March 22, 2016 For the ninth consecutive year and 26th (official) time overall, the DU Pioneers (23-9-6) will be competing in the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament in 2016. Denver's active streak of consecutive tournament appearances is second in the nation behind only North Dakota (14) while its total number of appearances ranks seventh all-time.
The No. 7 Pioneers enter this year's NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament as a No. 2 seed in the West Regional (St. Paul, Minn.) and will face No. 12 Boston University (No. 3 Seed) on Saturday (4:30pm MT - ESPN U, TSN GO & ESPN Denver 1600 AM) with the winner advancing to Sunday's national quarterfinal game against either No. 2 St. Cloud State (No. 1 Seed) or No. 18 Ferris State (No. 4 Seed). A complete tournament bracket can be viewed by visiting http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/icehockey-men/d1. Tickets to all NCAA Tournament games can be obtained by visiting http://www.ncaa.com/tickets/icehockey-men/d1. A list of local eateries set to host watch parties for Saturday's game against the Terriers can be found below:
- Big Bill's NY Pizza
- Big Smoke Burger
- Crimson & Gold Tavern
- The Pioneer Restaurant
- Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant
- Stadium Inn
Denver and BU have squared off four times previously in the NCAA Tournament, with each team having won twice. The Pioneers are 13-15-2 all-time versus the Terriers, a record that includes a 5-4 overtime loss at Agganis Arena on October 31, 2015. Denver's first-ever win/game against BU came during the 1960 Frozen Four when the Pioneers bested the Terriers 6-4 in the NCAA Semifinals at Boston Arena en route to capturing their second national title.
Entering this year's tournament as one of the hottest teams in the nation with a 2016 record of 16-2-4, the Pioneers will be looking to once again get through BU as they seek the eighth NCAA championship in program history. Four wins away from attaining that goal, the Crimson & Gold are anticipating a hard-fought path on the road to glory.
"It's definitely hectic," DU head coach Jim Montgomery, who won a national title in 1993 as a forward with Maine, says of the NCAA Tournament. "It's a roller coaster of emotions. We know we've got to stay in the moment and own the moment in order to be successful at an event like this. Our process and our attention to detail is what's made us successful in the New Year so if we continue to focus on those things we know the results will take care of themselves."
Denver's loss to BU in the fall was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Pios erase a two-goal deficit in the third period en route to forcing overtime. That loss dropped DU to 3-3-0 on the season, a record they've since improved upon exponentially.
"We've grown immeasurably since then - as individuals and as a team," says Montgomery. "The leadership group in our locker room has done an incredible job of getting everyone to play their roles well and support one another and that's been a major reason for our record in the second half of the season."
Last year, the Pioneers advanced to the 'Elite Eight' for the first time since 2011, downing Boston College 5-2 in Game 1 of the East Regional in Providence, R.I. prior to suffering a 4-1 loss at the hands of the eventual-champion Friars the following day. Sophomore netminder Tanner Jaillet was between the pipes for both of those games, making 42 saves over the course of 119:17 of action. The formers AJHL Goaltender of the Year is looking forward to getting a chance to improve upon his 1-1 record in the tournament.
"The (NCAA) Tournament is very much a one-of-a-kind event," says Jaillet. "It's an exciting time. We're looking forward to getting the chance to compete for a national title. Our team's found a good rhythm here in the second half of the season. We're ready for what's in front of us and we believe we're as good as any team in the country right now."
Since January 1, Jaillet ranks in the Top 10 nationally in GAA (1.93, 8th), SV% (.933, T-8th) and W% (12-1-3, .844 - 2nd). He was a finalist for the NCHC Three Stars Award (won by UND's Brock Boeser), as was sophomore winger Danton Heinen. Heinen echoes his teammate and coach's sentiments regarding the upcoming NCAA West Regional.
"Anything can happen in single-elimination-style tournament like this," says Heinen. "It can be stressful but we're a composed group with good systems and good processes in place. That's what's gotten us to this point and that's what will ultimately dictate our fate at the tournament, so we feel good about where we're at heading into the weekend."
The 2015-16 NCHC Forward of the Year, Heinen enters this weekend's action on a 16-game point streak in which he's tallied 13G-15A-28P. Heinen, a native of British Columbia, forms 1/3 of the 'Pacific Rim' Line along with Californian Trevor Moore and Washingtonian Dylan Gambrell. All three members of the PRL rank in the Top 12 nationally in scoring since Feb. 1 and rank 1-2-3 in the NCHC in scoring since Jan. 1:
Should the Pios emerge victorious from this weekend's Regional, they will advance to the 2016 Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla. Denver's last appearance in the FF came in 2005 during its second-consecutive NCAA title run. More information on this Frozen Four can be obtained by visiting http://www.ncaa.com/championships/icehockey-men/d1.
