DENVER - No. 2/3 Denver (16-5-5, 12-3-3 WCHA) plays No. 20 Colorado College (15-12-1, 9-9-0 WCHA) in a home-and-home series on Feb. 4-5. Puck drop is set for 8:12 p.m. MT on Friday, Feb. 4 at World Arena (7,343) in Colorado Springs and 7:07 p.m. MT on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Magness Arena (6,026) in Denver. Friday's game will be televised live on CBS College Sports, while Saturday's game will be televised live on FSN Rocky Mountain. Both games will be carried live on 87-7 The TICKET and www.DenverPioneers.com. Live stats are available on www.DenverPioneers.com and www.WCHA.com. Fans can follow Friday's action on an interactive blog located below or at www.CoverItLive.com.

THIS WEEKEND'S STORYLINES

• Denver and Colorado College meet for the 278th time on Feb. 4.
• Denver is unbeaten at 5-0-3 in its last eight games and 12-1-3 overall in its last 15 contests.
• The Pioneers play their first ranked opponent since Dec. 3-4 at then-No. 1 Minnesota Duluth.
• DU needs two points to retain possession of the Gold Pan Trophy.

FOR OPENERS

• No. 2/3 Denver (16-5-5, 12-3-3 WCHA) returns to action against in-state rival No. 20 Colorado College (15-12-1, 9-9-0 WCHA) in a two-game league series on Feb. 4-5, 2011.
• Denver is second in the WCHA at 27 points, while Colorado College is tied for sixth with Minnesota at 18 points.
• Denver is 13-1-4 against unranked opponents 11-2-2 at home and 5-3-3 on the road this season.

IN THE POLLS
The Pioneers are ranked No. 2 in the latest USCHO.com national poll and No. 3 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. The No. 2 ranking is Denver's highest this season in either poll. The Pioneers were predicted to finish fourth in the WCHA in the 40th annual Grand Forks Herald's preseason coaches poll and 94X media poll. The Pioneers have been ranked in the top 15 since Jan. 23, 2006. Colorado College is ranked No. 20, tied for 18th in the latest PairWise Rankings and predicted to finish sixth in the WCHA.

LAST TIME OUT
Anthony Maiani scored the game-winner and Beau Bennett, Jason Zucker and Kyle Ostrow tallied a goal and an assist each as then-No. 4 Denver charted a 4-1 win and series sweep of Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 22. Freshman Jarrod Mermis scored his first career goal and Sam Brittain stopped 28 shots in the win. Chris Crowell scored and Rob Gunderson made 27 saves for Alaska Anchorage. Alaska Anchorage grabbed the early lead when Crowell netted a pass from Craig Parkinson at 3:06 in the first period, but from that point on it was all Pioneers. DU outshot UAA 32-29, and went 0-for-4 on the power play. Alaska Anchorage finished 0-for-5 with the man-advantage.
 
ABOUT THE 2010-11 PIONEERS
DU has nine players who have scored 12 or more points and three goaltenders who have combined for a 16-5-5 record, 2.49 goals against average and .910 saves percentage. The Pioneers are scoring 3.35 goals per game, while allowing 2.54 goals per game. Senior forwards Kyle Ostrow (9-11=20) and Anthony Maiani (7-20=27), and defensemen Chris Nutini (0-6=6) and Matt Donovan (6-12=18) lead Denver into action this weekend. Nutini is DU's top defensive player, while Drew Shore (14-14=28), Maiani, Jason Zucker (17-9=26), Luke Salazar (12-8=20), Ostrow, Donovan, David Makowski (4-14=18) and Beau Bennett (6-9=15) lead DU in scoring after 26 games this season. Drew Shore (3), Zucker (3), Salazar (2), Dustin Jackson (2), Maiani (2), John Lee, Jesse Martin, Makowski and Bennett have tallied DU's 16 game-winning goals. Sam Brittain (11-4-5, 2.09 GAA, .925 Sv) is Denver's No. 1 goaltender, but has split the last four series with sophomore Adam Murray (5-1, 3.68 GAA, .864 Sv%). Donovan leads the team in blocked shots (69), penalties (25) and PIMs (50). John Ryder leads DU with 227 hits. Drew Shore and Donovan lead the team with +16 plus/minus ratings.

SPECIAL TEAMS
DU is ninth in the WCHA on the power play at 17.8% (21-for-118) and second on the penalty kill at 84.8% (98-for-117). The Pioneers are 19-for-76 (25.0%) on the power play during the past 18 games after starting the season 2-for-35 (5.7%). The Pioneers clicked at 20.1% on the power play and 86.5% on the penalty kill last season. Drew Shore and David Makowski lead DU with four power-play goals each, while Luke Salazar and Anthony Maiani have added three power-play goals each, respectively. The Pioneers went 0-for-7 on the power play and 8-for-8 on the penalty kill against Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 21-22. Kyle Ostrow (2), Drew Shore, Matt Donovan, Anthony Maiani and Jason Zucker have scored shorthanded goals for Denver.

