The No. 8 Denver Pioneers hockey team (9-4-3, 1-3-2-1) returns to conference play with a home-and-home series to open the Battle for the Gold Pan against Colorado College (6-5-1, 2-3-1-0). Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. on Friday at Magness Arena.

DENVER: LAST SERIES
ASU 4, DU 1 | ASU 2, DU 2 (Tempe & Glendale, Ariz.)
• Friday: Johnny Walker scored twice in the first period and once in the third to complete his hat trick and help the Sun Devils upset the Pioneers
• Saturday: Cole Guttman scored his second goal of the night with 41 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. Denver outshot ASU 46-22, including 14-6 in the third period and 6-0 in overtime
• The Pioneers combined to outshoot the Sun Devils 80-52, went 1/9 on the power play and 6/7 on the penalty kill
 
DENVER: SNAPSHOT
• After starting the season 8-0-0 averaging 4.12 goals per game, Denver has gone 1-4-3 averaging 2.12 goals per game
• The Pioneers' penalty kill ranks 6th in the NCAA, going 55/61 (90.2%). Denver has scored three shorthanded goals, T- 4th in the NCAA
• Denver ranks 3rd in the NCAA in shots on goal per game (35.25). The Pioneers have outshot their opponent in 14 of their 16 games this season and are 9-3-2 in those games
• After this weekend, Denver will have a 19-day break before returning to Magness Arena for its final non-conference series of the season, a rematch of the 2019 National Semifinal with UMass
 
DENVER: UP NEXT
Jan. 3-4 vs. UMass (Denver, Colo.)
• Denver will host UMass in the first meeting between the teams since the Pioneers fell to the Minutemen 4-3 (OT) in the 2019 National Semifinal
 
COLORADO COLLEGE: LAST SERIES
CC 7, Princeton 2 | CC 2, Princeton 1 (Princeton, N.J.)
• Friday: Chris Wilkie had two goals and one assist, while Grant Cruikshank had two goals and Matt Vernon made 40 saves in the Tigers' rout
• Saturday: Chris Wilkie scored his second goal of the game 19 seconds into overtime to lead Colorado College to a weekend sweep
• Colorado College was outshot 83-49, went 0/10 on the power play and 10/12 on the penalty kill
 
COLORADO COLLEGE: SNAPSHOT
• Chris Wilkie leads the Tigers with 16 points (9-7-16), a +8 rating and 49 shots
• Colorado College is the worst faceoff team in the country, going 39.7% in the circle, and allows 35.08 shots per game, fourth-most in the NCAA
• The Tigers are 9/54 (16.7%) on the power play, T-40th in the NCAA, and 33/48 (68.8%) on the penalty kill, 3^rd-worst in the NCAA
• Matt Vernon and Ryan Ruck have split time in net the last two series. Vernon leads Colorado College with a 4-2-1 record, 3.04 GAA and .916 SV%
 
COLORADO COLLEGE: UP NEXT
Dec. 28-29 vs. Dartmouth & St. Lawrence (Hanover, N.H.)
• The Tigers will face the Big Green and the Saints in the Dartmouth Ledyard Classic
 
DENVER VS. COLORADO COLLEGE: BATTLE FOR THE GOLD PAN
• Denver leads the all-time series 180-120-20. The Pioneers went 1-2-1 against the Tigers in the regular season series last year to lose the Gold Pan for the first time in five years
• The all-time Battle for the Gold Pan series stands at 13-13. The winner of the Gold Pan must win the trophy outright in the regular season series or it remains with the previous winner
 
BRINK NAMED TO U.S. PRELIMINARY ROSTER FOR WORLD JUNIORS
• Bobby Brink was among 28 players named to the U.S. National Junior Team preliminary roster, set to compete for a spot on the final 23-man roster for the 2020 World Junior Championship to be held from Dec. 26 – Jan. 5 in the Czech Republic
• The U.S. expects to announce its final 23-man roster on Dec. 24, two days before the tournament begins
• Former Pioneer assistant coaches David Lassonde and Steve Miller will serve as assistants on the U.S. coaching staff
 
SCORING STATS
• Denver is 8-0-1 when leading after the second period
• The Pioneers have a +15 overall goal margin, T-13th in the NCAA, as well as a +15 margin in the second period, T-2nd in the NCAA
 
NON-CONFERENCE STREAK
• Prior to Friday's loss to ASU, the Pioneers were undefeated in 19 straight non-conference games with a 17-0-2 mark in that stretch
• Denver is 22-3-5 against non-conference opponents since the 2017-18 season
 
MITCHELL'S POINT
• Since last season, Denver is 20-2-4 when Ian Mitchell scores a point and 13-14-4 when he does not
• This season, the Pioneers are 8-0-0 when Ian Mitchell scores a point and 1-4-3 when he does not
 
HOME COOKIN'
• Denver is 30-10-8 at home since the 2017-18 season, posting a .625 winning percentage and taking points from 79% of its games
 
70TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
• 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 Hockey presented by Centura Health returns to Colorado for the Battle for the Gold Pan in a home-and-home series with Colorado College on Dec. 13-14

DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the 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.  
 
SHOP PIONEERS: Get dressed for Game Day! Get your Pioneers gear at ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.

-OUR JOURNEY, OUR TIME- 
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