On the sixth day of the 2026 NCHC Play of the Year Tournament, the final two quarterfinals square off with both on the Saves Bracket side, and both featuring Western Michigan sophomore goalie Hampton Slukynsky.
Our first quarterfinal on Tuesday/Save of the Year semifinal features Denver's Johnny Hicks denying Michigan with a lunging leg save on a rebound in overtime at the NCAA Frozen Four, going up against Slukynsky in Week 5, when he makes a triple-save against St. Cloud State from point-blank range.
In the last overall quarterfinal/Save of the Year semifinal, Colorado College senior Kaidan Mbereko denies Western Michigan with a diving blocker save on a one-timer in Week 19, while Slukynsky makes a sprawling toe save on a rebound in the NCAA Regional Semifinals against Minnesota State.
Winning our first two quarterfinals on Monday were short-handed goals from St. Cloud State's Barrett Hall and Denver's Brendan McMorrow. Hall topped UMD's Max Plante with 67 percent of the vote, while McMorrow defeated North Dakota's Abram Wiebe with 66 percent of the vote. Hall and McMorrow will meet for the title of NCHC Goal of the Year tomorrow (Wednesday).
Videos for both of today's quarterfinal match-ups are below with the poll to vote below each video. Voting will remain open until Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, when the Goal of the Year final is posted and today's winners are announced. The winners of today's quarterfinals meet in the Save of the Year final on Thursday, April 23. The entire bracket (with schedule) can be seen at the bottom of the page.
SAVES BRACKET: Denver's Johnny Hicks vs. WMU's Hampton Slukynsky
NCHC Poll
SAVES BRACKET: CC's Kaidan Mbereko vs. WMU's Hampton Slukynsky
NCHC Poll
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