DU hockey went from treading water to the doorstep of a national title.
In the first five games following winter break, the Pioneers lost four times and tied once, looking nothing like a title contender. That included getting swept in a pair of contests at home against Western Michigan, and then traveling to rival North Dakota on Jan. 16 and getting shellacked in the opening game there, 5-0, to fall to 12-10-2.
But since that defeat, the Pioneers have caught fire en route to Thursday’s Frozen Four semifinal showdown against Michigan. DU is unbeaten in its last 15 games, with a 14-0-1 record since Jan. 24 vs. St. Cloud State, when freshman Johnny Hicks took over in net.
Denver Pioneers goaltender Johnny Hicks (31) covers the puck in the second period at Blue FCU Arena on Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Loveland, Colo. Denver Pioneers played the Western Michigan Broncos in the NCAA Regional Playoff game. (Photo by Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)
“Our guys increased their level of urgency and execution,” DU head coach David Carle said. “We weren’t playing bad in the previous stretch, per se. It was just how hockey goes sometimes: Does (the game) go your way? And after some pucks started to go our way, we got some confidence and some momentum.
“We stuck with it throughout (the rough patch), and our guys haven’t looked back.”
Thursday’s game vs. Michigan at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas puts the two most accomplished programs in college hockey against each other. The Pioneers own a record 10 national titles, the most recent one coming in 2024, and are making their seventh Frozen Four appearance in the last 10 tournaments. The Wolverines have won nine national titles.
Hence a little extra motivation for DU to dispatch of Michigan to face either North Dakota or Wisconsin in the championship on Saturday in Las Vegas.
“We know it’s a big game with two of the most notorious college hockey programs going at it,” DU defender Boston Buckberger said. “We also know it’s going to be fast-paced and tight checking, and we just want to bridge the (championship) gap between us and them and hopefully make it 11-9 by the time it’s all over.”
Starting fast
With Hicks unbeaten in net — the freshman has been a wall in the postseason, earning Most Outstanding Player honors the NCHC Frozen Faceoff as well as the regional in Loveland — the DU attack is balanced with five players with 30 or more points.
The Pioneers, led by defenseman Eric Pohlkamp’s 21 goals, dominated their two games in the regional in wins over Cornell (5-0) and Western Michigan (6-2). Pohlkamp and Buckberger (10 goals, 18 assists) are a dynamic offensive force from the back end of the ice, as they rank first and second, respectively, among Frozen Four defensemen in points, goals, power-play goals and plus-minus rating. Meanwhile, senior foward Rieger Lorenz (16 goals, 18 assists) headlines the forwards.
Quentin Miller of the University of Denver Pioneers heads to the bus with teammates for the team’s departure from the Ritchie Center en route to Las Vegas to compete in the Frozen Four on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Fueled by that firepower across its offense and defense, DU’s plus-9 goal differential in the first two rounds of the national tournament is the largest for the school since 1961, when the Pioneers won their third title. DU knows another fast start against Michigan is important, considering the Wolverines’ depth and equally balanced scoring.
“The first minutes are critical for the game and it’s been our identity for the last 15 games during this streak that we start games well,” senior forward Samu Salminen said. “Nothing’s changed going to the Vegas, and before this streak, going through the adversity we went through was good for us.
“Everybody had to check themselves in the mirror and we all found our identity and started working towards our end goal, which is winning the national championship.”
Should the Pioneers (13-7 all-time in the national semifinals) get past Michigan, they’ll earn their 14th NCAA championship game appearance. DU is 10-3 in those games, including five wins in a row.
Seven of DU’s players were on the ’24 title team, so a core of the key Pioneers have experienced what it takes to raise the trophy. And despite the blowouts at regionals, DU’s also battle-tested with four overtime wins, including in the NCHC semifinals (2-1 over Western Michigan) and championship (4-3 in double-OT over Minnesota Duluth).
On top of all that, this is a team not lacking in internal motivation.
The back of DU’s undershirts are emblazoned with “PERSONAL” in all caps, which Buckberger says stems from “everyone who wants to doubt us and think that we can’t get back to the mountaintop.”
“(That mantra) started early in the year,” Salminen said. “… A lot of things are personal because we’re the greatest college program ever. So everybody wants us to lose and everybody enjoys seeing us not doing well. We keep that mind. People want to see (DU) fail this weekend, but that’s not going to happen.”