Wisconsin Badgers Hockey team arrives before the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four National Championship Final against the Denver Pioneers, April 11, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nev. (Photo by David Stluka/Wisconsin Athletic Communications)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Badger families and friends, along with UW mascot Bucky Badger, gather together ahead of the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders will face the Denver Pioneers. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Badgers take the ice just before the first puck drop in the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders will face the Denver Pioneers. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Wisconsin Badgers Hockey team takes the ice in the first period during the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four National Championship Final against the Denver Pioneers, April 11, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nev. (Photo by Nolan Kromke/Wisconsin Athletic Communications)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A view from behind the bench during the second period of the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders will face the Denver Pioneers. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A view from behind the bench during the second period of the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders will face the Denver Pioneers. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Fans look on with disappointment as the third period draws to an end during the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders lost the match to the Denver Pioneers 2-1. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Members of the Badgers team come together following a disappointing ending to the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders lost the match to the Denver Pioneers 2-1. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
If there was ever a season that captured the resilience and promise of a team, the 2025-26 Badger men’s hockey season was it. The team may have fallen just short of their 10th NCAA title on Saturday, but they proved (not unlike their animal moniker) to be relentless and hungry, taking down higher ranked schools as they battled their way to the Frozen Four — a first for each player on the team — and on to the championship game against the University of Denver.
In fact, many wouldn’t have chosen the Badgers as a top contender for the NCAA championship at all when the draw was first announced in March. In January, they had recorded six consecutive losses and then dropped their first matchup of the Big Ten Tournament. What could have defined the trajectory of their season instead became a turning point for the team. According to Coach Mike Hastings, these notable losses prepared them to take on the challenges that come with a championship run.
The Badgers kicked off the NCAA tournament with a 5-1 takedown of Dartmouth followed by a thrilling overtime win against top-seeded Michigan State. Then came their dominating performance against North Dakota in the Frozen Four to secure their spot in the final for the first time since 2010.
Saturday’s game against the Denver Pioneers displayed the young team’s powerful, unrelenting style. The Badgers kept the Denver goalie busy from the start and never let up, racking up 30 shots on goal throughout the game. The early lead came in the first period when freshman forward Vasily Zelenov, with an assist from Westen Knox and Adam Pietila, scored to put the Badgers up 1–0.
Despite near-constant pressure from the Badgers, the equalizing goal came at 12:29 in the third when the Pioneers finally got one past freshman goalie Daniel Hauser, who proved to be a standout during this year’s tournament. With just over six minutes left in the game, Denver scored what would be the championship-winning goal and the end of the Badgers’ hard-fought season.
Even in defeat, the UW men’s hockey team has given Wisconsin fans across the country something to cheer about. And we can’t wait to do it all over again next season.
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Wisconsin Badgers Hockey team arrives before the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four National Championship Final against the Denver Pioneers, April 11, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nev. (Photo by David Stluka/Wisconsin Athletic Communications)
Badger families and friends, along with UW mascot Bucky Badger, gather together ahead of the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders will face the Denver Pioneers. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
Badgers take the ice just before the first puck drop in the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders will face the Denver Pioneers. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
Wisconsin Badgers Hockey team takes the ice in the first period during the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four National Championship Final against the Denver Pioneers, April 11, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nev. (Photo by Nolan Kromke/Wisconsin Athletic Communications)
A view from behind the bench during the second period of the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders will face the Denver Pioneers. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
A view from behind the bench during the second period of the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders will face the Denver Pioneers. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
Fans look on with disappointment as the third period draws to an end during the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders lost the match to the Denver Pioneers 2-1. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
Members of the Badgers team come together following a disappointing ending to the Men’s NCAA Frozen Four Championship match held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2026. The Wisconsin Baders lost the match to the Denver Pioneers 2-1. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)
