March 17, 2015 The University of Denver hockey team's quest to repeat as NCHC Tournament champions continues this weekend as the Pioneers head to Minneapolis for the conference's Frozen Faceoff (Semifinals/Final/Consolation Final). Denver's first opponent in this year's Frozen Faceoff will be the MU RedHawks, the same team they defeated in the NCHC's inaugural title game last spring.
A complete NCHC playoff bracket complete with matchups, game times, etc. can be viewed by clicking HERE. Friday's DU-MU game will air live on the CBS Sports Network beginning at 6:30pm MT. Saturday's NCHC Championship Game (teams TBD) will air on CBSSN as well, also beginning at 6:30pm MT. Venues/eateries set to show Friday's nationally-televised game in Metro Denver include: The Pioneer, Boone's Tavern, Crimson & Gold Tavern, South Philly Cheesesteak and Stadium Inn. Should the Pios advance to the conference's title match on Saturday, the same venues/eateries will show the game in their respective establishments.
Denver swept Minnesota-Duluth in the conference quarterfinals last weekend to earn its berth in the Frozen Faceoff. The Pioneers are now 6-1 all-time in the NCHC Tournament. Miami defeated Western Michigan 2-1 in its Round 1 matchup, earning a 4-0 victory in the series' decisive third game.
"The RedHawks are a very good team with some high-end talent on their roster," junior forward Quentin Shore says of Denver's semifinal opponent. "We had some good battles with them during the regular season but the postseason is a totally different animal - everything's more intense. We have a lot of faith in our process and we know that if we stick to our game plan and play solid Pioneers hockey this weekend, the results will take care of themselves."
The Pioneers split their regular season series with Miami, winning/losing once on the road and once at home. Senior center Daniel Doremus tallied 1G-3A-4P in four games against the RedHawks in 2014-15 while freshman RW Danton Heinen registered 4GP-2G-5A-7P and sophomore LW Trevor Moore recorded 4GP-4G-4A-8P. Senior defenseman and Hobey Baker Award candidate Joey LaLeggia, meanwhile, tallied 4GP-1G-4A-5P versus Miami during the regular season.
Senior forward Ty Loney registered 3G-0A-3P last weekend against the Bulldogs and has now recorded 6G-4A-10P in seven career NCHC Tournament games, prompting head coach Jim Montgomery to refer to him as 'Mr. March'. Loney's first goal of this year's playoffs can be seen below:
