's Cale Ashcroft gets called for boarding. The Badgers' power play unit ranked sixth in the country with a 26.9% percentage.

It remains scoreless between Wisconsin and Denver at the 9:24 mark of the first period in Las Vegas.

National championship between Wisconsin, Denver scoreless early

At the first timeout of the first period, Wisconsin and Denver are tied 0-0 with 14:10 left in the period. The Badgers have been able to get four shots on goal in the first 4:50 of the game, while the Pioneers are still looking for their first shot on goal.

Denver is winning the faceoff battle 7-3.

Denver unable to capitalize on power play

Wisconsin's Olivier Tulk gets called for tripping, and Denver gets an early two-minute power play opportunity in the first period. However, the Pioneers are unable to capitalize on the man-advantage. It's a big penalty kill by the Badgers, who kept Denver from getting a shot on goal.

Wisconsin getting early shots

The Badgers have come out aggressively on offense with two shots in the first two minutes. Both shots are saved by Denver goaltender Johnny Hicks.

Wisconsin-Denver Frozen Four championship underway

The national championship between Wisconsin and Denver is underway in Las Vegas. The Badgers win the opening faceoff.

Wisconsin-Denver puck drop coming soon

We're just 20 minutes away from puck drop between Wisconsin and Denver in Las Vegas.

Wisconsin hockey releases lineup for Frozen Four championship

Wisconsin has released its lines for Saturday's Frozen Four championship vs. Denver, courtesy of Mark Stewart of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network.

The Badgers have a pair of NHL draft picks playing on Saturday in forwards Quinn Finley (New York Islanders), Blake Montgomery (Ottawa Senators), Vasily Zelenov (Buffalo Sabers) and Kyle Kukkonen (Anaheim Ducks) and defensemen Jack Phelan (Detroit Red Wings).

Denver hockey releases lineup for Frozen Four championship

Denver has released its projected lines for Saturday's Frozen Four championship vs. Wisconsin. Freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks is back in between the pipes and brings a 15-0-1 record into the game.

Here's a full look at the lines for the Pioneers:

Denver hockey arrives at T-Mobile Arena

The Pioneers have gotten off the bus in Las Vegas, and are walking into T-Mobile Arena for Saturday's national championship game. Denver is eying its 11th national championship in program history with a win vs. Wisconsin.

Wisconsin hockey arrives at T-Mobile Arena

The Badgers are on site at T-Mobile Arena for Saturday's national championship game. A win on Saturday would give Wisconsin its fourth straight postseason win over a higher seed, and its first national title since 2006.

Wisconsin hockey chasing history

A win for Wisconsin on Saturday vs. Denver would pull off the sweep for the men’s and women’s NCAA Hockey titles in the same season for the first time since 2006.

Denver hockey path to Frozen Four championship

Here's the path that Denver has taken in the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship to get to Sunday's Frozen Four title game:

• First Round: 5-0 win over Cornell
• Quarterfinals: 6-2 win over No. 4 Western Michigan
• Semifinals: 4-3 win over No. 1 Michigan (2OT)

Wisconsin hockey path to Frozen Four championship

Here's the path that Wisconsin has taken in the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship to get to Sunday's Frozen Four title game:

• First Round: 5-1 win over Dartmouth
• Quarterfinals: 4-3 win over No. 3 Michigan State
• Semifinals: 2-1 win over No. 2 North Dakota

2026 Frozen Four bracket

Click here to look at the bracket for the 2026 NCAA men's ice hockey tournament, which will conclude with the national championship game between Denver and Wisconsin on Saturday.

Who has the most NCAA hockey championships?

Saturday's matchup between Denver and Wisconsin in the title game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament will pit two of the three most decorated men's ice hockey programs of all-time against each other. The Pioneers have a Division I-leading 10 national championships in program history, including three since 2017, while the Badgers have six, the fourth-most in Division I.

This year's Frozen Four actually featured the four schools with the most Division I hockey championships: Denver (with 10), Michigan (nine), North Dakota (eight) and Wisconsin (six).

Here are the schools with the most all-time NCAA Division I men's hockey championships:

• Denver: 10
• Michigan: 9
• North Dakota: 8
• Wisconsin: 6
• Boston College: 5
• Boston University: 5
• Minnesota: 5

What channel is Wisconsin vs Denver hockey in NCAA Hockey Championship today?

• TV channel: ESPN
• Streaming options: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

The NCAA Hockey Championship between Wisconsin and Denver will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Streaming options include the ESPN app (with a TV login), ESPN's subscription streaming service, and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Wisconsin-Denver NCAA Hockey Championship start time today

• Date: Saturday, April 11
• Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
• Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)

The Frozen Four championship game between Wisconsin and Denver is set for a 5:30 p.m. ET puck drop in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.

Wisconsin vs Denver Frozen Four prediction, picks, odds

Odds from BetMGM as of Friday, April 10

• Spread: Denver -1.5
• Over/under: 5.5
• Moneyline: Denver (-175) | Wisconsin (+135)