Denver Pioneers goalie Johnny Hicks helps lead team to Frozen Four

As the Denver Pioneers hockey team punched its ticket to the Frozen Four for the third-straight year, the entire team bee-lined towards one guy -- freshman goalie Johnny Hicks.

After shutting out Cornell in the semifinals, Hicks made 26 saves against Western Michigan to knock out the defending national champs and send the Pioneers to Vegas.

"It's going to be a crazy experience," Hicks said. "I'm really excited for this opportunity. Going to Vegas too, it'll be a really good venue. I've never been to Vegas, so I'm sure it'll be a fun experience."

Hicks' 50 saves across two games earned him Most Outstanding Player honors for the Loveland Regional, one of several accolades he's earned this season, including NCHC Rookie of the Week, Goaltender of the Week, and Goaltender of the Month awards in February.

Now the heart of a potential championship team, Hicks wasn't even supposed to see the ice this season. Originally the third-string goalie going into the year, he was pressed into action when Quentin Miller went down with a lower-body injury at the end of January.

Since then, a middling season has turned into one of Denver's best.

Hicks hasn't lost a game since taking over the starting role, going 14-0-1, and allowing just 20 goals in 15 games played.

"I wasn't nervous," Hicks said. "I think [working with DU Goalies Coach Ryan] Massa all year and practicing with the team all year has prepared me well for it. Just going against the best players prepares you well for sure."

"From very early on, just seeing the adversity he went through, coming into that St. Cloud game, dealing with the injury against [Minnesota] Duluth - and the guys have played well in front of him," Pioneers head hockey coach David Carle said. "It's all kind of bottled up into a good little recipe and the job is to keep it going."

Perhaps one of the reasons Hicks has been so comfortable in the blue paint is his affinity for paint in general. Off the ice, the freshman embraces his creative side. He loves to paint, play the guitar, and even write songs to help clear his mind.

"Whenever I feel the need to just get away from everything, I paint, play the guitar, make a song," Hicks said. "It's definitely a nice way to get away from everything."

"John's a very creative mind," Pioneers assistant coach Ryan Massa said. "He's an artist, he's a painter, he's a musician, everything he does has his own creative flair, just as he plays in the net."

Now just two games away from adding a record 11th national championship banner to the rafters at Magness Arena, the artsy, guitar-playing backup goalie is ready to paint another chapter in DU's storied history, and his whole team is behind him.

"There's not a glimmer of doubt in my body whatsoever, nor do I think that locker room, in John's ability to carry us to that final game and deliver," Massa said.

DU will take on the number one overall seed Michigan in the Frozen Four on Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time. If they win, they will play for a national championship on Saturday against the winner of the Wisconsin vs. North Dakota semifinal.