Third period dooms Badgers in championship loss to Denver

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 11: Vasily Zelenov #94 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates his goal against the Denver Pioneers with his teammates in the first period during the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four final at the T-Mobile Arena on April 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Wisconsin Badgers were the better team all day at T-Mobile Arena, but the final tally on the scoreboard goes to the Denver Pioneers as they scored two third-period goals to win the 2026 National Championship by a score of 2-1.

The Badgers had their chances. After freshman Vasily Zelenov gave Wisconsin a first-period lead, it turned into a goaltending display, more so from Denver freshman Johnny Hicks, who made 30 saves in the game and prevented the Badgers from adding some much-needed insurance.

Sophomore Gavin Morrissey had a golden opportunity on a loose puck in front of the net, but his redirection got in toward the body of Hicks for an easy save. The Badgers had a tough time turning their scoring opportunities into quality looks as the board behind the net took quite a beating from shots going wide of the cage.

One of the big keys for the Badgers was controlling rebound opportunities, and unfortunately, that came back to bite them on Denver’s first goal. Freshman Oliver Tulk turned the puck over in the defensive zone, which led to a shot from just inside the left circle. Hauser did well to stick his pad out and make the initial save, but the loose puck was put into the back of the net to tie the game at one apiece.

Denver was clearly tired from the double overtime win over Michigan on Thursday night, but the jolt of adrenaline after the game-tying goal provided a spark to the entire Pioneer bench, which immediately picked up the pace and started to outskate Wisconsin for the first time all game.

That adrenaline paid dividends late in the third. A strong offensive zone shift led to a scoring opportunity where Hauser lost his stick after the puck went wide. When Wisconsin needed the defensive effort that was on display for each of the last two games, the Badgers showed signs of exhaustion. Too much standing around when they desperately needed to clear the puck and let Hauser get his stick back. There was no clear to be found, and Denver defenseman Boston Buckberger threw a shot in from that point that was deflected by Kyle Chyzowski to beat Hauser and net what would eventually be the game-winning goal.

Wisconsin nearly tied the game with just over four minutes remaining when senior captain Ben Dexheimer attacked a loose puck in front of the net and tried to go top shelf. His shot careened off the bottom edge of the crossbar before falling harmlessly into the crease as the Badgers looked to start celebrating. The goal light even turned on in T-Mobile Arena, getting the hopes up of Badger fans everywhere.

The Dexheimer sequence was sandwiched between a few questionable decisions by the officiating crew. A Badger skater at full speed was taken down by a stick reaching at him from behind, a clear trip with no call despite a similar call going against Wisconsin back in the first period. Denver had a breakout after Dexheimer’s shot rang off the post that culminated in a penalty against freshman Blake Montgomery for holding, a pretty soft call considering what the stripes just let go seconds before. That penalty helped seal Wisconsin’s fate, needing to kill two minutes of Denver’s power play with just over four minutes to go.

It’s a tough loss to swallow, especially considering Wisconsin outshot Denver to a tune of 31-15 and had the lion’s share of the scoring opportunities. They just could not find a way to get a second goal before Denver woke up in the third period. As I wrote in the game preview, you can’t take championship appearances for granted since you never know when you’ll make it back. Wisconsin is not going to be able to shake the feeling that they let one get away in Las Vegas.

This tournament run was a resounding success for the Badgers, but moral victories aren’t going to take the sting out of a loss in a championship game in which they were the better team for 48 of the 60 minutes. Still, three tournament wins, including a Frozen Four win and a championship appearance, is nothing to shake a stick at for a team that hadn’t won a tournament game in 16 years. It’s hopefully a sign of things to come with a young roster under head coach Mike Hastings, but they’re going to feel this one for a few months until they take the ice again next fall.

It was a great season that featured a remarkable turnaround following the January skid. They just came up about 12 minutes shy of putting a bow on it with championship number seven. It was unfortunately not in the cards today in Las Vegas, and the Badgers will have to double down next year with a hungrier, more experienced roster after getting a taste of the promised land this weekend.