Saturday, April 11
Las Vegas
4:30 p.m.
Wisconsin Badgers
24-13-2
1
vs
2
#3 Denver
29-11-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Denver | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Photo by: David Stluka
Badgers fall 2-1 in NCAA title contest
April 11, 2026 | Men's Hockey
Zelenov scores lone goal for UW in setback
LAS VEGAS – The Wisconsin men's hockey team fell 2-1 on Saturday afternoon to Denver in the NCAA Men's Frozen Four championship game.Â
Vasily Zelenov scored 13:36 into the game to grab the early lead for the Badgers (24-13-2) in front of a pro-Badger crowd of 17,849 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Badgers held a 21-5 shots lead and a 1-0 scoring lead through two periods.
The Pioneers (29-11-3) scored at 7:31 on a rebound and 14:08 on a point shot in the third period to claim the victory.
The Badgers outshot the Pioneers, 30-15.Â
Freshman netminder Daniel Hauser made 13 saves in the setback.Â
The 15 shots allowed by the Badgers are tied for the fewest in NCAA championship game history.Â
Senior captain Ben Dexheimer and Zelenov were named to the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team.
Â
Vasily Zelenov scored 13:36 into the game to grab the early lead for the Badgers (24-13-2) in front of a pro-Badger crowd of 17,849 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Badgers held a 21-5 shots lead and a 1-0 scoring lead through two periods.
The Pioneers (29-11-3) scored at 7:31 on a rebound and 14:08 on a point shot in the third period to claim the victory.
The Badgers outshot the Pioneers, 30-15.Â
Freshman netminder Daniel Hauser made 13 saves in the setback.Â
The 15 shots allowed by the Badgers are tied for the fewest in NCAA championship game history.Â
Senior captain Ben Dexheimer and Zelenov were named to the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team.
Â
Team Stats
WIS
DEN
Shots
30
15
PPG
0
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
2
1
Penalty Mins
4
2
Faceoffs Won
32
34
Game Leaders
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
0
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
1
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
0
A
1
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
0
Players Mentioned
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