Michigan loses Frozen Four instant classic to Denver in double overtime
In a Frozen Four semifinal that felt destined to be remembered, Michigan and Denver delivered one of the most gripping games in college hockey history Thursday night and into Friday.
It ended in heartbreak for the Wolverines.
Kent Anderson scored in double overtime to lift Denver to a 4-3 win, sending the Pioneers to the national championship game and ending Michigan’s season in an instant classic that stretched deep into the night.
For long stretches — especially in overtime — Michigan controlled the game. It didn’t matter.
Denver needed one opening. It found it late.
The Pioneers will face Wisconsin on Saturday.
A heavyweight fight from the start
From the opening drop, the game carried the feel of a championship before the championship.
Denver controlled much of the first period, dictating possession and forcing Michigan into long defensive shifts. That pressure broke through midway through the period when Kyle Chyzowski slipped a chaotic, bouncing puck through traffic and past Jack Ivankovic to give Denver a 1-0 lead.
Michigan didn’t look comfortable early. Then everything flipped in a matter of minutes.
Josh Eernisse tied the game off a clean offensive-zone faceoff, blasting a shot past Johnny Hicks to make it 1-1. Less than a minute later, T.J. Hughes capitalized on a fortunate bounce off the end boards, burying a rebound to give Michigan a 2-1 lead.
It wasn’t pretty hockey from the Wolverines in the first 16 minutes.
It was clinical when it mattered. And suddenly, they carried the momentum into intermission.
Momentum swings define the middle frame
The second period followed a pattern that haunted Michigan all night.
Penalty kill, success — then a breakdown seconds later.
After killing an early high-sticking penalty and limiting Denver to almost nothing, Michigan allowed a goal immediately after the power play expired. Cale Ashcroft tied the game 2-2 just minutes into the period, continuing a trend that shifted momentum despite strong special teams execution.
That sequence told the story.
Michigan finished a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. But two of Denver’s goals came moments after those kills, blunting what should have been a major advantage.
Still, the Wolverines began to tilt the ice.
By the time the second period closed, Michigan had started to control the pace and generate sustained pressure. The shot totals reflected it — and it only grew more lopsided as the game wore on.
Special teams finally break through — then chaos
The third period opened with more of the same physical, relentless hockey.
Michigan kept killing penalties. Denver kept pushing. Then came the moment that felt like it might decide the game.
After waiting nearly 50 minutes, Michigan — owner of the nation’s top power-play unit — finally got its chance. It needed less than 30 seconds.
Jayden Perron buried the go-ahead goal at 11:02 of the third period, finishing off crisp puck movement to give Michigan a 3-2 lead and what looked like control.
But nothing came easy in this one.
Denver answered late. With under three minutes remaining, Clarke Caswell won a battle in front of the net and tied the game 3-3, silencing Michigan’s surge and forcing overtime.
Overtime turns into a siege
Frozen Four overtime offers no shortcuts. No shootouts. No 3-on-3.
Just hockey until someone breaks.
Michigan pushed relentlessly once the extra periods began.
The Wolverines generated the better chances, carried more of the possession, and forced Hicks into a string of critical saves. In the second overtime, especially, Michigan dictated play, cycling in the offensive zone and creating multiple high-danger looks.
It felt like a matter of time. But time kept passing.
Denver absorbed the pressure, stayed patient, and waited for its chance — the same formula that kept it alive all night.
Then it came.
A late push into Michigan’s zone allowed Denver to move the puck, and Anderson found space just long enough to finish the play and end it at 4-3.
A game that won’t be forgotten
The final numbers underscored Michigan’s push.
The Wolverines outshot Denver 52-25. Ivankovic stopped 22 shots. Hicks turned away 49, standing at the center of Denver’s survival. Michigan controlled the second and third periods and owned large portions of overtime.
But in a game defined by razor-thin margins, Denver capitalized on its moments — and Michigan couldn’t quite finish its own.
The result will sting. Michigan once again fell short of a chance at a national championship.
This was as physical, fast, and evenly matched as college hockey gets — a back-and-forth battle between two of the sport’s best that delivered everything the Frozen Four promises.
And one that will be talked about for a long time.
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