The Denver Pioneers men's hockey team is set to return from a 20-day break to face the Merrimack Warriors. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. MT.

DENVER: SNAPSHOT
• Before the 20-day break, Denver played four ranked opponents in five weeks, going 3-4-1. Five of those games were decided by one or fewer goals and three of the last five games required overtime
• The Pioneers average 3.36 goals per game, 12th in the NCAA, and allow an average of 2.29 goals per game, 12th in the NCAA
• Freshman Emilio Pettersen and Jarid Lukosevicius lead the Pioneers with 15 points
 
DENVER: LAST SERIES
No. 14 North Dakota 4, No. 5 Denver 1 | Denver 2, North Dakota 1 (OT)
• The Colin Staub - Jaakko Heikkinen - Ryan Barrow line scored both nights
• Devin Cooley made 11 saves on 14 shots on Friday. Filip Larsson made 32 saves on 33 shots on Saturday
• Denver went 0/7 on the power play and 4/4 on the penalty kill
 
DENVER: UP NEXT
Denver at UMass Lowell - Dec. 29
• The Pioneers are 7-2-0 all-time against UMass Lowell, last facing the River Hawks on Oct. 19, 2012 (5-1 W)
• UMass Lowell is coming off a 21-day break. Before the break, the River Hawks split a home-and-home series with Boston University. They are 8-7-1 this season
 
MERRIMACK: SNAPSHOT
• The Warriors are on a three-game losing streak, getting outscored 22-3 in that stretch. They have yet to win consecutive games this season
• Merrimack is 1-7-0 against ranked opponents this season, its lone victory coming at home against then-No. 13 Boston University on Oct. 20 (4-0 W)
• The Warriors have played eight one-goal games this season, going 3-4-1 in those games
• Merrimack scores 2.00 goals per game, T-53rd in the NCAA, and 4.06 goals per game, 59th in the NCAA
 
MERRIMACK: LAST SERIES
No. 10 Providence 6, Merrimack 0 | No. 12 Northeastern 7, Merrimack 2
• The Warriors did not hold a lead last weekend. Merrimack has not held a lead since 19:51 of the second period on Nov. 23 against Holy Cross (2-2 T)
• Craig Pantano made 24 saves on 30 shots on Friday. Drew Vogler made 17 saves on 23 shots on Saturday
• Merrimack went 1/7 on the power play and 7/11 on the penalty kill
 
MERRIMACK: UP NEXT
Merrimack vs. Colorado College - Dec. 31
• The Warriors will host the Tigers for a non-conference matchup on Monday before traveling to face New Hampshire and Northeastern on Jan. 4-5
 
PIONEERS VS. WARRIORS
• Merrimack won 3-2 in the first-ever meeting between the programs last season on Dec. 29, 2017. The Pioneers were ranked No. 2 and Merrimack was unranked at the time of the game
 
LUKOSEVICIUS SETS RECORD
• Jarid Lukosevicius' game-winning goal on Dec. 8 marked his third of the season and 16th of his career, setting the school record and tying him for 2nd in the NCAA this season
• Lukosevicius is the NCAA active leader in career game-winning goals. The all-time leader in career game-winning goals Austin Ortega (Omaha '14-'17 - 23)
 
FRESH FACES
• Denver's freshmen class has combined for 52 points (18-34-52), 3rd-most in the NCAA trailing Quinnipiac (55) and Niagara (58)
• Emilio Pettersen is tied for 6th among NCAA freshmen with 15 points (5-10-15)
• Cole Guttman is tied for 6th among NCAA freshmen with a +10 rating
 
LUKO & THE FRESHMEN
• Emilio Pettersen, Jarid Lukosevicius and Cole Guttman have combined for 28 even-strength points and 14 even-strength goals this season, accounting for 33% of the Pioneers' even-strength points and 42% of the Pioneers' even-strength goals
• Pettersen, Guttman and Lukosevicius have skated on Denver's top line for 13/14 games this season, the exception being Dec. 8 at North Dakota
 
TOUGH SCHEDULE
• The Pioneers faced No. 1 Minnesota Duluth, No. 2 St. Cloud State, No. 9 Providence and No. 14 North Dakota in a stretch of five weeks, going 3-4-1 in those games
• Denver's strength of schedule ranks 2nd in the NCAA according to the KRACH ranking on CollegeHockeyNews.com
 
WOKRING OVERTIME
• The Pioneers have played five overtime games this season, tied for 3rd-most in the NCAA. Denver is 2-1-2 in the extra period
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Emilio Pettersen and Ian Mitchell lead the Pioneers with seven power-play points. Pettersen is tied for 1st among NCAA freshmen with four power-play goals
 
BROTHERS CARLE
• Pioneers coach David Carle's brother, Alex, is a senior with the Warriors. Their brother, Matt, won a Hobey Baker with the Pioneers in 2006 and played 730 NHL games with the Sharks, Lightning, Flyers and Predators
 
2019 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
• The 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship is set to be held in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. from Dec. 26 - Jan. 5
• Emilio Pettersen represented Norway at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship – Division 1 Group A from Dec. 9-15 in Füssen, Germany, finishing tied for 5th in tournament scoring with three goals and three assists in four games
• Ian Mitchell was selected to represent Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship
• Equipment Manager Nick Meldrum a member of the Team USA support staff
 
MILLER HOCKEY COMPLEX
• The new home of Denver hockey is named after University of Denver's Board of Trustees member John A. Miller, his wife, Sandy, and their family.
• The 4,464 square foot space houses the Pioneers' lockers, lounge, sauna, kitchen, training room and equipment room
• More than 150 donors contributed to the renovation

PIONEER MOVEMENT:
Interested in making a donation to the hockey program? Click Here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence. 

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