The #3 Denver Pioneers (24-8-0, 15-5-0 NCHC) scored three goals in the third period to nearly erase a 5-2 deficit but their penalty kill couldn’t kill off a penalty when they absolutely had to and DU came up one goal shy in a 6-5 loss to the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (13-16-1, 8-12-0 NCHC) in front of 6,361 fans in a sold-out Magness Arena. The loss ended the Pioneers’ winning streak at five and allowed the second-place Western Michigan Broncos to pull to within five points of the first-place Pios. Continue reading Pioneers’ Furious Third-Period Rally Comes Up Just Short as Winning Streak Ends Against UMD →

The #3 Denver Pioneers (24-7-0, 15-4-0 NCHC) added another win on Friday night and earned the opportunity to finish off the four-game season sweep of the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (12-16-1, 7-12-0 NCHC) with a 6-2 victory. The Pios, who are 131-88-13 all-time vs UMD and 5-5 in the last 10 had one of their best performances of the season and continued to prove that they are ready for the playoffs as the stretch run draws closer. Continue reading Devine Intervention: Pioneer Forward Scores Twice as DU Rallies over UMD In Final Two Periods →

The #4 Denver Pioneers (23-7-0, 14-4-0 NCHC) swept the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (12-13-4, 6-10-2 NCHC) in a four-game regular season series for the first time since the 2009-10 season. After miserable travel delays and a long bus ride from Minneapolis to Grand Forks to kick off the series opener in November, the Pioneers managed to earn a huge early road sweep with 3-2 and 6-3 victories. Then, this weekend, working with shifting rules throughout both penalty-filled games, the Pioneers stayed on their march towards the postseason with 5-3 and 5-2 victories at Magness Arena to clinch the season series sweep and move eight points clear of second-place St. Cloud State and Western Michigan in the race for the Penrose Cup. Continue reading Pioneers Special Teams Shine as Denver Clinches Season Sweep of North Dakota →

The NCHC isn’t exactly known for its top-quality officials. There are entirely too many examples throughout the conference’s 10-year existence of referees inserting themselves into situations and affecting the outcomes of games. You can now add tonight’s 5-3 victory for the #4 Denver Pioneers (22-7-0, 13-4-0 NCHC) over the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (12-12-4, 6-9-2 NCHC), DU’s biggest out-of-state rival, at Magness Arena to that ever-growing list. Fortunately, unlike many of those others, the officials did not, in fact, affect the outcome, though Tom Stearns and Ryan Hersey tried their damnedest. Carter Mazur and his Pioneers, though, would not be denied and the Pioneers improved to 3-0 on the season vs their archrivals this season. Continue reading Pioneers Survive Referees, Poor Special Teams Play to Move to 3-0 vs North Dakota →

On the brink of a fourth consecutive Gold Pan and coming off a shutout win over the Tigers at Ball Arena last weekend, the #4 Denver Pioneers (21-7-0, 12-4-0 NCHC) traveled to Colorado Springs for Round Two of the 2022-23 Battle for the Gold Pan. As with many large rivales, tensions were high and penalties and rough play were the name of the game. Continue reading Denver Brings Home the Gold Pan in an Eventful Night in Colorado Springs →