Denver Wins 2026 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship

Pioneers defeat Minnesota Duluth in double overtime to claim conference title

Mar. 22, 2026 at 7:04am

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The No. 2-seed University of Denver Pioneers hockey team beat the No. 4-seeded Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs 4-3 in double-overtime on Saturday night in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship Game at Magness Arena. Freshman forward Kristian Epperson netted the game-winner 1:54 into the second extra stanza to help the No. 4-nationally ranked Pioneers take home the National Cup for the fourth time.

Why it matters

Denver's win marks its 19th overall conference tournament title and fourth in the NCHC. The Pioneers' victory on home ice is the first time they've won a conference trophy at Magness Arena since 2022, and it comes in the first year the entire NCHC tournament was played at campus sites.

The details

Senior forward Rieger Lorenz and freshman forward Aidan Caswell each contributed a goal and an assist, and junior defenseman Garrett Brown had a career-high two helpers in the contest. Junior defenseman Justin Lee also tallied, while senior David Carle, junior Kent Anderson and freshman Boston Buckberger all had an assist each. Pioneers goaltender Magnus Chrona earned tournament Most Outstanding Player honors after posting career highs with 41 saves on 44 shots faced, including 14 saves in the first overtime period.

  • The Pioneers will host the NCAA West Regionals at Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado, next weekend, March 27-29.
  • DU will find out who it will face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday during the Men's Ice Hockey Selection Show on ESPNU at 1 p.m. MT.

The players

Kristian Epperson

Freshman forward who scored the game-winning goal in double overtime.

Rieger Lorenz

Senior forward who contributed a goal and an assist.

Aidan Caswell

Freshman forward who scored a goal and added an assist.

Garrett Brown

Junior defenseman who had a career-high two assists.

Magnus Chrona

Pioneers goaltender who earned tournament Most Outstanding Player honors after making 41 saves.

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What they’re saying

“I just commend our fans, our league, our administration here at DU for making this happen; our fans were excellent. You know, throughout this whole format it was wonderful to be on the campus sites, and I thought it adds a lot of energy and excitement to the games. So really happy for that, and obviously another great hockey game tonight, different than the last one. Great start by us, great response by them, and even from there we found a way to make a play at the end. I thought both teams obviously played really hard, played well. Wouldn't be surprised to see them again down the line.”

— David Carle, Denver Richard and Kitzia Goodman Hockey Head Coach

“He's amazing and he's a rock back there. No matter what happens—if there's goals against, he's locked in and we trust him back there. And for him to come through there, 41 saves I think it was, huge. And his performance has helped us out a lot in the second half of the season, and it was a great game tonight.”

— Kent Anderson, Senior forward

“It was super emotional. Obviously we've played a lot of cool games in Magness. I think this is best for last here. Me and Kent have been through a lot in our four years here, and I think we've become better people, better players. So yeah, taking the last loop around was super emotional for the both of us, happy I could do it with him.”

— Rieger Lorenz

What’s next

The Pioneers will host the NCAA West Regionals at Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado, next weekend, March 27-29. DU will find out who it will face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday during the Men's Ice Hockey Selection Show on ESPNU at 1 p.m. MT.

The takeaway

Denver's thrilling double-overtime victory to claim the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship on home ice marks the program's 19th overall conference tournament title and fourth in the NCHC. The Pioneers' resilience and depth were on full display, with contributions from across the lineup, including a game-winning goal from freshman Kristian Epperson and a standout performance in net from tournament MVP Magnus Chrona.