Unbeaten through the first nine games of the season, the No. 1 Denver Pioneers (8-0-1, 0-0-1-1) are on the cusp of their best start in program history as they prepare to close their first conference series of the season on Saturday, Nov. 9 at No. 7 Minnesota Duluth.

The Pioneers nearly extended their winning streak on Friday, but a Bulldog goal with 31 seconds remaining in regulation sent the game to overtime and ultimately an NCHC shootout where Brett Stapley's goal handed Denver the extra point in the conference standings. Denver will eclipse their previous best start to the season, 9-1-0 in 2001-02, with a victory tonight.

Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. MT from AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.
 
WATCH PARTY LOCATIONS
• Saturday's game will be broadcast on Channel 2 - KWGN. Catch the action at any of the Pioneers' official watch party locations: The Pioneer, Cherry Cricket, Stadium Inn, Cochino Taco & The 303 Sports Grill
 
GAME 1
DU 3, UMD 3 (Nov. 8, 2019 - AMSOIL Arena, Duluth, Minn)
• The Pioneers surrendered a 3-1 third-period lead, but took the extra point in the NCHC standings with Brett Stapley's shootout winner
• Liam Finlay scored twice, Tyson McLellan had two assists and Magnus Chrona made 25 saves
• Minnesota Duluth scored at 11:35 and 19:29 of the third period to send the game to overtime. Scott Perunovich, Kobe Roth and Cole Koepke had two-point games, while Hunter Shepard made 30 saves
• Denver went 0/3 on the power play and 2/3 on the penalty kill
 
DENVER: SNAPSHOT
• Denver is 8-0-1 to start the season, its best start since 2001-02 when the Pioneers went 9-0-0 to start the year before falling in their 10^th game
• The Pioneers are 36/38 (94.7%) on the penalty kill, 6th in the NCAA. Denver has scored three shorthanded goals, T-1st in the NCAA
• Ian Mitchell leads the Pioneers with 10 points (3-7-10) and is tied for 2nd among NCAA defensemen. He has points in seven of nine games this season
• Magnus Chrona is 7-0-1 with a .920 SV%, 5th among NCAA freshmen, a 1.98 GAA, 2nd among NCAA freshmen and two shutouts, T-1st among NCAA freshmen
• Denver ranks 3rd in the NCAA with a +20 goal margin, outscoring opponents 16-0 in the second period and 13-7 in the third period
 
DENVER: UP NEXT
Nov. 15-16 vs. North Dakota (Magness Arena - Denver, Colo.)
• Denver will open its season series with the Fighting Hawks. The Pioneers are 128-146-15 all-time against North Dakota and went 4-1-1 last season
 
MINNESOTA DULUTH: SNAPSHOT
• Minnesota Duluth returns 20 players from its 2019 National Championship team. The Bulldogs have 12 players with two NCAA titles
• The Bulldogs went 1-3-0 through the first two series, splitting a home series vs. UMass Lowell and getting swept at Wisconsin. Both teams are in the Top-15 of the USCHO poll
• All-American senior goalie Hunter Shepard has a 2.41 GAA and .900 SV% this season compared to his career 1.89 GAA and .922 SV%
• Minnesota Duluth has scored more than two goals in a game only twice this season (Oct. 25 vs. Minnesota, Nov. 8 vs. Denver)
 
MINNESOTA DULUTH: LAST SERIES
UMD 5, Minnesota 2 | UMD 2, Minnesota 0 (Oct. 25-26, 2019 - Home & Home)
• Minnesota Duluth swept their first series of the season
• Jackson Cates and Scott Perunovich led the Bulldogs with three points each
• UMD went 2/8 on the power play and 5/5 on the penalty kill
 
MINNESOTA DULUTH: UP NEXT
Nov. 15-16, 2019 at Miami (Steve Cady Arena - Oxford, Ohio)
• Minnesota Duluth went 4-0-0 against Miami last year
 
DENVER VS. MINNESOTA DULUTH
• The Pioneers are 126-80-13 all-time against the Bulldogs and 17-6-3 in the last seven years with 16 of those games being decided by one or fewer goals and an additional four being decided by two goals with an empty-netter
• Denver went 2-3-0 against UMD last year, falling 3-0 in the Frozen Faceoff semifinal on March 22, 2019
 
NON-CONFERENCE STREAK
• The Pioneers are undefeated in 19 straight non-conference games with a 17-0-2 mark in that stretch
• Denver is 22-2-4 against non-conference opponents since the 2017-18 season
 
NCHC GOALIE OF THE WEEK
• Michael Corson was named Bauer NCHC Goalie of the Week on Nov. 4 after recording a 16-save shutout in his first career start on Saturday, Nov. 2 vs. Niagara. He was named First Star of the Game in Denver's 4-0 win 
 
HOT STREAKS
• Tyson McLellan is on a five-game point streak with four goals and three assists
• Brett Stapley is on a three-game point streak with one goal and four assists
• Tyler Ward is on a three-game point streak with two goals and one assist
• Ian Mitchell has scored a point in seven of nine games with three goals and seven assists
 
70TH ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND
• The Pioneers are playing in their 70th Anniversary Season. Since its inaugural season in 1949, Denver has made 30 appearances in the NCAA tournament, 17 appearances in the Frozen Four and won eight National Championships, tied for the second-most titles among any college hockey program
 
UP NEXT: Denver men's hockey presented by Centura Health will close its first conference series of the season on the road against Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Nov. 9.  

SHOP PIONEERS: Get dressed for Game Day! Get your Pioneers gear at ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.
 
DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the men's hockey program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.   

-OUR JOURNEY, OUR TIME- 
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