No. 2 Denver (9-2-3, 3-0-3 NCHC) vs. Colorado College (3-9, 1-3)

When/where: Friday at 7:37 p.m. at The Broadmoor World Arena and Saturday at 7 p.m. at Magness Arena

Listen: 1600 AM on Friday; 104.3 FM on Saturday

Watch: NCHC.tv (subscription service)

All-time series: DU leads 169-116-17.

Last season: The Pioneers swept the Tigers in four games, including the Battle on Blake at Coors Field in downtown Denver by a cumulative margin of 16-6. Overall, DU has won eight consecutive games against CC, including the past two Gold Pans.

Overview: Denver’s 12-game unbeaten streak (9-0-3) is tied for the sixth longest in program history and it’s tied for the longest since the 2001-02 season. The Pioneers have outscored foes 36-23 during that span. Colorado College has dropped five in a row and has been outscored 25-12 in those games. CC has won 12 of the first 23 Gold Pans. Both teams have plenty of speed and it should be entertaining to watch them battle, particularly on World Arena’s Olympic-sized surface. The numbers point to more DU dominance, but it is a rivalry, and as Miami demonstrated at Denver two weeks ago, anything can happen in the NCHC.

Offense

On paper this is the most evenly matched category of the three we scout. The Pioneers score 2.79 goals per game (34th among 60 Division I teams), while the Tigers get 2.58 (40th). How they get them is another story. DU’s most skilled players have done most of the damage so far, though some balance started to appear last weekend and the chances for many of the down lineup players have been there. CC, meanwhile, gets scoring from up and down its lineup, much like Air Force does, and it relies heavily on its underclassmen for the punch. …

Freshman center Henrik Borgstrom, the NCHC’s rookie of the week, tops DU with 16 points and eight goals. Senior defenseman Will Butcher, who blistered the Tigers last season for eight points (seven assists) in the four games, is right behind him with 14 points. The captain was the NCHC’s defenseman of the week. Sophomore forwards Troy Terry (13 points, seven goals) and Dylan Gambrell (12 points, four goals) lead a Pioneers attack that had its best weekend output of the season a week ago, getting 10 goals. Denver’s shots on goal differential of plus-8.5 is the fifth best in Division I. …

Sophomore Mason Bergh, who had a goal in each game last weekend, leads the Tigers with eight points and six goals. Freshmen forwards Branden Makara and Alex Berardinelli, sophomore defenseman Teemu Kivihalme and sophomore forward Trey Bradley each have six points. Four of freshman forward Nick Halloran‘s five points are goals, and sophomore Westin Michaud scored twice on Saturday vs. Air Force.

Defense

This category reflects why the teams’ records are what they are at this point in the season. The Pioneers allow just 2.07 goals per game (fifth) while the Tigers give up 4.33 (T57th). It’s not completely unexpected when one considers DU has two veteran goalies who have won big games behind a veteran defense core with an All-American ringleader. CC has gone mostly with a freshman goaltender behind a defense that regularly features five underclassmen. …

Denver’s Tanner Jaillet has been money against CC in his career, going 5-0, with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. Coming off his worst game of the season (five goals allowed to Wisconsin, the junior still has impressive stats as his 1.98 gaa and .921 save percentage lead the NCHC and place him in the top 10 nationally. Senior Evan Cowley played well in relief of Jaillet last Saturday and has a 1.79 gaa and a .938 save percentage. …

Colorado College’s situation in net is a bit unsettled due to Jacob Nehama‘s latest injury. The sophomore, who was outstanding last season until sustaining a hip injury that required surgery, has been battling an upper-body ailment this season and has played in just three games. He is unlikely to play this weekend. Freshman Alex Leclerc (1-6, 4.93, .831) has gotten the most playing time in his absence. Senior Derek Shatzer (Highlands Ranch) picked up his first college victory earlier this season and has posted decent numbers (1-1, 2.53, .908).

Special teams

Denver’s power play continues to trend upward, as its 18.3 percent rate ranks 23rd in Division I. Its penalty kill (81.2 percent) sank to 40th after surrendering four PPGs last weekend to Air Force and Wisconsin. …

Both specialty units have struggled for the Tigers, whose penalty kill (74.2 percent) is the third worst among the 60 D-I teams, and their power play (12.3 percent) is just 50th. The silver lining for CC is they have scored three shorthanded goals. Compounding things for the Tigers is they take more than four minutes more in penalties per game than the Pioneers (14.4 to 10.2)

Follow @MagnessMayhem for pregame, in-game and postgame coverage of both games