DENVER – The University of Denver hockey team finished the season as the No. 1 team in the nation in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey media polls that were released on April 13.
The Pioneers claimed their 11th national championship with a 2-1 win against Wisconsin on April 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. DU also defeated then-No. 1 overall Michigan 3-2 in double-overtime two days earlier on April 9 to begin the Frozen Four festivities.
Denver started the 2025-26 campaign ranked No. 4 in the national preseason polls and entered the NCAA Tournament on March 23 at No. 4 on each list while being No. 5 in the NPI ratings. The Pios were the No. 2 seed in the NCAA West Regional and beat then-No. 9/11 Cornell 5-0 and No. 5/5 Western Michigan in Loveland, Colorado, to advance to their third-straight Frozen Four.
The Pioneers have won three national championships in the past five seasons, becoming the first college program to accomplish the feat since Boston College also did it from 2008-2012. Denver has reached the NCAA Frozen Four seven times in the last 10 tournaments since 2016 and has won four national titles in that time (2017, 2022, 2024, 2026).
DU went unbeaten in its final 17 games, going 16-0-1 in what was the fourth-longest unbeaten streak in program history. The Pioneers won each of their final 13 contests, which was also tied for the fourth-longest win streak in the school record book.
Denver led four NCHC squads that were ranked in the final polls, and the conference was the only one with each of its teams in the top 10. Joining DU was fellow Frozen Four-participant North Dakota, which finished at No. 3/3, while Western Michigan ended up at No. 6/6 and Minnesota Duluth at No. 7/7.
The NCHC and Big Ten each had two programs in the Frozen Four and were tied with the second-most squads ranked behind only Hockey East (5). The CCHA and ECAC both has three teams in the polls while AHA champion Bentley was also ranked.
UP NEXT: Denver hosts Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT at Magness Arena.
About the USCHO.com: The Division I men's ice hockey poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country.
About the USA Hockey/The Rink Live Poll: The 31st annual USA Hockey Men's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey.
TICKETS: Tickets to DU hockey's NCHC Championship Game against Minnesota Duluth are on sale now.
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