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77-614: The following is a list of men's champions of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association , including champions of the conference's playoff tournament, the WCHA Final Five . Colorado College won its first NCAA national championship in 1950 prior to the founding of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League. Likewise, Michigan won its 1948 title prior to the start of league play. North Dakota won

154-531: A 3-2 victory, and advance the Pioneers to the National Championship game for their 12th time in program history. In the National Championship game, Denver failed to score until the third period against Minnesota State . However, Denver finally broke through adding 5 goals to clinch their 9th National Championship in program history. In 2023, Denver finished the '22-'23 season with 30-10-0 overall, earned

231-528: A 6-on-3 power play advantage in the last minute and a half of the game. Berkhoel earned the shutout, making the lone goal from Gabe Gauthier in the first as the winner. After winning their first title in 35 years Denver raised their game, tying Colorado College for the WCHA crown and producing the #2 offense in the country. In the WCHA tournament, however, it was their defense that led the way. With rookie goaltender Peter Mannino standing on his head for two shutouts,

308-626: A home NCAA 7–6 total goal series win over Cornell to make it to the Frozen Four . Denver played a school record 48 games that year, and won 34 contests (also a DU record) despite losing in the NCAA semifinal, 5–2 to Harvard in Providence . The stark turnaround garnered Backstrom the Spencer Penrose Award. The highlights were short-lived, however and over the succeeding four years Denver returned to being

385-601: A member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). Previously, they were members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), from its creation in 1959 until 2013. The Pioneers have won the most all-time NCAA National Hockey Championships with ten (1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004, 2005, 2017, 2022, 2024). The Pioneers have won 15 regular season conference championships (13 WCHA, 2 NCHC) and 14 conference playoff championships (15 WCHA, 2 NCHC). About 75 Pioneers have gone on to play in

462-450: A middling team in the WCHA. Backstrom left in 1990 and was replaced by Frank Serratore . While he would later achieve a great deal of success with Air Force Serratore's time in Denver was the darkest period in the history of the program. In his first season, the Pioneers won only 6 games, losing a school record 30 of 38 matches. The following season brought only marginal improvements but when

539-496: A national title in 1959 as an independent. The Wolverines won two additional national championships in 1996 and 1998 after leaving the WCHA for the CCHA . Michigan State also won its 1986 and 2007 national championships after leaving the WCHA. Two of the five schools that made their WCHA debuts in 2013, Bowling Green and Lake Superior State , won all of their national championships while in

616-514: A new conference home; when no conference move materialized, the hockey program was dropped again (although UAH officially called it a "suspension"). In August 2020, Alaska Anchorage announced that it would drop hockey after the 2020–21 season. The University of Alaska Board of Regents offered the hockey team a chance at reinstatement in September if they could raise 2 seasons worth of expenses, approximately $ 3 million, by February 2021. The fundraising

693-494: A puck into the net and sent the Pioneers into the Frozen Four for the first time in 18 years. Denver met Minnesota–Duluth in the semifinal and looked like were outmatched when the Bulldogs scored twice in the first five minutes of the game. Even when Denver cut the lead in half a second power play goal by 2004 Hobey Baker winner Junior Lessard followed soon thereafter. The Pioneers, however, were not deterred and came out firing in

770-402: A record of 18–8–2, one of the best in the nation, but because they only played 12 conference games and won only 4 matches they finished 6th in the WCHA and were left out of the conference playoffs. The following season Denver increased their conference schedule to 20 games but because the WCHA added Minnesota–Duluth as a member, the conference tournament now included all 8 teams. Denver was given

847-411: A regional matchup against the dismal Colorado College Tigers and took the game easily to give them a shot against arch-nemesis North Dakota for an entry to the NCAA tournament. Despite being the lower seed the game was played in Denver's home stadium due in part to a terrible blizzard that dropped more than two feet around Grand Forks . The home game may have given Denver just enough of an advantage and

