Key keywords: 2026 NCAA Frozen Four, Denver Pioneers men's hockey, Michigan Wolverines men's hockey, double overtime college hockey thriller, Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey, North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's hockey, 2026 Frozen Four semifinals, NCAA men's ice hockey championship The 2026 NCAA Frozen Four semifinals delivered two unforgettable, record-setting matchups at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday, drawing a combined crowd of 37,294 fans to set a new single-day attendance record for the event's semifinal round. In the first game of the night, defending national champion Denver and Big Ten regular-season winner Michigan squared off in a back-and-forth battle that stretched well past regulation, ending in a 4-3 Denver victory at the 11:42 mark of the second overtime. Regulation play saw both teams trade leads multiple times: Michigan struck first just 2:17 into the opening period, before Denver scored two unanswered goals to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Michigan tied the game late in the second period, then took a 3-2 lead with 7:12 left in the third, only for Denver senior forward Carter Mazur to net a power-play goal with 2:09 remaining to force overtime. The first overtime period saw both teams come inches away from a game-winner: Michigan goaltender Seamus Casey made three point-blank saves to deny Denver's top line, while Denver's defense blocked two wide-open looks from Michigan's freshman star Adam Fantilli on a late power play. The decisive goal came from Denver junior forward Jack Devlin, who tipped a point shot from defenseman Sean Behrens past Casey to send the Pioneers to their second consecutive national title game. Casey finished the night with 54 saves, setting a new Frozen Four single-game record, while Denver outshot Michigan 58-49 across all frames. In the second semifinal, longtime rivals Wisconsin and North Dakota met for the 172nd time in program history, with the Badgers pulling off a dominant 4-1 win to advance to their first title game since 2010. Wisconsin jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of play, with goals from forwards Cole Caufield Jr. and Dylan Holloway. North Dakota cut the lead to 2-1 midway through the second period, but Wisconsin locked down defensively for the rest of the game, adding two more goals in the third period to seal the win. Badgers goaltender Kyle McClellan earned first-star honors with 32 saves on 33 shots, while North Dakota was held to just 4 shots in the third period. The national championship game will take place on Saturday, pitting Denver against Wisconsin in a matchup of two Midwest hockey powerhouses. The two programs last met in the Frozen Four final in 2005, when Denver took home the title with a 4-1 win.