LOVELAND — Even when things were really rocky back in January, Denver never stopped believing a game like Friday’s was possible.

The No. 2 seed Pioneers, hosting an NCAA Tournament regional for the first time since 2022, rolled past No. 3 seed Cornell, winning by a final of 5-0 in front of a very pro-DU crowd with over 4,000 people in attendance at Blue Arena for the program’s biggest-ever shutout NCAA Tournament win. 

“It probably goes back to 2017 — every game from that tournament,” Pios coach David Carle said. “It was very reminiscent of that game tonight. Certainly, this was a different game than the last two Cornell games, from our execution and the speed that we were able to play with. 

“It was a really good performance by our team throughout. I think you saw the depth. Every line gets a goal. Special teams was good for us. Discipline was good. We didn’t give them a lot for free and when we did, Johnny (Hicks) was there (in goal).”

Carle is spot on. The five-goal margin was DU’s biggest in an NCAA Tournament game since 2017, when the Pioneers beat Notre Dame 6-1 in the Frozen Four semifinal after taking down Michigan Tech and Penn State by a combined score of 11-5 in the Cincinnati Regional two weeks prior.

The Pios earned this 5-0 win over the Big Red, too. They were the faster, more physical and sharper team from the opening puck drop. 

Avalanche draft pick Jake Fisher opened the scoring a little over six minutes into the game before Denver native Kieran Cebrian gave DU a 2-0 lead after the first period. 

Junior Sam Harris took advantage of a Cornell turnover and slotted the Pios’ third goal top shelf late in the second period and freshman Clarke Caswell sealed the dominant performance by batting a pass from Cale Ashcroft out of the air and into the back of the net a few minutes into the third period.

Hicks also remained unbeaten in net, stopping 24 shots on the way to his first NCAA Tournament win and his third shutout of the season.

“Really proud of how we played tonight,” Carle said. “Our speed was there all night long, with and without the puck. I thought the guys executed at a really high level. Our guys were up to the task tonight. (They) made plays, got a couple bounces as well and it was a really good night for us.”

DU’s unbeaten streak as a team is at 14 games, the fifth-longest run in a single season in program history. The Pios have now won 10 games in a row, including capturing the NCHC Frozen Faceoff last weekend in the Mile High City, dating back to the win over rival Colorado College on Feb. 7. They have turned into the juggernaut they always believed was inside of them, even during a six-game winless stretch from Dec. 13 through Jan. 16.

“I never thought once that we were out of it,” Harris said. “Especially the last 13-14 games, whatever it is, we’re continuing to build on what we’ve been doing. We’ve put a lot of work in in practice ensuring that we’re sticking true to our details and making sure we’re playing the game the right way.”

The DU way right now is rolling four quality lines all game, all of which contributed to the five goals on Friday, and playing solid defense in front of Hicks, the hottest goalie in the country who has yet to lose in his first 14 decisions in net.

“I think there’s always adversity during seasons,” Carle said. “You either find a way through it or you don’t. It’s a good sign that we did and we have done it in the past, so I think we had confidence we could get through it. It never felt like we were playing poorly throughout that (January) stretch. It’s a combination of a lot of different things. It’s really been everybody.”

It’s going to take everybody again on Sunday as DU gets set to face No. 1 seed Western Michigan with a spot in next month’s Frozen Four in Las Vegas on the line. This will be the sixth meeting between the Pios and Broncos this season — a second straight season with this many games between the last two national champions. 

Last year, the two met at the Frozen Four in St. Louis with a heavy Western Michigan presence boosting the Broncos to their first national title.

Now, they meet again in Loveland with the Pios ready to get their revenge in a building dominated by their fans.

“It was loud in Magness the last two weekends and the fans carried it (over) here this weekend, so I think it was a big boost to us,” Cebrian said.

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GAME RECAP

No. 2 Denver 5, No. 3 Cornell 0

What happened: The Pioneers (25-11-3) blew out the Big Red (22-10-1) for the program’s largest NCAA Tournament win in nearly a decade, thoroughly outplaying the team from Ithaca in front of over 4,000 fans almost entirely cheering on DU in the first NCAA regional in Loveland since 2022.

Star of the night: With a balanced offensive effort, the individual shine once again goes to freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks, who improves to 13-0-1 since entering the starting lineup in late January after stopping all 24 shots that came his way against Cornell, earning a shutout in his first NCAA Tournament appearance.

Quotable: “That’s definitely a huge factor in things. We’re really grateful to be home, especially with our fans. They’re so loyal to us. There’s always a good showing, especially here. It was crazy tonight how many people showed up. I wasn’t surprised, but it was a lot more than I expected.” — Hicks on the team’s 14-game unbeaten streak that has come almost entirely in the state of Colorado.
Up next: DU faces No. 1 seed Western Michigan in the Loveland Regional final on Sunday (1 p.m. or 3:30 p.m.) at Blue Arena.