Denver rallies against Wisconsin to claim 11th national title

Kyle Chyzowski scored the go-ahead goal with 5:52 remaining to lift Denver to a 2-1 win over Wisconsin in Saturday's Frozen Four title game in Las Vegas.

Stationed amid a crowd in front of Wisconsin goalie Daniel Hauser, Chyzowski deflected Boston Buckberger's point shot to secure a record 11th title and third in five years for the Pioneers (29-11-3).

Denver overcame a 1-0 deficit after two periods to finish the season with 12 straight wins and 17 games without a loss. Rieger Lorenz netted the tying goal earlier in third.

Garrett Brown assisted on both Denver goals.

Johnny Hicks made 29 saves in the Pioneers net, including 20 across the second and third periods. He finished his freshman season with an unbeaten 16-0-1 record.

Vasily Zelenov scored the lone goal and Daniel Hauser stopped 13 shots for Wisconsin (24-13-2), which made its first Frozen Four appearance since 2010 and made a Cinderella run to Vegas after losing in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

Zelenov punctuated Wisconsin's dominant first period with the opening goal at 13:36. He took Weston Knox's feed from the defensive zone and skated across the blue line and down the left wing to fire a top-shelf wrister from the circle.

Denver's two first-period shots tied the NCAA championship record for fewest in a single stanza. The Pioneers managed just three shots in the second period - the last one coming in the final two minutes of the period.

Hauser faced a late flurry in the middle frame, recovering from losing his stick to make multiple stops that kept the one-goal margin. At the other end, Hicks made back-to-back saves on Quinn Finley and Jack Phelan before the buzzer sounded.

The Pioneers drew even 7:31 into the third. After Brown teed up a one-time shot from the top of the circle, Lorenz knocked a close-range rebound past an outstretched Hauser.

--Field Level Media