Freshmen goaltenders dominate at Frozen Four in Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Someone is going to make history this weekend at T-Mobile Arena as the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four Hockey Championship is contested for the first time in Las Vegas.


Chances are it will be a hot goaltender who propels his team to victory beginning Thursday with the national semifinals.

Yes, this year’s Frozen Four field is loaded with college hockey bluebloods. Between Michigan, North Dakota, Denver and Wisconsin, there are a total of 33 national championships.

That’s a lot of hardware.

But you can make a case for each of this year’s participants thanks to who is in net for them. Johnny Hicks of Denver leads the nation in winning percentage. North Dakota’s Jan Spunar has a goals-against average of 1.93, third in the nation behind Hicks (1.12) and Minnesota State’s Alex Tracy (1.80). Michigan’s Jack Ivankovic is fourth in the nation in winning percentage at .773 and Wisconsin’s Daniel Hauser is fifth with a win percentage of .724.

So when play begins Thursday afternoon, keep an eye on the goalies. You’re likely looking at a couple of future NHL netminders. For the first time, all four starting goaltenders at the Frozen Four are freshmen.

They’ll be tested. There’s a lot of firepower between the four schools, led by Michigan. The Wolverines average 4.56 goals a game, tops in the nation. Not far behind is North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks are No. 3 in scoring with a 3.85 average. Wisconsin is No. 5 nationally as the Badgers average 3.76 goals and Denver is No. 8 in the country with the Pioneers averaging 3.61 goals per outing.

I’m sticking to my process,” said Hicks, who didn’t start for the Pioneers until Jan. 24 against St. Cloud State and has been in the crease ever since. “I’ve got to give credit to the team — all my coaches and my teammates. They’ve helped me tremendously. It’s been an amazing experience.

“I try not to look too far ahead. Just soak everything in. I know I wasn’t playing at the start of the year, but it gave me time to settle in and get to know our system and how we work as a team.”

North Dakota coach Dane Jackson said the goalies here have played a lot of big hockey games before they ever reached college. As for his goalie, he likes the poise Spunar has exhibited.

“Yeah, I think it starts with Jan’s demeanor,” Jackson said. “He has kind of a laid-back kind of quiet confidence that doesn’t get too riled up about too many things. I think his approach kind of allows him to just have that kind of not be flustered by anything.

“I really think that he’ll handle the spotlight well here. All season he’s played extremely solid for us. He just gives us a real confidence to our group. He’s kind of earned everything he’s got.
He gives our team a lot of kind of belief and confidence to play our game.”

Wisconsin’s Mike Hastings had similar thoughts about Daniel Hauser, his freshman goalie.

“He’s about as calm a water as you’ll find,” Hastings said. “Whether we’ve won or lost, he’s stayed on an even keel. He crushes everything he can control. He’s a real ‘We’ guy.”

There’s also two of the three Hobey Baker Award finalists competing here. Michigan senior forward T.J. Hughes, who was the Big Ten’s Player of the Year and has 21 goals and 35 assists in 39 games this season, will be showcasing his talents on the T-Mobile ice, as well Denver senior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, a fifth-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Pohlkamp has 18 goals and 21 assists in 41 games with the Pioneers this year.

Minnesota-Duluth F Max Plante is the other Hobey Baker finalist. The winner will be anon red Friday afternoon at a ceremony at the Park MGM Hotel.

It’s little wonder this is such a hot ticket. The event sold out weeks ago and prices on the secondary market are going for double to three times face value. A seat in T-Mobile’s lower bowl near the glass for the championship game Saturday will cost you over $2,200 on Stubhub. A seat in the balcony is more reasonable — $187.

But that’s not going to stop fans from showing up. The Frozen Four experience never gets old. The students. The bands. The cheerleaders. The hard-core fans decked out in their team’s sweater. It all makes for a festive atmosphere, one that Las Vegas will play the perfect host for.

And since UNLV doesn’t sponsor a Division I NCAA men’s ice hockey program, North Dakota accepted the role of host institution for this year’s event. Never mind that Grand Forks is 1,589 miles from T-Mobile Arena. The UND fans will be out in force, perhaps mores than when their team played Minnesota at the Orleans Arena in 2018 and the rink was filled with green-clad fans as the Fighting Hawks defeated the Gophers, 3-1.

If you’re wondering how any of this makes sense, consider that when the Frozen Four was played in Anaheim, Calif., in 1999 at was then called the Arrowhead Pond, the University of Alaska-Anchorage was selected as the host institution. That year, Maine defeated New Hampshire in overtime, 3-2, for the title. The atmosphere then was outstanding and it figures to be even better as the Frozen Four is played in the Pacific time zone for only the second time in its history.

