As Johnny Hicks stopped shot after shot over the course of an important weekend sweep over Minnesota Duluth, a goalie competition had officially begun in the Mile High City. For the last two months, it looked like Denver had found its latest star goalie to follow in the footsteps of national cham pionship winners Tanner Jaillet, Magnus Chrona and Matt Davis with the emergence of freshman Quentin Miller, who quickly won the starting job for the Pioneers early in the season. But some January struggles for the Montreal Canadiens draft pick, and then a lower-body injury opened the door for Hicks, a fellow freshman, to get his first regular action last month. Hicks stopped 28 of 29 shots in relief of Miller during a pair of losses to Western Michigan and North Dakota before Miller got injured just a few minutes into the series finale against St. Cloud State on Jan. 24.  That prompted Hicks to get his first pair of starts last weekend against then-No. 8 Minnesota Duluth and he was excellent, stopping 48 of 49 shots, including all 19 in a shutout overtime win last Saturday. Denver junior defenseman Garrett Brown (5) congratulates freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks (31) after Hicks’ first career shutout victory following a game against Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 at Magness Arena. (Tyler King, The Denver Gazette) As DU heads into another massive weekend with six more NCHC points up for grabs against rival Colorado College, Hicks will likely get another chance to prove himself in goal as Miller is likely to remain out with his injury. “That’s a lot of (credit) to (goalies coach) Ryan (Massa) and the mental and physical prep work that he puts into all three of our goaltenders that they’re ready for their moments,” Carle told The Denver Gazette this week. “(Hicks) got to understanding and recognizing that his practices were his games and he was doing a really good job in them. Obviously, you don’t know when your number’s going to get called. It’s very cliché in sports, but you have to be ready to seize your moment and your opportunity and he certainly has done that so far.” The overwhelming support from his teammates certainly eased Hicks’ mind as he made his first career start last Friday and that carried over into Saturday’s effort, even when it was uncertain if he was going to be able to play because of an injury of his own. “It definitely means a lot to me. I always tell them that, as well,” Hicks told The Denver Gazette. “Before I went in, they all just kinda hooted and hollered at me. They were making me feel really supported in there and it was a pretty nice feeling. “It was a really good experience to get in there. I know I’ve been working really hard this year and the opportunity just came up.” Even as Miller was racking up multiple NCHC goalie of the week and rookie of the week honors with his standout play in November and December, Hicks never worried about whether or not his chance would arrive this season.  University of Denver goalie Quentin Miller (29) makes a glove save on a shot by Colorado College’s Brayden Schuurman (28) as Denver’s Eric Jamieson (15) tries to defend in the first period in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday, November 15, 2025. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans) “I was just more focused on being happy for him. It was great to see what kind of things he was earning in there. He deserves all of it,” Hicks said. “He’s a hard worker off the ice and on the ice and I know (junior goalie) Paxton (Geisel) was happy for him, as well. We’re just a really supportive group of goalies and it’s very nice to have. It’s reassuring that once we get in there, the other two guys are gonna be cheering for you, as well.” Whoever is in net in these final weekends of the regular season, the Pios will be fully behind them. Starting with this weekend’s Gold Pan finale and then continuing with Omaha and Arizona State later this month, there is a real chance for DU to build momentum going into the season after a difficult January slate that featured four series against ranked opponents and three against teams inside the top 10. The Pios remain in second place in the NCHC standings and in a good position return to the NCAA Tournament for a fifth-straight season.  “The vibes, throughout the whole second half, haven’t been bad,” Carle said. “I think they’ve had a pretty good approach of just needing to work and get better in their game and they’ve done that and they’ve been rewarded for it over the last three games. They’re doing the right things and taking care of themselves and trying to play as consistently and repeatable as we can.” Series glance No. 8 Denver (16-11-2, 12-6-0 NCHC) vs. Colorado College (11-12-3, 5-8-3) When: Friday (7 p.m.) at Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs Saturday (6 p.m.) at Magness Arena TV: NCHC.tv Series history: DU leads 204-125-21 Notable: Pioneers need just one point from two games this weekend to clinch the Gold Pan trophy for the 7th straight season Names to Know (DU): D Eric Pohlkamp (16 goals, 11 assists, 27 points); D Boston Buckberger (8 goals, 15 assists, 23 points); F Sam Harris (10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points); F Rieger Lorenz (9 goals, 10 assists, 19 points); G Johnny Hicks (3-0-0 record, .980 save percentage, 0.55 goals allowed per game) Names to Know (CC): F Owen Beckner (6 goals, 13 assists, 19 points); F Klavs Veinbergs (7 goals, 9 assists, 16 points); F Gavin Lindberg (6 goals, 10 assists, 16 points); D Fisher Scott (1 goal, 8 assists, 9 points); G Kaidan Mbereko (10-10-3 record, .907 save percentage, 2.63 goals allowed per game) ...read more read less