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I am dead inside and feel nothing.
The Wisconsin Badgers were in control of this game the first 50 minutes, but two Denver goals in the final 10 minutes were the difference in a 2-1 Pioneers victory over the Badgers in the 2026 Men’s Hockey National Championship.
This one is going to leave a mark. I’m so proud of the Badgers, but they deserved to win this game. The better team lost this one, but I’ll give credit to the Denver Pioneers goalie – he’s an animal.
This feels like if the Bucks and Packers were a hockey team. In total control of the game and then they just unravel. Sadly I’m too used to this, but it still hurts the same.
Everyone said Wisconsin making it to the National Championship was flukey. But in reality, Denver winning it was flukey.
It’s a game of inches. Wisconsin had plenty of chances, they hit a crossbar late, in the second period had the puck on the goal line, so on and so forth.
Wisconsin executed the possession game perfectly with tenacious forechecks for two periods. UW dominated shots on goal. But couldn’t capitalize on opportunities to score that second goal, which ultimately spelled the difference in the outcome.
I thought Daniel Hauser played another very good game in net for the Badgers.
It wasn’t what lost Wisconsin the game, but was a HORRIBLE “holding” penalty on the Badgers with 4:14 left in a 2-1 game. That’s an egregious call given the circumstances, and wasn’t particularly close to even being a holding penalty. Awful.
One thing I’m sure of, the ESPN announcers both came when Denver won. One of the most shameless broadcasts by a team not employed by a school I’ve ever seen.
The title drought extends to 20 years for Wisconsin men’s hockey, who couldn’t get that critical second goal despite a lot of solid chances.
A season of peaks and valleys for Wisconsin. But a future of promise.
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