LOVELAND — Finally getting some home cooking in the NCAA men’s hockey tournament worked out quite well for the University of Denver Pioneers.
Backed by a boisterous pro-Pios crowd, DU cruised past Cornell in the opening round of the NCAA tournament with a 5-0 win Friday at Blue Arena. Five different goal scorers and 24 saves from freshman sensation goaltender Johnny Hicks were more than enough to set up a regional final showdown Sunday afternoon with conference rival Western Michigan.
“I thought we were excellent from the first drop of the puck,” Pioneers coach David Carle said. “Our speed was there all night long, with and without the puck. I thought the guys executed at a really high level.
“(Cornell) makes you earn every inch of ice out there and our guys were up to the task.”
Avalanche prospect Jake Fisher put the Pios on the board first. He deflected a shot from defenseman Cale Ashcroft past Cornell goalie Alexis Cournoyer at 6:08 of the opening period.
It was the eighth goal of the season for Fisher, a sophomore center who was a fourth-round pick by the Avs in 2024. The Pios have now won 14 games in a row, an incredible surge that coincided with Hicks getting the call in net after fellow freshman Quentin Miller was injured.
University of Denver’s Samu Salminen (11), left, and Cornell’s Hoyt Stanley (5) fight for the control of the puck during the 1st period of the NCAA West Regional at Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
It looks similar to the shape of the 2023-24 season, which included a midseason dip but ended with a run that led to the program’s record 10th national championship.
“It’s good to go through some adversity,” Fisher said. “We all stuck together, stuck through it and worked even harder. We went through the adversity and we learned from it, which is why I think we’re doing so well now.
“We are built for these moments.”
Denver native Kieran Cebrian made it a 2-0 lead at 15:33 of the first. The junior center got a piece of an Eric Jameson shot for his fifth goal of the season.
Not a lot happened for either team in the middle period, until the puck came to Harris in the high slot and the junior forward buried his 14th goal of the year with 4:29 to go in the second. If it didn’t feel like DU’s date with the Broncos was sealed, then it certainly was after Clarke Caswell extended the lead to 4-0.
Caswell, another of Denver’s deep and talented freshman class, potted his seventh goal of the year when he redirected the puck from Ashcroft with a half baseball swing at 5:06 of the third.
Cornell got closer on the shot clock as the game progressed, but the Big Red had few sustained offensive possessions and Hicks didn’t need to be Superman, let alone Matt Davis from two years ago, to befuddle the visitors from upstate New York.
Familiar foes face off for Frozen Four berth
While it might lack the geographical tie and historical hate of the Gold Pan series with Colorado College, Western Michigan has become a top on-ice rival for the Pioneers. Sunday will be the sixth meeting of this season between the two clubs and the 10th tilt in the past two campaigns.
“I think it’s awesome,” Fisher said. “They’re a great team, but we’re ready for this moment. We couldn’t be more excited for Sunday.”
University of Denver’s Kieran Cebrian (24), Eric Jamieson (15) and teammates celebrate Cebrian’s goal against Cornell during the 1st period of the NCAA West Regional at Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
The Broncos ended DU’s national title defense with a double-overtime win at the Frozen Four last year. Western Michigan also beat Carle’s club in overtime to win the NCHC Frozen Faceoff a year ago.
These two teams swept each other on the road during the regular season, but Hicks and the Pios exacted part one of their revenge with a 2-1 overtime victory in the semifinals of this year’s Frozen Faceoff. Now they have a chance for part two, with a trip to Las Vegas and the Frozen Four on the line.
“I can’t wait,” Harris said. “They ended our season last year. It’s great to play them again. It’s similar to last year. We are all pumped.”
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