There were concerns about the ice quality in Anaheim but the sheet was fine. Will it be a similar result at T-Mobile, where they put a second sheet over the regular ice the Golden Knights play on?

“It’s going to be a little choppy,” said Wisconsin’s Christian Fitzgerald after the Badgers skated on Wednesday afternoon. “But everyone has to play on it.”

It may play a bit slow, but it shouldn’t impact the outcome. In the end, whichever team stops the most pucks the most often will likely leave town the ultimate winner come Saturday. But if you’re one of the goalies, you better be aware of the lively end boards at T-Mobile Arena. The puck sometimes takes crazy caroms.

“I didn’t realize there are four freshman goaltenders playing (in the Frozen Four),” Hicks said. “That’s pretty cool. I think it’ll be a great opportunity for all of us. I know I’m looking forward to it.

“I’ve heard the boards here are pretty lively, so I’ll be ready for it.”

FROZEN FOUR SCHEDULE
(All times Pacific)
Thursday’s semifinals
Wisconsin vs. North Dakota, 2 p.m.
Denver vs. Michigan, 5:30 p.m. (approximately)
Saturday’s Championship
Semifinal winners, 2:30 p.m.

FROZEN FOUR TEAM CAPSULES

Michigan Wolverines (32-7-1)
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
How they got here: Won Albany, N.Y. Regional
National titles: 9 (Last in 1998)
Coach: Brandon Naurato (4th season, 98-46-10)
Players to watch: Sr. F T.J. Hughes (39 GP, 21 G, 35 A, 56 pts.), Fr. G Jack Ivankovic (34 GP, 2.13 GAA, .911 SV%), So. F Michael Hage (38 GP, 13 G, 38 A, 51 pts.), So. F Will Horcoff (39 GP, 25 G, 13 A, 38 pts.)
Key stat: Michigan’s power play is No. 1 in college hockey at 31.6 percent.
Vegas connection: Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon played for Michigan from 1980-84. McCrimmon, a right wing, was team captain his senior year.

Denver Pioneers (27-11-3)
Location: Denver, Colo.
How they got here: Won Loveland, Colo. Regional
National titles: 10 (Last in 2024)
Coach: David Carle (8th season, 206-85-20)
Players to watch: Fr. G Johnny Hicks (18 GP, 14-0-1, 1.12 GAA, .958 SV%), Jr. D Eric Pohlkamp (18 GP, 18 G, 21 A, 39 pts, Jr. F Sam Harris (41 GP, 15 G, 19 A, 34 pts.), So. F James Reeder (41 GP, 10 G, 23 A, 33 pts.).
Key stat: Denver is 18-1 when scoring four or more goals in a game.
Vegas connection: Veteran NHL F Jason Zucker, who grew up in Las Vegas and currently plays for the Buffalo Sabres, attended Denver from 2010-2012 and had 91 points in 78 games for the Pioneers.

Wisconsin Badgers (23-12-2)
Location: Madison, Wis.
How they got here: Won Worcester, Mass. Regional
National titles: 6 (Last in 2006)
Coach: Mike Hastings (3rd season, 62-45-7)
Players to watch: Sr. D Ben Dexheimer (37 GP, 7 G, 20 A, 27 pts.), So. F Gavin Morrisey (34 GP, 9 G, 27 A, 36 pts.), Fr. G Daniel Hauser (32 GP, 2.56 GAA, .899 SV%), Jr. F Quinn Finley (35 GP, 17 G, 16 A, 33 pts.).
Key stat: Wisconsin has a faceoff win percentage of 54 percent. Opponents of the Badgers are just 46 percent at the faceoff dot.
Vegas connection: Curtis Joseph, who played for the IHL Las Vegas Thunder in 1995-96, was Wisconsin’s goaltender in 1988-89.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks (29-9-1)
Location: Grand Forks, N.D.
How they got here: Won Sioux Falls, S.D. Regional
National titles: 8 (Last in 2016)
Coach: Dane Jackson (1st season, 29-9-1)
Players to watch: Fr. G Jan Spunar (27 GP, 1.90 GAA, .917 SV%), Sr. F Ellis Rickwood (34 GP, 8 G, 28 A, 36 pts.), Sr. F Dylan James (39 GP, 21 G, 10 A, 31 pts.), Fr. F Will Zellers (37 GP, 18 G, 16 A, 34 pts.).
Key stat: 11 UND players have 20+ points, the most of any team in the nation.
Vegas connection: Former casino-hotel owner Ralph Engelstad played goaltender at North Dakota in 1954. The team’s home rink is named after Engelstad.