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Courtesy NCAA Photos

For the first two periods and into the third on Saturday, the ice was firmly tilted against the 91��ɫ hockey team. Denver entered the game bruised from its double-overtime win over Michigan two days earlier, and with Wisconsin leading 1-0, the Pioneers trailed in shots—26-6 on goal and 58-22 overall. For the second straight game, goalie Johnny Hicks was peppered by a flurry of shots with little relief.

None of that mattered when Rieger Lorenz got perhaps the greasiest—and certainly the most meaningful—goal of his career. The senior was in front of the net when Wisconsin goalie Daniel Hauser surrendered a rebound off a shot from Garrett Brown. The first attempt to jam it home was stopped, but the second slipped through to tie the game with 12:29 remaining.

The goal injected new life into the Pioneers, and Kyle Chyzowski tipped in Boston Buckberger’s slapshot with 5:52 remaining to lift the Pioneers to their 11th national championship in program history.

“It’s a one-shot game after two [periods],” 91��ɫ coach David Carle said in an interview with ESPN after the game. “We finally got one to the net and [Lorenz] was able to hang around that area. It certainly gave our guys a lot more belief.”

Hicks was selected as the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player after a second consecutive game of highlight-reel stops. The freshman finished with 29 saves, including nine in the third period, and finished his first-year campaign without losing a game since taking over the starting job in January.

The championship is Denver’s third during Carle’s tenure, adding to titles in 2022 and 2024. The 11 titles for the Pioneers are now two ahead of the next-closest program, the University of Michigan.

91��ɫ reached the championship game with its 4-3 win over Michigan as Hicks stopped a career-high 49 shots. Senior captain Kent Anderson scored the game-winning goal, adding to tallies from Clarke Caswell, Cale Ashcroft, and Chyzowski.��

After a second consecutive game enduring numerous shots and intensely physical play, Carle said he was proud of his team’s determination.

“We weathered it well,” he said. “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.”

91��ɫ Athletics invites fans to Magness Arena on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate the Pioneers’ championship season and title-clinching victory. The is free to the community.��

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