WHO'S HOT
Senior Kyle Ostrow has tallied 10 points (5g, 5a) during his career-high, six-game point streak. Ostrow netted the game-tying goal in the 4-4 overtime tie at Minnesota State on Jan. 14, and assisted on the game-winning goal against the Mavericks on Jan. 15 and game-tying goal against Northern Michigan on Jan. 1. Ostrow tallied three goals in the Alaska Anchorage series on Jan. 21-22. Freshman Nick Shore (2-10=12) has five points (1g, 4a) during his three-game point streak. Freshman Beau Bennett (6-9=15) has five points (3g, 2a) during his three-game point streak and 11 points (5g, 6a) during his last eight games. Freshman Jarrod Mermis (1-2=3), who tallied his first career goal on Jan. 22, has a two-game point streak.

INJURY REPORT
Sophomore forward Chris Knowlton (ankle) is questionable this weekend. Knowlton has missed four games with the injury.

LAST TIME VS. COLORADO COLLEGE
Colorado College scored six power-play goals in a 9-2 win and series split against then-No. 13 Denver on Nov. 6 at World Arena. The Tigers ended a three-game losing streak with the win. The Tigers tallied three power-play goals in the decisive second period and added six more goals in the third as Stephen Schultz had a career-night with five points on two goals and three assists. Tyler Johnson scored twice and Nick Dineen, Jaden Schwartz, Archie Skalbeck, Eamonn McDermott and Gabe Guentzel also scored for the Tigers. Drew Shore and Jason Zucker scored for Denver and Sam Brittain allowed five goals in a tough loss. The 9-2 loss marked DU's worst defeat since a 9-1 loss to Colorado College on Dec. 7, 1997. DU looked sluggish, tired and lacked effort tonight as CC outshot the Pioneers 44-17. DU also committed 16 penalties as CC went 6-for-12 with the man-advantage overall.

PIONEERS ALL-TIME VS. COLORADO COLLEGE
Denver leads the all-time series against Colorado College, 155-108-14, which dates back to 1950. Denver has charted a 90-47-8 record at home against the Tigers and 62-61-6 mark in Colorado Springs. DU is 8-17-3 all-time at World Arena against CC and 7-14-4 against the Tigers at Magness Arena. The Pioneers are 2-2-1 in their last five games against Colorado College and 3-3-4 in their last 10.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Colorado College is coming off a two-game split against North Dakota last weekend in Colorado Springs. The Tigers beat the Fighting Sioux 4-2 on Jan. 28, but lost 6-0 on Jan. 29. Freshman Jaden Schwartz tallied 26 points (11g, 15a) in 17 games before suffering a broken ankle on Dec. 28 at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship for Team Canada. Senior Tyler Johnson leads the team with 30 points (16g, 14a), while Stephen Schultz has added 28 points (12g, 16a) and Rylan Schwartz has 27 points (6g, 21a). Gabe Guentzel (4-13=17)  anchors the blueline, while Joe Howe is Colorado College's top goaltender with a 12-10-1 record, 2.85 goals against average and .906 save percentage. The Tigers are second in the WCHA on the power play at 22.8% and first on the penalty kill at 85.7%. Head coach Scott Owens has posted a 273-162-39 record in 12 seasons at CC.

TEAM NOTES
Denver has posted at least one win against its seven WCHA opponents this season. DU has not faced Minnesota, St. Cloud State, Michigan Tech or Nebraska Omaha yet this season. The Pioneers have played six defenseman during their last six games since the departure of sophomore blueliner William Wrenn. The Pioneers have comeback to win or tie 10 games this season. DU is 11-0-1 when scoring four or more goals and 14-0-3 when tied or leading after two periods. The Pioneers scored at least one goal in 17 consecutive periods over a six-game span from Nov. 13-Dec. 3.

PLAYER NOTES
Goaltender Adam Murray is unbeaten at 4-0 with a 2.50 goals against average and .894 save percentage in his last four starts. Beau Bennett missed five games from Dec. 4-Jan. 13 with a right knee injury and returned to the lineup on Jan. 14. Sophomore William Wrenn left the team on Jan. 3. Wrenn had one assist and a -7 plus/minus rating in 18 games. Forward Dustin Jackson returned to the DU lineup on Nov. 19 after missing the 2008-09 season with a broken leg and the first 12 games this season with mononucleosis. Jesse Martin is out for the season after suffering a neck injury at North Dakota on Oct. 30. Nick Shore missed nine games with a broken right wrist, while John Lee missed three games with a broken hand. Drew Shore and Jason Zucker have tallied hat tricks, while Zucker (3), Salazar (3), Kyle Ostrow (2), Donovan, Maiani, and Shore have netted two-goal games.

