Denver knocks Michigan out of Frozen Four in double overtime

Las Vegas — For the 10th time since its 1998 championship, Michigan is leaving the Frozen Four pondering another wasted opportunity. And this one is going to hurt.

Denver captain Kent Anderson scored the game-winning goal with 7:25 left to play in double overtime to down Michigan, 4-3, in the 2026 Frozen Four in front of 17,942 fans Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.

Denver (28-11-3) will play Wisconsin (24-12-2) for the national championship Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. It will be Michigan’s first appearance in the title game since 2011. The winner will be the first national champion of the Big Ten as a hockey conference since its construction in 2013-14.

Denver forward Clarke Caswell, center, celebrates after scoring the tying goal late in the third period of the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey semifinals game between the University of Michigan and University of Denver, at T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, April 9, 2026.

In 10 Frozen Four appearances since winning the 1998 national championship, this was Michigan’s fifth overtime game. The Wolverines (31-8-1) had lost the previous four, including 2011’s national championship game against Minnesota-Duluth. Make it five, now.

Michigan goaltender Jack Ivankovic made 22 saves on 26 shots. Denver goaltender Johnny Hicks, who has yet to lose in 16 starts dating back to late January, stopped 49 out of 52 shots he faced.

Twenty-nine seconds of power play time awaited the Wolverines at the start of double overtime, having outshot Denver 39-23 but unable to solve Hicks for a fourth time. But those ticked off empty, and so did Michigan’s ample chances as it outshot Denver 6-1 by the time Hicks flashed the leather on a Jayden Perron shot with 13:10 on the clock and 13-2 with 8:41 to play.

With 7:25 remaining on the clock, off a feed from former Michigan commit Kristian Epperson, Anderson buried what’s only his second goal of the season, but perhaps the biggest of his career, to end the Wolverines’ season. The Wolverines knelt on the ice, distraught, at an opportunity they had controlled, but not their destiny in the end.

Through three periods and overtime, neither team could find the decisive blow. In overtime, Michigan's Garrett Schifsky had a chance in tight but couldn't beat Hicks' outstretched pad. Denver had a power play with 2:26 left in extra time off a Will Horcoff slash, but its own Sam Harris took a tripping penalty 54 seconds in that ended the period with each team eyeing double overtime.

Much had the first three periods gone that way, too. Michigan and Denver entered the third period tied, though Michigan had controlled the better part of the second period despite giving up the frame’s only goal 2:30 in. Its forward depth proved impactful, with Jayden Perron, Adam Valentini and Nick Moldenhauer creating strong chances through the first two frames. What Michigan needed, though, was for one of those shots to hit the back of the net.

It also needed discipline — better than it got all night. Michigan had to kill off a third penalty by defenseman Tyler Duke just 24 seconds into the third period and it looked like the Wolverines might head back there a couple minutes later when Malcolm Spence made a hard cut to the net and leveled Hicks, who sprawled out on the ice for a spell before getting to his feet. Then came a real penalty: Schifsky boarded Denver forward Sam Harris with 14:56 on the clock to put the Wolverines on their fourth penalty kill.

For a fourth time, however, Michigan didn’t get burned. The only shot attempt for Denver met Duke’s pads as he laid out to block it. And once at even strength, Michigan played its possession game searching for the go-ahead goal.

With 9:46 to play, Denver erred. After the whistle, Denver defenseman Eric Jamieson doubled over UM defenseman Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen with a cross check and headed to the box — the Wolverines’ first power play of the night and its first in 111:14 of play against Denver dating back to the 2022 Frozen Four in Boston. With the nation’s top power play at 31.6%, here was the Wolverines’ chance.

Patiently, Michigan cycled around the shell of its 1-3-1 power play, winning the puck back after one chance. Then it found its way to Perron at the top of the point. He let a shot rip, beating Hicks' glove through the screen of Spence for the 3-2 lead with 8:58 to play.

Michigan tried to close out the win by clogging the middle to force Denver to chip the puck deep and battle it out along the boards. The clock ticked down. Six minutes. Five. Four. Three.

With 2:46 to play, a goalline shot by defenseman Garrett Brown ricocheted off Clarke Caswell tied the game for Denver, to the elation of Caswell as he streaked up the ice in celebration. It was only Denver's third shot on goal all period, but Caswell made it count. Overtime loomed.

Denver took a 1-0 lead 9:29 into the game off a lightning fast sequence. After Ivankovic settled a dump-in behind his own net and shoveled it to defenseman Luca Fantilli, Fantilli tried to feather a pass up ice to captain T.J. Hughes, but Denver forward Kyle Chyzowski got a stick in the lane to disrupt the play. Like a bad spin of the roulette wheel, in an instant the play went sideways. With two quick passes from linemate Kieran Cebrian and Brendan McMorrow, the latter found Chyzowski for a one-timer that trickled through Ivankovic’s pads.

Michigan celebrates a goal by forward Josh Eernisse, right, during the first period of the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey semifinals game between the University of Michigan and University of Denver, at T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, April 9, 2026.

The clock ticked down to 3:42 before Michigan found its opening answer, but it took just a minute more to take the lead. Josh Eernisse tied the game at 3:42 off a faceoff, digging out a puck tied up by center Kienan Draper before his blast of a shot beat Hicks. Then a minute later, a rebound off a shot by Michigan freshman Adam Valentini fluttered down to Hicks’ glove side, and Hughes scored it for a 2-1 lead that stuck up to the first intermission.

Despite a Tyler Duke penalty 19 seconds into the second period, Michigan held onto a 2-1 lead as its penalty kill allowed only one shot. It took only 11 seconds after that successful kill before Denver tied the game 2:30 into the second off a point blast from defenseman Cale Ashcroft that beat Ivankovic blocker side.

This is a developing story. Check detroitnews.com for updates!

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Denver knocks Michigan out of Frozen Four in double overtime