Michigan
5-0-0
Denver
2-1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Denver | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Michigan Sets Early Tone with Toppling of No. 1 Denver
10/16/2026 11:50:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» NCAA leader in goals and points Jayden Perron extended his point streak to 11 games.
» Cole McKinney netted his fifth of the year and has goals in three straight games.
» The Wolverines have started 5-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
» Jack Ivankovic recorded his 1,000th career save during the third period.
DENVER, Colo. -- Opening night of the biggest non-conference college hockey series of the season saw the second-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team march into Magness Arena to knock off top-ranked Denver 4-1 on Friday night (Oct. 16), just hours after the Pioneers hosted a pregame ceremony to raise its 2026 national championship banner to the rafters.
With the win, Michigan advances to 5-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
Halfway through the third period, sophomore backstop Jack Ivankovic reached a milestone, becoming the 27th Wolverine to reach 1,000 career saves in maize and blue. He finished the night with 27 saves on 28 shots faced, joining a prestigious group of Michigan icers.
The nation's leading scorer, Jayden Perron, potted his eighth goal of the season at 8:25 of the first period to give the visitors a 1-0 lead, cashing in from close range. Defenseman Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen set up the opportunity by saucering a shot on goal, producing a rebound that popped out to Perron's stick to the left of the blue paint. Will Horcoff notched the secondary helper. With the marker, the senior extended his point streak to 11 games, while his goal streak was upped to seven straight.
As the period wore on, U-M funneled seven straight shots on goal to jump out to a 10-3 edge in that category while looking to build upon the early lead.
Denver earned the first power play of the contest when a Wolverine defender was sent off for interference while dashing up the ice with his man. Michigan's penalty killers protected the lead to reach the first intermission with 21 seconds remaining in the DU advantage.
Through 20 minutes, U-M carved out a 1-0 lead and an 11-4 differential in shots on goal. Denver imposed its will in the dot in the first period to exit with a 10-5 advantage.
Just over a minute into the second frame, a whiff on the DU blue line allowed a Pioneer to dash down the ice on an abbreviated breakaway, but Cam Reid took an intelligent route to close the gap and disrupt their path to the net, forcing a shot that Ivankovic turned aside with ease.
Michigan maintained possession in the offensive zone for the majority of its first power-play attempt, but the unit failed to capitalize before Denver returned to full strength.
Sophomore forward Malcolm Spence finished off a nifty give-and-go to double Michigan's lead at 10:18 of the second period following a quick pass from his classmate, Henry Mews. Spence broke in on net on the left flank with Mews trailing on the right side of the zone before using the quick exchange to throw off the Pioneer defense. Senior winger Nick Moldenhauer recorded the second assist on Spence's third tally of the year.
Denver embarked on its second power play with 5:21 remaining in the second period, but U-M's penalty killers were up to the task once again to preserve the two-goal lead.
The Wolverines carried a 2-0 lead into the dressing room despite generating just one shot on goal in the second period, but Spence made the lone shot count. DU built a 14-12 shots-on-goal lead and carried over power-play time into the third period, while U-M trimmed the deficit at the dot to 19-18.
Another infraction in the opening minute of the third period created more than a minute with a two-skater advantage. Michigan's penalty killers stayed perfect, surviving the two-man advantage.
Seconds after U-M's unsuccessful power play, Cole McKinney planted himself at the top of the crease to gather a rebound and quickly deposit it past a sliding goalie at 7:47. Drew Schock and J.P. Hurlbert assisted on McKinney's fifth goal of the young season; Schock continued his hot start as the nation's highest-scoring defenseman.
Denver emptied its net for an extra attacker with nearly five minutes left in regulation. Hage created an empty-net opportunity by overpowering his defender near the half wall, but a bouncing puck made it difficult for Horcoff to get a solid piece of the puck, and his shot rang off the post.
Following a minor penalty on the Wolverines, DU capitalized on a 6-on-4 advantage with its cage empty to net a power-play goal at 16:19 to make it a 3-1 contest. That tally spoiled Michigan's bid for the first shutout in series history.
Spence added a second goal with 1:39 left in regulation when he slid the puck into the empty net to ice the game at 4-1.
The Wolverines put the finishing touches on a three-goal triumph over the nation's top-ranked team. The victory bumps Michigan's record against top-ranked teams to 14-14-3. DU finished the night 1-for-6 on the power play, while the visitors wrapped up the game 0-for-2.
The Pioneers outshot U-M by 28-20 and narrowly won the faceoff battle (33-30), but the visitors made their chances count. With the win, Michigan made program history by improving to 5-0 for the second year in a row.
On Saturday night (Oct. 17), Michigan and Denver will finish off the first regular-season series between the western powers since 1981. Puck drop for the weekend finale is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT. The contest will be streamed live on NCHC.tv and will be available via radio with Al Randall and Fred Pletsch on the call.
