No. 3 Denver rallied for the second night in a row to defeat No. 5 Western Michigan, this time 3-1, to clinch the NCHC’s regular-season title.

The sweep at Kalamazoo, Mich., gave the Pioneers (26-8 overall) a 17-5 league record and 50 points, nine ahead of second-place Omaha with only six points on the table. The Pioneers, who have sweeps at North Dakota, Minnesota Duluth and now Western Michigan, appear to be peaking in time for the postseason.

Jack Devine scored a power-play goal, giving him 10 points over the past two weekends, to tie the score in the second period. Carter Mazur notched what proved to be the game-winner midway through the third – his team-high 22nd, the second-highest total in Division I. Massimo Rizzo iced it with an empty-net goal. Rizzo and Mazur assisted on Devine’s goal. The multi-point game was Rizzo’s 12th of the season, and he now has a team-high 45 points.

Goaltender Magnus Chrona played one of his better games of the season, which is saying something, stopping 30 shots in a hostile environment.

What’s next for Denver?

In addition to helping their NCAA Tournament positioning with a road sweep of a highly ranked foe, the Pioneers guaranteed themselves a quarterfinal series against last-place Miami, which they have already defeated four times this season but a cumulative 22-2.

Before that, Denver will play host to Colorado College next weekend in a home-and-home series that is for pride only. The Pioneers retained the Gold Pan with a series sweep last month.

Western Michigan is jockeying with St. Cloud State and Omaha for spots 2, 3, and 4 in the NCHC tournament seedings.

©First Line Editorial 2023