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924-419: A relatively easy 6–2 semifinal match Denver faced off against North Dakota for a rematch of it first title in 1958. The Fighting Sioux scored three times before 8 minutes had elapsed and, while Denver responded with two quick goals, North Dakota tacked on two more in the first to finish with a 5–2 lead. When they added another 5 minutes into the second it looked as if they were going to walk to a national title but

1001-408: A rubber match and the two teams fought a tough defensive battle through two periods before the floodgates opened and Denver scored four times in the final frame while Gerry Powers earned the first shutout in a championship game. The next season was much the same; after a slow start the Pioneers ran through most of their competition, finishing second in the WCHA and taking down much weaker opponents in

1078-505: A second-place finish despite playing only 10 games and a WCHA tournament championship over Michigan. In the NCAA tournament DU produced a very similar result to the year before by dropping their semifinal opponent easily, then allowing the team they defeated in the WCHA championship to score the first three goals. This time it was the Wolverines who would take the title and send the Pioneers home disappointed. The next season Denver finished with

1155-538: A spot in the NCAA Tournament as the fourth #1 seed. However, they succumbed to Cornell 2-0 in the opening Regional Semifinals . In 2024, Denver became the first NCAA Men's Ice Hockey team to reach 10 National Championships, breaking the tie at nine that they had held with the University of Michigan . Playing as the #3 overall seed, they shutout top-overall seed Boston College , 2-0, to secure their 10th title . Denver

1232-505: A stretch in late December when they played four Olympic squads . Denver finished the season atop the WCHA and with the regional restrictions abolished they were able to take full advantage of their top seed and demolish their competition 27–7 in the three games. In the NCAA tournament Denver faced Boston College for the first time and swatted the Eagles away with a 4–1 victory despite sloppy play. The final brought North Dakota and DU together for

1309-735: A third team added in 1995–96 . Additionally they vote to award up to 5 individual trophies to an eligible player at the same time. The WCHA also awards a Most Valuable Player in Tournament, which is voted on at the conclusion of the conference tournament. Only the Coach of the Year award has been bestowed in each year of the WCHA's existence, making it the oldest continually-awarded conference award in Division I ice hockey . WCHA schools have won 37 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey National Championships. * Prior to 1959

1386-503: A year to get going, but by 1958 , the Pioneers were firing on all cylinders. Denver won its first conference title (tying with North Dakota ) and received the second western seed for its first NCAA tournament bid. Denver did not let the bright lights stun them as they rolled through the competition, winning both games 6–2 to gain their first NCAA national title in Minneapolis . The next season, an argument between conference members over

1463-412: The 1960 National Title . The Tournament MOP was split for the first time that year and while it was given to three separate players, none of them wore Denver sweaters. The Pioneers followed up their second championship by thoroughly dominating the competition in 1961 . In what is typically ranked among the best seasons ever, the squad began with five victories before dropping a match to Michigan Tech on

1540-515: The 2017 season along with getting their second Hobey Baker Award, this one going to Will Butcher . After the team won its second NCHC tournament title in 2018 , Montgomery left to join the Dallas Stars as head coach. DU replaced Montgomery with his former assistant, then 28-year-old David Carle . Carle took Denver to the 2019 Frozen Four in his rookie season, after first and second-round NCAA wins over Ohio State and American International ,

1617-463: The Broadmoor Trophy . On March 22, 2011, Minnesota and Wisconsin announced that their men's teams planned to leave the league in order to form a hockey Big Ten Conference in 2013–14, along with Penn State , which would start a varsity hockey program in 2012–13, and Central Collegiate Hockey Association members Michigan , Michigan State , and Ohio State . In response to the creation of

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1694-560: The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference effective with the end of the 2020–21 school year due to perceptions by many members that it had grown too strong for that conference in multiple sports. The Summit League offered the Tommies a D-I home, and backed the school's bid to directly transition from D-III. The now women-only WCHA has 8 members following the 2021 arrival of St. Thomas. The men's side of

