Michigan hockey falls to Denver in Frozen Four 2OT thriller

Less than a week after Michigan basketball was in the Final Four, Michigan hockey had its turn in the Frozen Four. The 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines had a prime opportunity to make it an all Big Ten national championship game, with Wisconsin having already taken down North Dakota earlier in the evening. But Denver was going to have something to say about it.

The last time that the maize and blue faced the Pioneers in the Frozen Four (2022), they were ousted, with Denver going on to win the national championship. And the Pioneers came out on the ice as the aggressor right from puck drop, keeping the puck down in Michigan's area for the bulk of the first period. Halfway through, though Michigan managed to kill a power play, a turnover led to a quick shot off a ricochet, putting Denver on top, 1-0, at 9:29.

But the Wolverines started to get it together, with Josh Eernisse scoring off a face off right off the goal, getting the assist from Kienan Draper at 16:18. A minute later, at 17:17, the maize and blue took the lead, with star T. J.

Hughes finding the net just outside of the crease, and they took a 2-1 lead into the locker room after the first period. Michigan takes the lead ‼️ @umichhockey 📺: ESPN2 pic. twitter.