The #5 Denver Pioneers’ (17-6-0, 6-5-0 NCHC) record indicates that they are among the country’s elite, solidly in the top 10 in the Pairwise  Rankings (PWR), and a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. But it’s impossible to ignore the fact that their record is propped up by a strong 11-1-0 nonconference record that came against just three teams in the top 20 of the PWR. In short, they’re struggling when it comes time to play NCHC teams. And those struggles continued tonight in Duluth as they fell 4-3 to a Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (10-12-1, 6-7-0 NCHC) that has struggled to find consistency this season.

Special teams were underwhelming, to put it kindly, as the PK failed to kill off either of UMD’s power plays while DU’s own power play, the country’s top-ranked unit at 32.5% entering tonight, failed to do much of anything on three of their four chances. Jack Devine scored DU’s only power-play goal thanks in large part to the extra attacker being on the ice after UMD’s PK committed a penalty.

Jared Wright scored before Devine’s extra-man marker and the Pioneers made a push in the latter half of the third period to make it a game but it was too little, too late. UMD goaltender Klayton Knapp deserves his flowers for a stellar night in the crease that featured several highlight-reel saves but by and large, it was a night to forget and the Pioneers are starting to rack those up in conference play at this point. Already with five losses in conference play, the Pioneers are flirting with missing out on home-ice advantage in the first round of the NCHC Tournament. It’s only January, and their schedule the rest of the way isn’t exactly a gauntlet on paper but in this conference, no win is assured (except for maybe against Miami). Denver has its work cut out for them down the stretch and if they deliver more efforts like tonight’s, Magness Arena is going to be dark and quiet the second full weekend of March.

The Pioneers and Bulldogs play again tomorrow night. Puck drop is set for 5 pm MT on NCHC.tv.