This was the season in which the University of Denver's juggernaut hockey program was supposed to be somewhat vulnerable.

The team that captured the 2010 MacNaughton Cup as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season champions entered the 2010-11 campaign without many of its most recognizable weapons. Leading point-scorer Rhett Rakhshani had graduated, as had 41-point scorer Tyler Ruegsegger. Additionally, three of the Pioneers' most dynamic talents - defenseman Patrick Wiercioch, forward Joe Colborne, and goalie Marc Cheverie - left the program early to sign professional contracts.

That is a load of talent most programs would be pressed to replace. Yet this season's version of the Pioneers proved clearly that DU is a team that simply reloads.

The new-look Pioneers certainly endured growing pains early against a demanding opening schedule, going 2-2-2 during the first three series of the season. Then a trip to North Dakota at the end of October proved memorable for both good and frightening reasons.

During the finale of that series, senior forward Jesse Martin, an alternate captain who averaged 20 points during first three seasons, absorbed a brutal open-ice hit that left him with two broken vertebrae in his neck. Although such injuries typically result in paralysis, and sometimes even prove fatal, Martin avoided those fates and continued his leadership from the sidelines once he was able to return to campus after the holidays.

The Pioneers recorded a 3-0 victory that night in North Dakota that jump-started their drive toward a second-place finish in the WCHA. DU compiled a 10-2-1 tear going into the holiday break and returned from the break by going 4-0-2 during its next six games, firmly establishing the Pioneers as a contender in the WCHA.

Although a series of uneven results down the stretch-DU split its final five regular season series-ended the dreams of a repeat MacNaughton Cup, the Pioneers swept Minnesota State in the first round of the WCHA tournament and posted a 6-2 win against Bemidji State in the WCHA Final Five semifinals. While DU's run through the WCHA tournament ended with an epic, double-overtime loss against North Dakota in the championship game, the late surge allowed Denver to finish seventh in the PairWise rankings while earning the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional.

The Pioneers' seniors overcame their run of three consecutive first-round losses in the NCAA Tournament as DU opened its drive toward the Frozen Four with a 3-2 double-overtime victory against Western Michigan. Jason Zucker netted the winner at the 11:14 mark of the second extra session and also recorded assists on the Pioneers other goals, which were scored by Kyle Ostrow and Matt Donovan as DU rallied from a 2-0 deficit late in regulation to force overtime and eventually come away with the victory.

However, a rematch against North Dakota did not fare as well in the second round, as the Fighting Sioux posted a 6-1 victory that ended DU's season in the Midwest Regional final. DU ended the season with a record of 25-12-5 and joined Michigan as the lone teams to post 10 consecutive 20-win seasons.

The standout season led to a glut of postseason honors for the Pioneers. Jason Zucker, who ranked first in scoring in league games among WCHA freshmen and finished third overall, was named the WCHA Rookie of the Year, becoming only the third DU player to win that honor since 1988 (Paul Stastny won the award in 2005).

Zucker, who also earned a spot on the All-WCHA second team with sophomore forward Drew Shore and sophomore defender Matt Donovan, was joined on the All-WCHA Rookie Team by defenseman David Makowski and goaltender Sam Brittain.

Sixteen student-athletes from DU's program were named to the All-WCHA Academic Team, while seniors Anthony Maiani and Kyle Ostrow each topped the 100-point milestone during the campaign. That senior class enters the NCAA tournament with a career record of 100-47-15 and has collected four NCAA Tournament appearances, one MacNaughton Cup, and one WCHA tournament championship.

Nationally, Donovan was named to Inside College Hockey's second-team All-America squad, while Zucker and Brittain, who led all rookie goaltenders with 19 victories, were named to INCH's all-rookie team. U.S. College Hockey Online named Donovan and Nick Shore to its All-American third team. Donovan opted to leave school early shortly after the season to sign a contract with the New York Islanders.

At the year-end awards banquet, Kyle Ostrow reaped the team's Most Valuable Player Award, while Martin earned Most Inspirational Player honors.