There is a part of Eric Pohlkamp that will always think back to April 10, 2025, when he sees that Western Michigan logo.

It was that day at the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Louis when Pohlkamp and his Denver teammates stood on the ice in stunned silence after the Broncos won a double-overtime thriller against the Pioneers, ending their hopes of repeating as national champions.

“They stole a trophy from us and, arguably, a ring,” Pohlkamp told The Denver Gazette, referencing not just the Frozen Four matchup, but the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship that Western Michigan also won in double overtime three weeks prior.

It’s not the same spot in the postseason, but the last two national champions will meet again Saturday (6 p.m. Altitude) at Magness Arena in a semifinal matchup in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. 

It’s the first year the NCHC has moved the entire conference tournament to campus sites, and it’s the first time DU will host a conference semifinal matchup since the 1986 WCHA playoffs against Minnesota Duluth.

The Pios earned host rights after finishing the regular season with the second-most points, behind only North Dakota, which will host No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth in the other semifinal.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity. We’re really excited about the change of format that our league decided to make,” DU coach David Carle said. “For all four teams, the atmosphere and the student-athlete experience is really what we care about. I think they’re going to enjoy it. It’s gonna be great hockey for our fans in our building, but also up in Grand Forks (N.D.), as well. 

“I believe one of these four teams is gonna win the national championship, so it’s gonna be really good hockey for everyone to witness all weekend.”

Carle said the same thing this time last season, and he was proven right with the Broncos eventually coming away with their first national championship. 

While this has turned into one of the country’s most competitive and intense rivalries, the saying “no love lost” doesn’t apply to Carle and WMU coach Pat Ferschweiler.

“Our two staffs get along very well,” Carle said. “We’ll have dinners together. They’ll have food for us when we go there. (Goaltenders coach) Ryan (Massa) cooked for them when they came out here. Very cordial, very respectful. How we do things is different, but I think we have the utmost respect for each other and the success we had. 

“They ended our season last year, but there were no bigger fans or supporters of them wanting to get the job against (Boston) two nights later.”

The Pios and Broncos have faced off four times since that meeting in St. Louis, with the visiting team pulling off a road sweep in each of the two regular-season series. 

DU’s two wins came in early November and at the beginning of an 11-game streak without a regulation loss, while WMU’s came in the middle of a difficult month of January for the Pios. The latter featured four out of five series against ranked opponents during a grueling stretch.

“Now, both teams have been going pretty good for the last eight weeks,” Carle said. “I think both teams are playing at their best, which we’re excited to see them at their best and I’m sure they’re excited to see us at our best and we’re gonna make each other better.

“They’re a great team. It starts with their goalie and their coaching staff. There’s a lot of consistency within how they play and how dangerous they are off the attack. We’re excited to play a really good hockey team to get us ready for the NCAA Tournament in a couple of weeks’ time.”

---

No. 6 Denver vs. No. 4 Western Michigan

What: NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal

When: 6 p.m. Saturday at Magness Arena (Altitude TV)

Series history: DU leads 29-18-2

NCHC Frozen Faceoff series history: DU leads 2-1-0

Most recent postseason matchup: WMU 3-2 (2OT) at 2025 Frozen Four in St. Louis