The Denver Pioneers make it a habit to play hockey into April, but that doesn't mean they're calloused to chasing championships.
“I think we’re very excited," said DU Head Coach David Carle as the university hosted a send-off for their latest appearance in the Frozen Four. "[We're] appreciative of the opportunity [and] thankful for all of our fans and support we’ve gotten all year. This is what we’ve worked for.”
Despite heading to Las Vegas for the semifinals of the NCAA hockey national championship tournament, luck has very little to do with the Pio's success.
“This group is really bought in to their role," junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp said."That’s really cool to see, and that’s what makes championship teams.”
“We have great history and tradition in our program," Carle added. "We want our guys to feel that, recognize it, understand it, and then represent it.”
All four of the top title winning programs in NCAA hockey have a chance to add to their collection in 2026.
Denver owns the most with 10 championships, passing Michigan back in 2024. The Wolverines, who are also DU's first date in the Frozen Four, now stand alone in second place with nine. The other two universities that round out the bracket are North Dakota (8) and Wisconsin (6).
Despite owning the most trophies, the Pioneers also hold the lowest enrollment out of the four schools with roughly 12,000 students — and only 7,000 of those are undergraduates.
North Dakota is closest in size to Denver, but they set a record high in 2025 enrolling 15,844 students. Both Wisconsin and Michigan boast enrollments north of 50,000.
“That’s what makes sports and certainly college hockey unique," Carle said. "You can have a vast array of schools compete against each other and some of those bigger factors that matter in a lot of other spaces don’t matter as much in hockey.”
The Pioneers are also, by far, the hottest team left playing this post season. They haven't lost in 15 straight games.
“It’s just human nature right, if you feel really good about yourself, you’ll hopefully play right," Pohlkamp said, adding on a signature adage from CU Buffs boss Deion Sanders: "Look good, feel good, play good."
"We're certainly very invested," Carle said. "I love the competition of our tournament; I love the single elimination nature of it. I love the preparation of it and trying to expose teams' weaknesses. To get our guys with a killer instinct: go out, get the job done and send teams home.”
Historically, when Denver makes it this far in the playoffs, they tend to do well. They win 67% of all Frozen Four games, which is the highest mark in all of NCAA hockey.
Statistics and history will be put to the test when the Pioneers face a Michigan team that's won more games (31) this season than anybody else in the country.
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