1771-575: The National Hockey League , including Keith Magnuson , Kevin Dineen , Matt Carle (2006 Hobey Baker Award winner), Paul Stastny and Will Butcher (2017 Hobey Baker Award winner). Source: In 1949 the DU Arena , a former WWII surplus drill hall from Idaho was reassembled in Denver with an ice plant, giving the university the ability to properly field an ice hockey team for the first time. Before

1848-453: The Anchorage and Fairbanks athletic programs being combined into a single program. While both campuses continued to sponsor men's ice hockey in the 2019–20 season, the future of at least one of the teams beyond that point was then seen as uncertain at best. Later developments saw many of the budget cuts pulled back, as well as a temporary halt to work on a single UA system accreditation; this led

1925-514: The Big Ten men's hockey conference, Denver , Colorado College , North Dakota , Nebraska-Omaha , Minnesota Duluth , and St. Cloud State left the WCHA to join Miami University and Western Michigan of the CCHA to create the National Collegiate Hockey Conference . Facing membership at 4 teams for the 2013–14 season, the WCHA conference added one of its former members, Northern Michigan of

2002-614: The CCHA (one for Bowling Green in 1984, and three for Lake Superior State in 1988, 1992, and 1994). Western Collegiate Hockey Association From 1951 to 1999, it operated as a men-only league, adding women's competition in the 1999–2000 season. It operated men's and women's leagues through the 2020–21 season; during this period, the men's WCHA expanded to include teams far removed from its traditional Midwestern base, with members in Alabama, Alaska, and Colorado at different times. The men's side of

2079-502: The CCHA, on July 15, 2011. On August 25, 2011, the WCHA announced that it had invited the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Bowling Green, Ferris State, and Lake Superior State to join beginning in the 2013–14 season. On August 26, 2011, Alaska-Fairbanks, Ferris State, and Lake Superior State accepted their invitations and joined Northern Michigan in the WCHA in 2013. After much deliberation, on October 4, 2011, Bowling Green decided to join

2156-510: The Final Denver met North Dakota for the fourth time, matching the record for championship meetings with Michigan and Colorado College. The two teams exchanged goals in the first but future NHLer Paul Stastny put the Pioneers into the lead with a power play marker just after the midpoint. With their season on the line North Dakota began an onslaught on the DU net, firing 23 shots in the third but Mannino

2233-529: The NCAA demand, Denver did not. The school refused to call its own players 'cheaters', and ended up paying the price. The university had its trip to the 1973 tournament vacated and with its pipeline from Canada cut, the team began to falter in the standings. 1974–75 saw Denver post its first losing season since Armstrong's first year and while the team was slowly recovering, DU would not make another tournament appearance until long after his retirement in 1977. Armstrong's assistant Marshall Johnston took over and

2310-411: The Pioneers allowed only two goals in four games, winning three one-goal games to take the conference championship. DU earned the #2 overall seed and had to survive a scare from Bemidji State in their first game. After allowing 3 to the much weaker Beavers, Glenn Fisher was benched in favor of Mannino for the remaining three games and the Pioneers cruised to the championship game with 4–2 and 6–2 wins. In

2387-457: The Pioneers did npt quit and scored twice to cut the lead in half entering the third. North Dakota closed ranks and set up a wall in front of Rudy Unis in the final frame but still could not stop Denver from scoring, however, the Pioneers could only notch one goal and lost their first NCAA tournament game, 5–6. The team's streak of seven consecutive tournament wins from the start is still an NCAA record. Denver followed up that disappointment with

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2464-473: The Pioneers edged UND, 5–4 in overtime to return to the NCAA tournament. Once there Denver faced Clarkson for the third time in the semifinal but the Golden Knights were able to avenge their earlier losses and send DU to its first consolation game. Though they won the match the Pioneers and their fans were far from satisfied with the result. The following season Denver rose to 2nd in the conference but because

