No. 2 Denver (7-3-0, 3-1-1 NCHC) at No. 12 North Dakota (4-3-2, 1-0-1)

Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m. at Grand Forks, N.D.

Streaming / Radio: NCHC.tv / 104.3 HD-3

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

This will be a good test of the Pioneers’ progress. DU’s fight to North Dakota was cancelled Thursday due to a blizzard. The team flew instead to Minneapolis-St. Paul and was taking a bus to Grand Forks on Friday morning. The Fighting Hawks have won the past six meetings dating to January of 2021, and 10 of the past 12. A popular, although somewhat misguided view, is the Pioneers haven’t held up well against a more physical North Dakota lineup. The reality is UND packs the middle of the ice and limits high-danger chances. So the real keys for DU will be to push the pace and get to rebounds. Grad transfer Drew DeRidder, who started his NCAA career at Michigan State, has gotten the bulk of the starts in net this season, and he boasts a 3-2-1 record with a .906 saves percentage and a 2.65 goals-against average.

Statistically, the Fighting Hawks are generating a bit more offense (3.67 goals per game to DU’s 3.1), but the Pioneers have been much stingier on defense, allowing barely two goals a game, almost a full one less than UND. Magnus Chrona has a 6-3 record with .911 and 2.14 numbers, and he’s been particularly sharp the past three weekends. However, he’s not doing it on his own. Collectively, DU has played much better team defense, and the D corps is starting to provide more offense as well. Mike Benning (seven points) and Kyle Mayhew (three) have three-game points streaks, captain Justin Lee had points in both games vs. St. Cloud State, and Shai Buium has six points.

Up front, the Pioneers’ top line of Carter Mazur (10 goals, 13 points), Massimo Rizzo (17, 4) and Casey Dornbach (14, 5) have done a lion’s share of the damage, and they’ll receive plenty of attention this weekend. However, as DU’s forward group returns to health (junior McKade Webster, sophomore Carter King and freshman Aidan Thompson all returned to the lineup vs. SCSU), expect the offense to fan out. Second-line wing Jack Devine has three goals among his five points. … Grad defenseman Chris Jandric leads North Dakota with 12 points, including 11 assists, but the players to watch are junior forward Riese Gaber (11 points, 8 goals), senior Gavin Hain (5 goals), and freshman forward Jackson Blake (9 points, 4 goals). Gaber has goals in seven of nine games. … UND is 1-3-1 vs. ranked teams, while DU is 4-3.

©First Line Editorial 2022