David Carle hasn’t forgotten the headline from the game that ended his season a year ago.

“Denver Thrown Off Its Game by Western Michigan, Ending Enormously Successful 4-Year Run,” College Hockey News read after the Pioneers fell to Western Michigan in double overtime at the Frozen Four in St. Louis.

That four-year run included two national championships and a third trip to the Frozen Four, but Carle never believed his program was slowing down, despite having to replace its top four point-getters and a national title-winning goaltender in Matt Davis.

Sure, his 10-person freshman class didn’t include a bona fide top NHL draft prospect like Gavin McKenna, the presumptive top pick in this year’s class who spent the season at Penn State. But belief in a return trip to college hockey’s biggest stage never wavered.

“You come to Denver with the expectation to win,” Carle said after getting revenge against Western Michigan in last month’s Loveland Regional final. “We recruit players that want to win, who want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. This (freshmen) group is no different. Their fingerprints are all over this game. It starts with our leadership and bringing those guys along, but if you want to win and play to a high standard, you come to Denver.

“Obviously, maybe some more marquee names came into college hockey this year than the group of 10 that we brought in, but we always felt very confident in the group.”

This young group, along with a solid group of returners led by Hobey Baker Award finalist Eric Pohlkamp, who is still going under the radar nationally, has done what no other team from last year’s quartet in St. Louis could — get back to the Frozen Four.

DU is set to face No. 1 overall seed Michigan on Thursday (6:30 p.m. ESPN2) in the program’s third straight trip to the Frozen Four, something that had been accomplished only once in the Pios’ rich history.

“We have great history and tradition in our program and want our guys to feel that, recognize that and understand it and then represent it,” Carle said this week. “We want people coming here, certainly, because of that tradition, but we want people to come here to add to that. This rendition, I think, they’re very motivated to do that in Las Vegas this weekend. (They) couldn’t be happier or more proud to be Pioneers and to give those guys who came before us an opportunity to brag over the last couple of weeks.”

Bragging rights are always on the line when DU and Michigan square off. They are two programs that were once conference rivals in the old WCHA but now will meet for just the fourth time since 1981. That certainly was the case in a national semifinal four years ago in Boston.

Back then, Carle was dead set on matching the Wolverines’ record nine national championships.

After beating Michigan at TD Garden, the Pios got their ninth title two days later.

Two years after that, with Michigan on the other side of the Frozen Four, DU became the first to 10 national championships — cementing itself as the preeminent program in college hockey.

“We were in a good place three years ago, we’re in a good place today,” Carle said. “I don’t think we think any differently, being that we have more than them in the grand total. It’s pretty remarkable that a school like Denver can compete with a school like Michigan in anything. You see what they’re doing in football and basketball and many of their other sports.

“I think that should be celebrated, how unique and cool college hockey is that you can have the small, private institution in Denver compete with the monstrosity that is the University of Michigan and their brand and alumni group. We’re really proud to be carrying that flag for all the small schools out there.”

But more than their own crimson and gold DU flag and the small school flag, Carle’s group is also carrying the flag for the western half of the continent. 

The makeup of the Pios and Wolverines rosters couldn’t be more different. Over half of DU’s roster hails from the western United States and Canada, while Michigan is composed mostly of players from the eastern half of the U.S. and Ontario, Canada.

“We talk about it a lot. If I was from western Canada, I would come to Denver. If I was from western North America, I would come to Denver,” Carle said. “We’re not gonna change how we recruit and go start recruiting out of Boston. We’re gonna stay out west and they’re gonna stay in Michigan and in Toronto and Ontario. Certainly, it’s a clash of styles that way.

“There’s no doubt — you look at our roster and our coaching staff and where we’re all from — if you’re from western North America, you should probably heavily consider coming to Denver over Michigan.”

Now, in a Frozen Four that is the farthest west of any this century, the past, the present and the future is at stake between the two winningest programs in college hockey.

“They’re the team that’s in our way again this year,” Carle said.

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The history

Denver vs. Michigan

All-time series: DU leads 47-36-1

Postseason series: Michigan leads 3-1

Last meeting: DU won 3-2 (OT) in 2022 Frozen Four in Boston

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King’s Prediction

Denver 3, Michigan 2 (OT)

Just like a year ago, the Pioneers might be playing the de facto national championship game. Like last season in St. Louis, it’s another powerhouse squad from the state of Michigan standing in the way of Carle’s young but deep DU squad. This time, the Pios get back to the national title game through another excellent effort in net by freshman goalie Johnny Hicks and score an overtime winner to continue an unbeaten run that dates back to late January.