2541-567: The Pioneers fell in the Frozen Four semi-finals to Cale Makar -led Massachusetts , 4–3 in overtime in Buffalo, New York . In 2022, following wins against UMass Lowell and Minnesota Duluth , David Carle and the Denver Pioneers entered the Frozen Four for the 18th time in school history. In the semi-finals, Denver played the University of Michigan . Carter Savoie scored in overtime to secure

2618-412: The Pioneers for years in the 1960s, which spurred the NCAA to support Minnesota's position. In 1974, the NCAA asked all schools that rostered major junior Canadian players to declare these students ineligible and in recompense, the current players would have their NCAA eligibility restored as a grandfathering ploy, with all future major junior players remaining ineligible. While most universities acceded to

2695-443: The Pioneers post the first 30-win season in NCAA history but, by playing in every game, George Kirkwood set an NCAA record for wins in a season (30). Denver made sure they also did their damage when it counted the most; in the four playoff games they played (2 conference, 2 NCAA) the Pioneers won each by at least 5 goals and won all four matches by a total of 35–6. In the NCAA championship game against St. Lawrence , Denver surrendered

2772-540: The Pioneers to win 10 more games than they had the year before, and jump from 9th in the conference, to a tie for second place and an NCAA win over New Hampshire. After a disappointing opening round loss in the WCHA playoffs the following year, Denver returned to the NCAA tournament in 1997 and beat a very strong Vermont squad in the first round. In 1999 the Pioneers were able to defeat a dominant North Dakota to take their first conference championship in thirteen years, but lost their first NCAA tournament game to Michigan in

2849-478: The UA system to announce that athletics at both campuses would continue as is through the 2020–21 school year. In November 2019, Alabama–Huntsville submitted a withdrawal letter to the WCHA, stating that it also planned to leave after the 2020–21 season. At the time, UAH was discussing potential future options with the two Alaska campuses. However, UAH subsequently dropped hockey effective immediately on May 22, 2020, due to

2926-420: The University of Alaska system, a move that was seen as potentially ending intercollegiate athletics entirely at both the Anchorage and Fairbanks campuses. The cuts led the UA system to start the process of consolidating the three-campus system into a single accredited institution (though retaining the existing campuses), with the system president telling local media that a single accreditation would likely lead to

3003-533: The WCHA and missed the playoffs entirely. The team rebounded the next season but afterwards, Johnston returned to the NHL and the program was given to a third-straight former pro, Ralph Backstrom . Backstrom's entry coincided with four WCHA members bolting for the CCHA leaving the conference with only 6 schools. The co-championship format was abolished and though Denver provided some glimpse of hope in Backstrom's first season,

3080-416: The WCHA as well in 2013. On January 17, 2013, the WCHA admitted Alabama–Huntsville to the league, effective in the 2013–14 season. This realignment activity only affected the men's side of the WCHA. Even after Penn State took the ice with both men's and women's teams, the Big Ten still had only four members with varsity women's hockey (Michigan and Michigan State field only men's teams). This meant that

3157-402: The WCHA that they would leave the league after the 2020–21 season, potentially forming a new men's hockey conference. In February 2020, these seven schools announced they would form a new CCHA. At the time the seven Midwestern members announced their plans to leave, the two Alaska teams were facing a crisis following the veto by state governor Mike Dunleavy of over $ 100 million in funding for

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3234-547: The WCHA tournament was still arranged for regional matchups the Pioneers had to play top seed North Dakota in the second round and the Fighting Sioux were able to redeem themselves with a win. While many programs may have been happy with the results Denver achieved in '66 and '67 the Pioneers were decidedly nonplussed. When the team began 1968 season slowly, losing three out of their first five games, they were taken to task and responded by winning every remaining game except for

