Western Michigan Reaches First Frozen Four Championship After 2OT Win Over Denver

Owen Michaels scored the game-winning goal just 26 seconds into the second overtime, lifting Western Michigan to a dramatic 3-2 win over defending champions Denver on Thursday night. The victory sends Western Michigan to its first-ever Frozen Four championship game.

The Broncos will take on Boston University in the title match on Saturday night. BU secured their spot with a 3-1 win over Penn State in the other semifinal.

Brian Kramer also found the net for Western Michigan, and freshman goalie Hampton Slukynsky made 20 saves. In their 10th NCAA tournament appearance, the Broncos — a veteran-heavy team — are enjoying a historic run. They’ve now won nine straight games and set a new program record with 33 victories this season.

Michaels sealed the win on a fast break, assisted by Matteo Costantini who charged up the right wing and fed the puck to the center for the decisive goal.

Do you follow college hockey regularly, or are you keeping an eye on this run because of Western Michigan’s historic push?

“Blacked out a little. It was kind of a little bit of a broken play, just saw the puck squirt out to me,” said Michaels, a sophomore from Northville, Michigan. “I was in the middle of the ice and had some open time and space and figured I’d put it on net. And pretty happy it went in.”

Michaels took the pass and fired a shot top-shelf over Denver goalie Matt Davis’ right shoulder to seal the win.

“Blacked out a little. It was kind of a little bit of a broken play, just saw the puck squirt out to me,” said Michaels, a sophomore from Northville, Michigan, describing the chaotic but decisive moment.

Denver (31-12-1) got goals from Aidan Thompson and Jared Wright, the latter tying the game with just 2:39 left in regulation. Goalie Matt Davis was a standout with 44 saves, keeping the Pioneers alive deep into double overtime.

Despite their rich history — 10 national championships, the most in NCAA history, including two in the past three years — Denver fell short of becoming just the ninth team to win back-to-back titles, a feat last accomplished by Minnesota-Duluth in 2018 and 2019.

This win marks a major milestone for Western Michigan. Are you rooting for them to go all the way against BU?