The #1 Denver Pioneers (16-4-0, 8-2-0 NCHC) have one singular goal this year – win the program’s 10th national title and finally end Michigan’s two-and-a-half decade reign at the top. Anything short of it would be a disappointment. And while you can’t win a championship in December, championship hopes can easily be dashed by the holiday break. For these Pioneers, though, sitting atop the NCHC standings, holding onto the #4 spot in the Pairwise Rankings, and coming off of a sweep of the Lindenwood Lions (4-12-0) – 5-0 Friday & 5-4 tonight –  DU is in about as ideal a spot at the halfway point of the season as they could have asked for on their path to Tampa. Continue reading Pioneers Escape Upset-Minded Lions to Enter Holiday Break With Sweep and Close First Half at 16-4-0 →

Winning in the NCHC, especially on the road, is an extremely hard thing to do, regardless of the opponent. Add in the fact that Duluth, Minnesota has historically been a difficult place to play and you have what could have been a rough weekend for the top-ranked Denver Pioneers (14-4-0, 8-2-0 NCHC). Instead, thanks to two gritty efforts, Denver erased a two-goal deficit on Friday night to earn a 3-2 overtime victory and come back from two separate one-goal deficits on Saturday to earn their second-straight overtime victory over the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (8-10-0, 4-6-0 NCHC) at AMSOIL Arena. Continue reading Denver Hockey Road Trip Recap: Pioneers Earn Two Comeback OT Victories in Duluth →

It was another extremely close road game for the #1 Denver Pioneers (14-4-0, 8-2-0 NCHC) but thanks to a highlight-reel save from Magnus Chrona and freshman Aidan Thompson’s overtime goal, they earned their second straight overtime victory over the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (8-10-0, 4-6-0 NCHC) with a 4-3 nail biter. This time, though, there was no goaltender interference controversy and the Pios head home to Denver with four more points and three points clear of second-place St. Cloud State, who was shut out by last-place Miami, 5-0. Continue reading Denver Wins Again in Overtime to Take Four of Six Points in Duluth →

The #1 Denver Pioneers (13-4-0, 7-2-0 NCHC) traveled to Duluth, Minnesota, a city where they have not played particularly well historically, and promptly spotted the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (8-9-0, 4-5-0 NCHC) a 2-0 lead. Dominic James and Ben Steeves each scored on Sean Behrens’ two first-period penalties – holding then tripping – to give the PK unit an inauspicious start to the weekend. But Massimo Rizzo responded with under two minutes left in the opening frame with a power-play goal of his own off of a beauty of a pass from goaltender Magnus Chrona to cut the deficit to one entering the first intermission. Continue reading Pioneers Erase Two-Goal Deficit, Come Back to Beat Bulldogs in Overtime →

In Game One against the Sun Devils on Friday, the Pioneers pelted ASU goaltender TJ Semptimphelter with 56 shots but only had three goals, including an odd game-winner that was batted in by the Sun Devils’ own Tim Lovell. The Pioneers just didn’t have any puck luck in on Friday. In Game Two on Saturday, though, that all changed as the #1 Denver Pioneers (12-4-0, 6-2-0 NCHC) throttled the Arizona State Sun Devils (8-9-0) 5-2 in the series finale at Magness Arena. For much of the game, Semptimphelter was nearly as excellent as he was a night ago but where pucks weren’t going in on Friday, they found twine on Saturday and the Pioneers forced him out of the game by the third period. Continue reading Pioneers Stick a Pitchfork Into Sun Devils To Earn Weekend Sweep →

Hockey is a fun sport. It’s fast, it’s skilled, it’s physical. But sometimes, it’s wild, weird, and altogether wacky and on Friday night, in the series opener between the Arizona State Sun Devils (8-8-0) and #1 Denver Pioneers(11-4-0, 6-2-0 NCHC), the latter held the day as the Pioneers skated to a 3-2 victory in a game that featured 56 DU shots on goal, a bad spearing major, and two separate challenges on Carter King’s game-winning goal. On a night in college hockey that saw some wild games around the country, the more than 5,200 in attendance at Magness Arena were treated to not only a unique hockey game but also a key DU pairwise victory. Continue reading Pioneers Survive Wild and Wacky Game vs Sun Devils to Avoid Upset →