DREW HAS BEEN A SHORE THING
Sophomore Drew Shore leads Denver in scoring with a career-high 28 points (14g, 14a). Shore was named the AHCA National Player of the Month for November, the INCH National Player of the Week and Red Baron WCHA co-Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 29. Shore is tied for sixth in WCHA league scoring with Anthony Maiani at 19 points (7g, 12a) each. Shore is tied for 11th in WCHA scoring for all games. He had a seven-game point streak from Nov. 19-Dec. 10 and has at least one point in 14 of his last 19 games. Shore tallied a career-best three goals and four points in Denver's 6-3 win over Lake Superior State on Nov. 26. Shore earned MVP honors at the Denver Cup Classic on Nov. 27 after finishing the tournament with six points (4g, 2a). He is tied for the team lead in power-play goals (4), game-winning goals (3), plus/minus rating (+16) and multi-point games (8).

JAY Z A CHART TOPPER IN DENVER 
Freshman Jason Zucker leads the WCHA in goals (17) and points (24) in 18 league games. Zucker also ranks second in the WCHA in goals and is tied for 17th in points for all games. Zucker ranks third among NCAA rookies in goals (17) and points per game (1.08). Zucker leads WCHA rookies in league scoring and is tied for second in WCHA rookie scoring for all games with 26 points (17g, 9a). He has tallied eight multi-point games, including a career-best four points (3g, 1a) and his first hat trick at Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 3. Zucker has tallied four multi-goal games this season. He earned back-to-back Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week honors on Dec. 7 and Dec. 14.

GREAT BRITTAIN TAKES NO. 1 GOALIE JOB

Freshman Sam Brittain (11-4-5, 2.09 GAA, .925 Sv%) has taken over the No. 1 goaltender position by starting the last 19 of 23 games in net for Denver. Brittain ranks second in the WCHA in save percentage and third in goals against average for all games. Brittain, who was named the Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week on Oct. 26 and Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 2 and Nov. 23, stopped a career-high 33 shots for his first career shutout at North Dakota on Oct. 30. Brittain has stopped 20 or more shots in 18 games this season.

SHORE AND ZUCKER EARN BRONZE MEDALS
Drew Shore and Jason Zucker helped Team USA to the bronze medal at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in New York. Shore scored two goals, while Zucker netted one. Shore fired 16 shots on goal and added a +2 plus/minus rating, while Zucker had 13 shots and was even.

PIONEERS WENT STREAKING
Denver outscored its opponents 30-14 during its season-high, seven-game winning streak from Nov. 12-Dec. 3. Drew Shore had six goals during the streak, while Jason Zucker added five. Sam Brittain was 7-0 with a 2.00 goals against average and .925 save percentage during the streak. DU also connected at 25.8% on the power play and 92.9% on the penalty kill.

100 POINTS
Senior Anthony Maiani is tied for 54th on Denver's all-time scoring list with 117 points (33g, 84a) in 143 career games. Maiani became the 92nd member of the Pioneer Century Club for 100-point scorers with a three-point game on Nov. 13. Kyle Ostrow (48-49=97) needs three points to join Maiani in the 100-point club.

"THE CHIEF" REMEMBERED AT DU
The Pioneers will honor the passing of legendary head coach Murray Armstrong with a black patch that includes a white fedora and CHIEF in all capital letters. Armstrong died at the age of 94 on Dec. 8 after leading Denver to five NCAA titles.

ROOKIE CLASS RANKED NO. 1 BY INCH
The 2010-11 Denver freshman class was ranked No. 1 by Inside College Hockey. The class is led by forwards Beau Bennett, Jason Zucker and Nick Shore, defenseman David Makowski and goaltender Sam Brittain. Bennett tied for the the British Columbia Hockey League scoring lead with 41-79=120 last season and was selected No. 20 overall in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by Pittsburgh. Zucker and Shore were standout members of the United States National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., while Makowski was named the Defenseman of the Year in United States Hockey League. Forwards Dan Olszewski, Jarrod Mermis and Justin Jones complete the 2010-11 recruiting class.

NEW LEADER IS A LOWE'S CANDIDATE
Senior Kyle Ostrow was elected team captain by his teammates. Ostrow is the second consecutive forward to captain the team. Ostrow is a candidate for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. Forward Rhett Rakhshani, a 2010 Lowe's finalist, captained last year's team. Jesse Martin, Dustin Jackson and Chris Nutini will serve as alternate captains.

