It wasn’t pretty when Miami went to Denver last November, as the Pioneers outscored the RedHawks, 11-2 in a weekend sweep.
DU also earned all six points when the teams met in Oxford six weeks ago.
Miami has lost its last five games on Denver’s home ice and has been outscored, 30-7 in those contests.
In order extend their season, the eighth-seeded RedHawks must win 2 of 3 at No. 1 seed Denver in the opening round of the NCHC Tournament, which starts on Friday.
A look at this weekend’s matchup:
WHO: Miami RedHawks (7-25-2) at No. 8 Denver Pioneers (25-8-1).
WHERE: Magness Arena (6,026), Denver, Colo.
WHEN: Friday – 9:05 p.m.; Saturday – 9:05 p.m.; Sunday (if necessary) – 8 p.m.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Denver leads, 24-13-3.
TV: None.
STREAMING: Both nights – NCHC.tv ($).
DENVER RADIO: None.
MIAMI RADIO: Friday – WKBV-AM (1490), Richmond, Ind.; Saturday – TBD; Sunday (if necessary) – WMOH-AM (1450), Hamilton, Ohio.
NOTES: It seems like only a couple of seasons ago that Miami was Denver’s kryptonite, but the RedHawks are 3-15-3 in their last 21 meetings with the Pioneers have only won once in Magness since 2015.
And the Pioneers enter the postseason riding a 13-3-2 wave, during which they posted five shutouts.
Goalie Magnus Chrona has posted clean slates this season despite a pedestrian .903 save percentage, meaning Denver has thrived in front of him.
DU is allowing just 24.0 shots per game, the fifth-best clip in Division I despite playing in the NCAA’s toughest conference.
These teams have never met in the NCHC quarterfinal round. They have split their two Frozen Faceoff meetings, with Miami winning, 6-3 in the 2015 semifinal before beating St. Cloud State in the championship game.
After winning seven of their first nine conference tournament games, the RedHawks are 1-9 since. They have not made it out of this round since.
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