Michigan Hockey (4-0) remained second in the polls and unblemished in the loss column after stomping Alaska Anchorage by a combined score of 17-3. The “Champions of the West” now head out west this weekend for a Frozen Four rematch with newly anointed blood rival and top-ranked Denver (2-0).
After sweeping Alaska Anchorage – this sentence sounds familiar – in their season-opening series, the Pioneers rolled through the U-18 U.S. National team last week in exhibition play, setting up a collision course
six months in the making.
Once again, Michigan is powered by the nation’s best offense. The Wolverines are averaging seven goals per game – 1.5 clear of the next closest team – and haven’t even gotten the power play (.235) up to speed yet. Jayden Perron (7G, 6A) is the nation’s leader in points and goals, and Michael Hage (3G, 9A) is second in points and first in assists. Not to be lost in the shuffle, but Cole McKinney (4G, 2A) has surged to begin his sophomore campaign and is second nationally in points, and Nick Moldenhauer (1G, 5A) is tied for sixth nationally in scoring.
Michigan’s forwards are so deep that not even all NHL Draft picks are dressing. But as potent as Michigan’s forwards have been, the blue line is why this team has a chance to be special.
Drew Schock (3G, 3A) is the unit’s top scorer, and if betting odds existed for which D-man would lead this group before the season, Schock would have been somewhere between five and seven. To say he’s taken a leap is putting it mildly. Schock has already tripled his freshman year goal-output and is only four points away from matching last year’s total production. Add another player development success story to Brandon Naurato’s CV.
Just below Schock’s headlining start to the season is Landon DuPont (0G, 5A), who has lived up to the atmospheric preseason hype as a dynamic playmaker on both ends of the ice. Dakoda Rhéaume-mullen (1G, 2A) continues to get better game after game. Asher Barnett’s (0G, 1A) numbers don’t reflect his impact, but his +8 is fifth on the team and second among defenseman (Schock is tied with Hage for the team lead). Henry Mews (0G, 2A) and Ben Robertson (0G, 2A) are working back to form, but we are talking about fifth and sixth defensemen at this point, both of whom have shown top-line competencies during their time in Ann Arbor.
However, as talented and deep as this unit is, they desperately have to balance activating in the offensive zone and holding the point. Michigan gave up way too many fast breaks to the Seawolves last week and although it didn’t bite them against a lowly opponent, it could be the difference this weekend.
Between the pipes, Jack Ivankovic (.931 SV%) continued to show why he is the foundation of this team’s success, stopping multiple breakaway attempts and shattering the will of the Seawolves last weekend before the score was out of hand. Kovie’s 108 saves are third nationally, and no player in the top five of saves features a save percentage as high as his.
Denver
Denver has not lost a game since last January. The Pios are 18-0-1 since Jan. 24, 2026, and will be raising a national championship banner on Friday night with the Wolverines in attendance. When you look up “bane of existence” in the hockey dictionary, you’ll find Denver and head coach David Carle.
Denver has ended each of Michigan’s best two seasons of the last decade. In the spring of 2022, Bobby Brink put the Pios over the top, 3-2, in overtime of the Frozen Four en route to winning the national title. And last year, Denver prevailed, 4-3, in double overtime of the Frozen Four en route to winning another national title. And these only represent two of the three titles Carle has brought home to the Mile High City during his eight years behind the bench.
Everything starts in net for the Pios – you know him, you hate him, you’re haunted by him, it’s Johnny Hicks. Don’t be thrown off the scent by his early season .875 save percentage – which is actually second on the team behind Tyler Krivtsov’s .938 – this is still a player who has never lost a single collegiate game that he started. Michigan outshot Denver, 52-26, back in April, but as we all know, Hicks never flinched.
In front of Hicks, highly-touted blue-liner Daxon Rudolph (1G, 4A) currently leads the team in scoring. Rudolph was the fourth overall pick in the most recent NHL Draft, and the game within the game battle between him and DuPont is as star-driven as this sport gets.
Up front, the Pios return three of their top scorers from last season with Sam Harris (2G, 0A), Clarke Caswell (0G, 2A) and James Reeder (0G, 1A). Caswell, Kyle Chyzowski (0G, 1A), and D-man Cale Ashcroft (1G, 1A) represent three of the four scorers from last April’s game. Thankfully, Kent Anderson, who scored the heartbreaker, is off to the NHL.
Key to the Game
Borrow a page from Denver’s playbook. Revenge is on the mind for the Wolverines. But Michigan can’t win this game in the first five minutes, although it could certainly lose it. Beyond Hicks, Denver won last April because of discipline and patience — “bend don’t break” was its mantra. The Pios did not mind conceding control of the game as long as it did not concede goals. For more than 80 minutes, they let Michigan press and press and press, but when the momentum of opportunity arrived, they struck.
The goals will come, but the Wolverines need to let the game come to them and avoid playing over-aggressive or emotional. This is a David Carle-led team on the other side. They will not beat themselves and will be prepared to exploit any vulnerabilities. If Michigan is patient and disciplined, especially on the blue line, the Wolverines should be able to exact the pound of flesh they so desperately want.
Viewing Tip: nchc.tv offers one-day passes for roughly $17. It’s not great, but with the staggered start times, if you tune in around 10:15-10:30 p.m. ET on Friday night, you’ll see the critical parts of game one and all of game two. The other viewing options are either buying a month-long pass or an annual subscription.
Game 1
- When: Friday, Oct. 16, 9 p.m. ET
- Where: Magness Arena; Denver, CO
- How to watch: nchc.tv
- How to listen: Varsity Podcast Network
Game 2
- When: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Magness Arena; Denver, CO
- How to watch: nchc.tv
- How to listen: Varsity Podcast Network