OH, BROTHER
Denver has two sets of brothers on this year's roster. Drew and Nick Shore join Kyle and Shawn Ostrow as DU brother tandems. Junior defenseman John Lee is the younger brother of former North Dakota and current Ottawa Senators defenseman Brian Lee. Student assistant coach David Carle is the younger brother of former Pioneer and current Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Carle. Jon Cook is the younger brother of former Pioneer Steven Cook.

MORE BROTHERLY LOVE
Kyle and Shawn Ostrow and Drew and Nick Shore are the fifth and sixth pairs of brothers to play hockey on the same team at Denver. David and Evan Wylie (1951-53), Jim and Wayne Wiste (1966-67), Tom and Jim Peluso (1972) and Ken and Dave Berry (1981) were the first three sets of brothers to play together at DU.

GWOZ ENSHRINED NORTH OF THE BORDER
Two-time NCAA National Coach of the Year and Thunder Bay, Ontario, native George Gwozdecky was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 25. Gwozdecky, who became an American citizen on Dec. 7, 2010, joins his father, Dr. George Gwozdecky Sr., in the Builder Category for the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

CARLE RETURNS FOR THIRD SEASON
Sophomore David Carle returns for his third season as student assistant coach. Carle was forced to retire from competitive hockey prior to the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and his freshman season at DU after being diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The disease is a thickening of the myocardium, which is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. Carle recently spoke to students about his disease at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
The 2010-11 DU roster sports seven Coloradans.
Jon Cook (Denver), Chris Knowlton (Colorado Springs), Chris Nutini, (Centennial), John Ryder (Colorado Springs), Luke Salazar (Thornton), Drew Shore (Denver) and Nick Shore (Denver) all hail from the Centennial State.

NHL DRAFT PICKS
The Pioneers boast eight NHL Draft picks on their roster. Beau Bennett (1st round), Drew Shore (2nd), Jason Zucker (2nd), Matt Donovan (4th) Sam Brittain (4th), John Lee (5th), Jesse Martin (7th) and Paul Phillips (7th) have all been selected by NHL clubs. Student assistant coach David Carle was also selected in the seventh round in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by Tampa Bay.

1968-69 NCAA TITLE TEAM ENTERS UNIVERSITY OF DENVER ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
The 1968-69 Pioneer hockey team and faculty representative Nancy Sampson were enshrined into the University of Denver Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 14. Keith Magnuson, Gerry Powers, Craig Patrick and Tom Miller led DU to the NCAA title with a 4-3 win over Cornell and legendary goaltender Ken Dryden. DU finished the season 26-6, including a 14-6 first-place WCHA record.

TEN FROM THE USHL AND FOUR FROM USNTDP
The DU roster has 10 players that honed their skills in the United States Hockey League and a program-high five players from the U.S. National Team Development Program. Nate Dewhurst (Des Moines), Matt Donovan (Cedar Rapids), Chris Knowlton (Des Moines), John Lee (Waterloo), David Makowski (Green Bay), Anthony Maiani (Sioux City), Jesse Martin (Tri-City), Jarrod Mermis (Lincoln), Paul Phillips (Cedar Rapids) and John Ryder (Ohio) joined DU from the USHL. Jason Zucker, Drew Shore, Nick Shore and Adam Murray joined DU from the USNTDP. DU also has five players from the North American Hockey League and two players from the British Columbia Hockey League.

DU VS. RANKED/UNRANKED TEAMS
The Pioneers are 3-4-1 against ranked teams this season and 13-1-4 against unranked foes. The Pioneers are 60-45-11 against ranked teams over the last five seasons.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Pioneers are 156-69-13 (.683) all-time in 12 years of competition at Magness Arena. The Pioneers are 11-2-2 at home this season after sporting a 15-3-3 mark at Magness last season.

IN THE PROS
Tyler Bozak (Toronto), Matt Carle (Philadelphia), Paul Stastny (Colorado) and Chris Butler (Buffalo) are former Pioneers currently playing in the NHL.

CHAMPIONSHIP HOCKEY
The Pioneers are tied for second in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey with seven NCAA National Championships. DU captured national championships in 1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004 and 2005.

PIONEER TICKETS
Individual game tickets are still available for the 2010-11 season. Please visit DenverPioneers.com or call the call the Ritchie Center Box Office at (303) 871-2336. Please contact the Pioneer Season Ticket Holder Hotline at (303) 871-GOAL for future season tickets.

ON THE HORIZON
DU travels to Minnesota for a two-game series on Feb. 11-12.