Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Chambers; Stakes are high in University of Denver-North Dakota hockey series

From the opposition media guy; Mike Chambers who covers the Denver Pioneers and writes for the Denver Post and usually has some red meat articles to stir up the masses and enflame the UND hockey fan base. This article is almost too tame.
Mike Chambers, Denver Post --- Each team has four regular-season games remaining. DU needs one victory and a Michigan Tech loss to clinch home-ice advantage for the first-round, best-of-three WCHA playoffs March 9-11. The Sioux could finish anywhere from first to ninth.

The league's top six teams host the bottom six, with the winners advancing to the WCHA Final Five on March 15-17 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. The top four seeds in St. Paul will get a quarterfinal bye in the second year of the six-team format. (The name remained the same because there are five games.)

A year ago, North Dakota beat DU 3-2 in double overtime in the Final Five championship game. The following week, the Sioux eliminated the Pioneers 6-1 in an NCAA Tournament regional title game in Green Bay, Wis.

Friday's game at DU is the first this season between the storied programs and bitter rivals.
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