3311-605: The WCHA yet again and finish as the NCAA runner-up it was a battle off the ice that would eventually cost them dearly. Throughout the 1960s, the matter of recruiting Canadian major junior players was becoming an issue again, and by the 1970s, Minnesota coach John Mariucci was pushing the NCAA for change. Mariucci did not like his teenage American players, who grew up playing locally in Minnesota, playing against older Canadian players that Denver recruited, due to Denver's lack of local players to recruit. Minnesota even refused to schedule

3388-524: The WCHA. WCHA teams also won the first 13 NCAA women's titles , which were first awarded in 2001. In 2006, WCHA member Wisconsin was the first school to capture both the men's and women's Division I ice hockey championships in the same season. The men's regular season conference champion was awarded the MacNaughton Cup , while the league's tournament champion winning the WCHA Final Five took home

3465-410: The conference had 10 members in its final season of 2020–21, at which time only two schools, Bemidji State and Minnesota State, had both men's and women's teams in the conference. At the conclusion of each regular season schedule the coaches of each WCHA team vote which players they choose to be on the two to four All-Conference teams: first team and second team with a rookie team added in 1990–91 and

3542-407: The conference tournament to return to the NCAA playoff. For this 1969 championship they beat Harvard 9–2 in the opening match before facing Ken Dryden -led Cornell . The Pioneers did not have any problems scoring against the seemingly impregnable Big Red defense, building leads three times while the final one stuck and Denver won its fifth NCAA national title, 4–3. Despite losing many players from

3619-514: The dual national title teams due to graduations Denver did not lose much footing and finished second in the WCHA but lost to new entry Wisconsin in the conference tournament . The next season, Denver finished second for the third straight year and were able to win another league co-championship and receive the top western seed. The Pioneers had to settle for a third place NCAA finish after losing only their second semifinal game in nine opportunities. The next season, Denver won both conference titles for

3696-554: The end of the year Vern Turner , the rink manager for the Broadmoor Ice Palace and a former semi-professional goaltender was hired as the team's first coach and the Pioneers hit the ice for their first game in December, losing to the University of Saskatchewan, 17–0. Denver would, unsurprisingly, lose its first 9 games before recording the first victory against Wyoming on January 27. The following season saw much improvement with

3773-513: The fifth time in their history but were stunned by a 2–7 loss to Cornell in the semifinal, the team's worst loss to a college team in over six years. As if their recent tournament collapses needed a concrete symbol, the DU Arena roof failed in 1972 and forced the team to play most of their remaining home games at the Denver Coliseum . While the Pioneers were able to overcome that difficulty and win

3850-466: The final two games and were able to win the inaugural championship, as they had done with the WCHA 54 years earlier. The Pioneer's NCAA run was predictably short-lived but the team seemed to have found new life under Montgomery's watch which they demonstrated by increasing their win total in each of the next three years. In addition they won progressively more tournament games, reaching the Frozen Four in 2016 before winning their 8th National Championship in

3927-479: The financial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on its athletic department. On May 29, 2020, UAH President Darren Dawson announced that men's hockey would return for the 2020–21 season after more than $ 750,000 in private contributions were made in the week prior. This reprieve proved temporary, as the school and its hockey supporters agreed that the continuation of the sport beyond 2020–21 would be contingent on finding

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4004-599: The first 13 NCAA women's titles , which were first awarded in 2001. The league was founded in 1951 as the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League ( MCHL ), then was known as the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League ( WIHL ) until 1958. The WIHL disbanded in 1958 after Minnesota and the three Michigan schools withdrew in protest of Colorado College, Denver and North Dakota recruiting overage Canadians. While this didn't violate NCAA rules,

4081-638: The first goal but ended the night by scoring the final nine (an NCAA record) and won the game by 10 goals, 12-2 (also an NCAA record) and were one short of tying the NCAA record of 13 in the championship game. Denver tied the record by placing 5 players on the All-Tournament Team and set the record with 5 players on the All-WCHA First Team as well as the AHCA All-American Team and swept all 5 individual awards offered that year. Three of

