NCHC quarterfinals: Colorado College (8-22-4) at No. 1 Denver (26-6-4)

Best-of-3 series at Magness Arena

Friday: 7:30 p.m. (Altitude 2, 104.3 FM)

Saturday: 7 p.m. (104.3 FM)

Sunday (if necessary): 7 p.m.

Season series: DU won all four NCHC meetings and has won 12 in a row vs. their rivals from the south. However, both games at Magness were close (3-1 and 2-1).

Pioneers update: DU sits atop the Pairwise Rankings in Division I hockey and won its first Penrose Cup last Friday at Omaha. This week the accolades have rolled in. Goaltender Tanner Jaillet (23-6-6, 1.87 GAA, .929 sv%) was selected one of 10 semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award and was a first-time all-NCHC pick. Senior captain Will Butcher (33 points, 6 goals) joined Jaillet on the first team, while sophomore Dylan Gambrell (35, 11) and freshman Henrik Borgstrom (36, 21) were second-team selections. A third forward, sophomore Troy Terry, was honorable mention. Borgstrom and defenseman Michael Davies were picked to the league’s all-rookie team. The Pioneers have won 11 games in a row and have the nation’s second stingiest defense (1.92 GA). Their offense has crept up to 10th (3.36 GF).

Tigers update: CC has quietly had itself a decent second half – winning and tying at then No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth, then getting another tie at home against the Bulldogs. They also shut out No. 12 North Dakota, tied then No. 6 Western Michigan and won last Saturday at No. 19 St. Cloud State. The lynchpin of the revival has been freshman goaltender Alex Leclerc (6-19-4, 3.13, .901). The Tigers are getting big contributions from a handful of underclassmen on their top couple of lines, particularly sophomore Mason Bergh (24 points, 14 goals) and freshman Alex Berardinelli (12 points), as well as a trio of seniors – Luc Gerdes (18 points), Matt Hansen (15) and captain Sam Rothstein (12).

How DU wins: At this point it’s pick your poison. Get into a special teams game with the Pioneers and they have the skill to score almost at will (21 percent and climbing PP) and the defensive commitment to keep everything outside. Play it tight and you’ll be fortunate to get 20 shots on Jaillet. They’re deep and fast and pressure the puck well.

How CC wins: The Tigers often keep a third man high, hoping to force neutral zone turnovers that they can then turn into outnumbered attacks and use their speed to generate chances. Like the Pioneers, they try to keep a lot of shots to the outside. They rely a lot of Leclerc, and he has been up to the task more and more since the Christmas break.

Bottom line: I expect Denver to win but I also think Colorado College is willing and capable of making it very difficult due to its defensive style and Leclerc’s emergence. CC has a history of playoff upsets at Magness from the WHCA days, so a three-game series isn’t out of the question, but it would be a surprise if DU doesn’t punch a ticket to the NCHC’s final four.