DENVER – The University of Denver hockey team moved up to No. 5 in the country in the DCU/USCHO.com poll and held steady at No. 6 in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll after the latest rankings were released on Monday.
The Pioneers were No. 6 in both polls last week and are coming off a weekend sweep of the Omaha Mavericks, winning 5-2 on Saturday and 4-0 on Sunday. Omaha was previously No. 15 in the DCU/USCHO.com poll and received votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine rankings.
In the computer-generated Pairwise rankings that help decide the national tournament field, DU is presently third in the nation, with only Minnesota State (first) and Michigan (second) ahead of it.
Denver jumped over idle St. Cloud State in the DCU/USCHO.com coaches poll this week but remained behind the Huskies in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine media rankings. The Pios were set to play SCSU last weekend, but that series was postponed and rescheduled for Feb. 4-5 due to COVID protocols with St. Cloud.
The Pioneers are now 14-5-1 on the season, 7-3-0 in NCHC play and own a home record of 10-0-1, the fourth-longest unbeaten streak to begin a season in program history.
The NCHC has six teams ranked in the coaches' poll and five in the media poll, still the most among all hockey conferences. Western Michigan (fourth), St. Cloud State (sixth), Minnesota Duluth (seventh) and North Dakota (ninth) join Denver with top-10 rankings in the USCHO.com poll, while Omaha is 16th. In the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, the same five teams are in the top 10 and Omaha is receiving votes.
UP NEXT: The Pioneers open the Gold Pan series at home against Colorado College on Friday night. There is a new start time of 8 p.m. MT for Friday's matchup, which will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network. The weekend set concludes on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT as DU makes its first-ever trip to the new Robson Arena in Colorado Springs.
TICKETS: Single-game tickets for the 2021-22 campaign are on sale and can be purchased here.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Masks are required at all indoor athletic events. For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.
DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the Pioneers Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will transform the lives of our student-athletes by giving them the first-class resources needed to excel in the classroom and beyond. Thank you for Building Pioneers for Life!
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