4158-471: The first meeting between the two since the Wolverines left the WCHA. Denver stumbled over the next two years before winning their first WCHA regular season title under Gwozdecky, as well as a second conference championship. Unfortunately, the Pioneers found themselves pitted against Michigan in the first game, and lost to the Maize and Blue yet again. The Pioneers lost in the first round of the WCHA tournament each of

4235-403: The following year Denver righted the ship and won the WCHA tournament in 2008 . In the first round they found themselves facing conference rival Wisconsin, only the second time in NCAA history that two teams from the same conference met in the opening round. Despite being favored in the game the Pioneers were beaten 2–6 and sent home disappointed. The Pioneers would return to the tournament each of

4312-455: The founding of the NCHC , a power conference that was created due to Wisconsin and Minnesota leaving to restart the Big Ten hockey division. Denver was accompanied by all of its traditional rivals and began its tenure under Jim Montgomery but finishing 6th in the 8-team conference. Despite their lackluster start the Pioneers were provided with an opportunity by facing weaker-than-expected opposition in

4389-486: The four "M" schools felt it violated the spirit of intercollegiate athletics. The current Western Collegiate Hockey Association was founded for the 1959–60 season after the former WIHL schools concluded that the region needed a strong league. Despite this, Denver and Minnesota would not play each other until 1973, when the league took over scheduling from the individual members. The 2005 NCAA Frozen Four hockey tournament finals were noteworthy when all four teams came from

4466-628: The inaugural MCHL standings. Unfortunately, Celley's old team was selected ahead of Denver for the NCAA tournament due to a better overall record. The Pioneers would continue to play well under Celley but their winning percentage dropped every year until 1956 when they finished just a hair above .500. Celley resigned after that season and turned the team over to ex- NHLer Murray Armstrong . Armstrong came to DU and guaranteed an NCAA title within three years, and did it in his second year. Using Armstrong's coaching pipeline to ex-junior players in Canada, it took

4543-467: The league officially disbanded after seven members left to form the revived Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA); the WCHA remains in operation as a women-only league. WCHA member teams won a record 38 men's NCAA hockey championships, most recently in 2011 by the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs . A WCHA team also finished as the national runner-up a total of 28 times. WCHA teams also won

4620-424: The next five seasons, but the results were much the same, losing in the first round four times and thoroughly dismissed by North Dakota in the 2011 regionals . Despite the regular season success the early playoff exits, coupled with a contract structure dispute, these results led Denver to fire their head coach in 2013, only 17 wins away from tying Murray Armstrong's program record. Gwozdecky's firing coincided with

4697-592: The next two years, but their record in 2004 was good enough to snag the #2 seed despite the loss. DU was able to defeat Gwozdecky's previous team, Miami , in a close game before advancing to face North Dakota in the West Regional Final. The top team in the nation held Denver off the scoresheet and out shot the Pioneers 23–13 in the opening two periods but the Fighting Sioux could not get the puck past Adam Berkhoel . The two teams remained scoreless until just 2:29 remained in regulation when Luke Fulghum deflected

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4774-446: The other bid. After that disaster, all teams that had been in the WIHL restarted the conference under a new name (WCHA) and instituted a playoff among other reforms. Because the matter of recruitment was left unchanged, Denver was able to take full advantage and build their program into the dominant power for the duration of the decade. Denver kicked off its first season in the WCHA by winning

4851-415: The players from that team eventually played in the NHL, a rare occurrence for NCAA teams at the time. After such unparalleled dominance, it was expected that Denver would decline the following year, especially with so many of the players graduating, but the team still finished 3rd in the WCHA. One year later they won both WCHA conference titles and again made the NCAA tournament. After dropping Clarkson in

