Michigan beats No. 1 Denver 4-1 in Frozen Four rematch
The No. 2 Wolverines won the first game of their two-game road series as Jack Ivankovic made 27 saves and Denver's 19-game winning streak ended.
No. 2 Michigan beat No. 1 Denver 4-1 at Magness Arena in Denver on Friday, Oct. 16, opening a two-game men's hockey series with a win over the team that ended its season in April. The Wolverines never trailed, and the NCAA reported that the result ended Denver's 19-game winning streak.
How Michigan built its 4-1 lead
Jayden Perron opened the scoring 8:25 into the game. The NCAA said it was his eighth goal of the season, the most in Division I men's hockey at that point. Malcolm Spence added Michigan's second goal 10:18 into the second period, on the Wolverines' only shot on target in that period.
Cole McKinney made it 3-0 at 7:47 of the third period. Denver's Kyle Chyzowski scored on a power play with 3:41 remaining, ending Michigan's shutout bid. Spence then scored into an empty net to complete the 4-1 result. Perron, Spence and McKinney had all been part of the Michigan team that lost to Denver in April, The Detroit News reported.
Michigan goaltender Jack Ivankovic stopped 27 of Denver's 28 shots and reached 1,000 career saves during the game. The NCAA reported that Denver outshot Michigan 25-9 over the final 40 minutes, but could not score until late in the third period. It was Ivankovic's fifth win of the season, according to the NCAA.
Why the Denver rematch mattered
Denver raised its 2026 national championship banner before Friday's game, The Detroit News reported. The Pioneers had beaten Michigan 4-3 in double overtime in the Frozen Four semifinal on April 9 before winning the title. It was Michigan's second Frozen Four loss to Denver in recent years; the teams had also met at that stage in 2022.
This was the teams' first regular-season meeting since 1981, according to the NCAA. Their four meetings in the intervening years had all come in the NCAA tournament. Before this series, 247Sports put Denver ahead 48-36-1 in the all-time series, reflecting a matchup with a much longer history than its recent postseason meetings.
Michigan and Denver are scheduled to finish their weekend series at Magness Arena on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. ET. The Detroit News reported that the game would be available on NCHC.tv.
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Sources and context
- No. 2 Michigan hockey beats No. 1 Denver in Frozen Four redemption to open seriesThe Detroit News (carried by Yahoo Sports)
- No. 2 Michigan handles No. 1 Denver in Frozen Four rematchNCAA
- Michigan hockey vs. Denver Pioneers: The nation's top-two teams meet in Frozen Four rematch247Sports
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.