» NCAA leader in goals and points Jayden Perron extended his point streak to 11 games.
» Cole McKinney scored his fifth of the year and has scored goals in three consecutive 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 college hockey’s biggest non-conference series of the season saw the University of Michigan’s No. 2 ice hockey team march into Magness Arena to defeat Denver 4-1 on Friday night (Oct. 16), just hours after the Pioneers held a pregame ceremony to raise the 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.
Midway through the third period, sophomore backstop Jack Ivankovic reached a milestone, becoming the 27th Wolverine to reach 1,000 career saves in the maize and blue. He finished the night with 27 saves on 28 shots received, joining a prestigious group of Michigan ice cream makers.
The country’s top scorer, Jayden Perronscored his eighth goal of the season at 8:25 of the first period to give the visitors a 1-0 lead, conceding from close range. Defender Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen created the opportunity by firing a shot on goal, producing a rebound that came out on Perron’s stick to the left of the blue paint. Will Horcoff » notched the secondary assistant. With this goal, the senior extended his point streak to 11 consecutive games, while his goal streak was increased to seven in a row.
As the period progressed, UM directed seven straight shots on goal to take a 10-3 advantage in that category while looking to build on the early lead.
Denver earned the first power play of the contest when a Wolverine defender was ejected for interference while rushing down the ice with his man. Michigan’s goal scorers protected the lead to reach the first intermission with 21 seconds left in DU’s advantage.
In 20 minutes, UM took a 1-0 lead and an 11-4 differential in shots on goal. Denver imposed its will on the point in the first half to emerge with a 10-5 advantage.
A little over a minute into the second period, a whiff on the DU blue line allowed a Pioneer to race down the ice on an abbreviated breakaway, but Cam Reid took a smart route to close the gap and disrupt his path to the net, forcing a shot that Ivankovic easily diverted.
Michigan maintained possession in the offensive zone for the majority of its first attempt on the power play, but the unit failed to capitalize before Denver returned to full strength.
second year forward Malcolm Spence completed a nifty give-and-go pass to double Michigan’s lead at 10:18 of the second period following a quick pass from his classmate, Henri Mews. Spence burst to the net on the left flank with Mews trailing on the right side of the zone before using the quick exchange to push back the Pioneer defense. Senior winger Nick Moldenhauer recorded the second assist on Spence’s third total of the year.
Denver began its second power play with 5:21 left in the second period, but UM’s penalty killers were up to the task once again to maintain the two-goal lead.
The Wolverines led 2-0 going into the locker room despite having just one shot on goal in the second period, but Spence made the one shot count. DU built a 14-12 lead in shots on goal and extended power play time into the third period, while UM cut the deficit to 19-18.
Another infraction in the first minute of the third period created over a minute with a two-player advantage. Michigan’s goal-killers remained perfect, surviving with a two-man advantage.
Seconds after UM’s power play failed, Cole McKinney planted himself at the top of the crease to grab a rebound and quickly deposit it past a sliding goaltender at 7:47. Drew Schock And JP Hurlbert assisted on McKinney’s fifth goal of the young season; Schock continued his strong start as the nation’s top-scoring defender.
Denver emptied its net for an extra attacker with nearly five minutes left in regulation. Hage created a chance in an empty net 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 hit the post.
Following a minor penalty against the Wolverines, DU took advantage of a 6-on-4 advantage with its net empty to score a power play goal at 16:19 to make it a 3-1 game. 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 slipped the puck into an empty net to make it 4-1.
The Wolverines put the finishing touches on a three-goal win over the nation’s top-ranked team. The win brings Michigan’s record against top-ranked teams to 14-14-3. DU finished the night 1-of-6 on the power play, while the visitors finished the game 0-of-2.
The Pioneers outscored UM 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 straight year.
Saturday night (Oct. 17), Michigan and Denver will complete the first regular season series between Western powers since 1981. Puck drop for the weekend finale is set for 6 p.m. MT. The contest will be broadcast live on NCHC.tv and will be available via radio with Al Randall and Fred Pletsch on the call.
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