University of Denver Hockey Team Advances to Frozen Four for Third Consecutive Year The University of Denver men’s hockey team has secured its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four, marking a historic run in the program’s history. The Pioneers defeated Western Michigan University, the defending national champion, 6-2 in the West Regional Final on Sunday, April 7, 2024, at the Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado. This victory propelled Denver to its 21st Frozen Four appearance and its fourth in the past five seasons. The win also avenged a 3-2 double-overtime loss to Western Michigan in the 2023 Frozen Four semifinals, extending Denver’s winning streak against the Broncos to 2-0 in the postseason. Denver’s path to the Frozen Four was defined by a dominant first-period performance, during which the team scored four goals to overwhelm the top-seeded Broncos. The Pioneers’ offensive surge was led by freshman forward Kyle Chyzowski, who recorded a career-high three points (two goals and one assist). Fellow freshman Brendan McMorrow and juniors Kieran Cebrian and Eric Pohlkamp each added a goal and an assist, while senior center Samu Salminen and junior left wing Sam Harris scored the team’s other goals. Freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks, who stopped 26 of 28 shots, extended his unbeaten streak to 15 games (14-0-1) and was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA West Regional. The Pioneers’ victory sets up a Frozen Four semifinal matchup against No. 1 overall seed Michigan on Thursday, April 11, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The winner of that game will advance to the national championship on Saturday, April 11, where they will face the winner of the other semifinal between North Dakota and Wisconsin.#t_mobile_arena #xcel_energy_center #university_of_denver #western_michigan_university #blue_arena
