Denver and North Dakota met six times last season, and the stakes rose as the season wore on.

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at each encounter with links provided for our recaps so you can “capture the spirit of the thing”:

Game 1 –  The teams’ first meeting started well enough, with senior captain Grant Arnold giving DU a lead not even two minutes into the second period. That woke up NoDak, which then fired in three goals in the six-minute span en route to a 5-1 victory. Let’s just say Coach Jim Montgomery wasn’t thrilled afterward.

Game 2 – The Fighting Hawks added insult to injury, thrashing the Pioneers, 4-0, and outshooting them, 37-18. It could have been worse had not Tanner Jaillet played so well.

Game 3 – Opener of the series at Magness Arena on Feb. 13. Only the most exciting game of the season if you’re a DU fan. The Pioneers won, 6-4, as the Pacific Rim Line blew up for 11 points.

Game 4 – The Pioneers returned the favor to NoDak, sweeping the Fighting Hawks on Feb. 14. We (and the hockey world) started to think big after this 4-1 victory. And yes, the PRL made another statement. It was the first NoDak was swept on the road in more than five years (and it happened again at Duluth two weeks ago).

Game 5 – Frozen Face-off consolation game. It ended in a 1-1 tie. Apparently we didn’t acknowledge this game ever happening on the blog.

Game 6 – Frozen Four semifinal on April 8. What had been a hard-fought, 2-2 battle was suddenly ended on Nick Schmaltz‘s goal and an empty-netter in the final minute, giving NoDak a berth in the NCAA championship game.