DENVER – The University of Denver hockey team continued to climb in the national rankings on Monday as the Pioneers moved up an additional spot to No. 6 in both the latest USCHO.com and USA Hockey media polls.
The Pioneers are also currently rated sixth in the NPI computer rankings that determine the NCAA Tournament field.
Denver is unbeaten in its last 11 games with a 10-0-1 mark and is on a season-long seven-game winning streak since Feb. 7. The Pios swept Miami in two games in their best-of-three series in the NCHC Quarterfinals last weekend, winning 3-0 on Friday and 6-2 on Saturday. Miami continued to receive votes in the USCHO.com ranking.
DU, which is the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, now faces No. 3-seed Western Michigan in the semifinals on Saturday at Magness Arena. WMU is currently ranked No. 4 nationally in both media polls.
All four NCHC squads that are ranked are in the top 10 in each poll, with North Dakota solidifying its spot at No. 2 and Minnesota Duluth moving up to No. 8. UND and UMD face off in the other league semifinal matchup on Saturday in Grand Forks.
Michigan remains No. 1 in both rankings while Michigan State dropped to No. 3. Providence is the top-ranked school from Hockey East and is just ahead of Denver in fifth.
The NCHC, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC and Hockey East all have four teams ranked on each list. The NCHC is the only conference with all four of its squads in the top 10 in the USA Hockey poll while the Big Ten joins the NCHC with four in the USCHO.com ranking.
UP NEXT: Denver hosts Western Michigan in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Semifinals on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT at Magness Arena. This is the first year where the entire conference tournament is being played on campus sites.
About the USCHO.com: The Division I men's ice hockey poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country.
About the USA Hockey/The Rink Live Poll: The 31st annual USA Hockey Men's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey.
TICKETS: Tickets DU hockey quarterfinal series on March 6-8 are on sale now.
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