4928-467: The recruitment of Canadian players who had played junior hockey, caused the WIHL to collapse and left Denver without a conference. Denver struggled to fill out its schedule and though DU finished with the best record of any western team (22–5–1) their competition was so paltry that the Pioneers were passed over in favor of North Dakota (who had taken three of four matches between them) for the NCAA tournament with Big Ten champion Michigan State receiving

5005-404: The regular season title and being WCHA tournament co-champions along with Michigan Tech . The WCHA had arranged its tournament to take advantage of the NCAA bid policy that would give automatic bids to tournament champions and because there was no rival western conference the WCHA could guarantee that both of its co-champions would make the frozen four. Denver won both of its NCAA games and captured

5082-484: The road and then never lost another game. The '61 Pioneers scored 242 times in only 32 contests for a rate of just over 7.5 goals per game. Additionally, they allowed just 59 goals against in that time (1.84). While neither marks were records, the average scoring differential of +5.72 is still an NCAA record. Denver had the second-and third-leading scoring in the nation who were only topped by Phil Latreille scoring an all-time NCAA record of 80 goals in 21 games. Not only did

5159-427: The team as it finished with an 11–11–1 record and when Turner stepped down after the year it gave Neil Celley the opportunity to build the program. When Celley assumed the reins he was the youngest head coach in the history of college ice hockey at 24 and had won a national title with Michigan the year before, as a player. The team responded to Celley by raising their record to 18–6–1 and finishing tied for second in

5236-452: The team jumped up in the standings as the nation's top-ranked team, winning the WCHA regular season crown and breaking the school record for wins with 33 (albeit in 40 games) but DU was stopped in the WCHA second round by an upstart Colorado College team, after finding out that Denver's appeal to be eligible for the 1978 NCAA tournament was denied by the NCAA. After declining to 6th place the following season. Denver ended 1979–80 dead last in

5313-423: The team rose above .500 in 1992–93 it looked like Serratore's job may be saved, but after slipping back to 9th in the conference the year after he was out as coach and replaced by Wisconsin alumnus George Gwozdecky . When Denver hired Gwozdecky, they hoped they were getting the same coach that had won back-to-back CCHA Coach of the Year awards at Miami (Ohio). In his first season in 1995, he delivered by getting

5390-449: The team slipped towards the bottom of the division for three seasons. By the end of the 1984–85 season Denver had lost eight consecutive playoff games and was in danger of becoming an afterthought in the WCHA. The 1985–86 team provided a surprising start the following campaign, winning seven of their first eight-game en route to the WCHA regular season and playoff championships over Michigan Tech, Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota, followed by

5467-546: The teams that formed the WCHA played in the MCHL or the WIHL. WCHA schools have won 19 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey National Championships. Denver Pioneers men%27s ice hockey The Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Denver . They play at Magness Arena in Denver, Colorado . The Pioneers are

5544-476: The third, tying the score in less than four minutes and adding another two goals before the period was half over. Duluth was so stunned by the comeback that they could only muster 6 shots in the period as Denver took the game to make their first national championship since their vacated appearance in 1973. With Maine as the only obstacle left in their path, Denver put up in front of Adam Berkhoel and allowed only 24 shots to reach their goalie, including none during

5621-711: The winning team thus the rivalry has been dubbed the Battle for the Gold Pan . David Carle is the current head coach of Denver hockey, hired in May 2018. As of the end of the 2023–24 season Source: Source: Hobey Baker Award Spencer Penrose Award Tim Taylor Award Mike Richter Award NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Scoring Champion Tournament Most Outstanding Player AHCA First Team All-Americans AHCA Second Team All-Americans Most Valuable Player/Player of

5698-476: The women's side of the WCHA remained intact for the immediate future. The next change in the conference membership came shortly after the 2016–17 season, when North Dakota announced that it would drop women's hockey. During the 2019 offseason, the future of the men's side of the WCHA fell into serious doubt when its seven Midwestern members—Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, and Northern Michigan—notified

5775-464: Was anchored by strong goalie play from Matt Davis who saved 35 shots in the decisive game . Source: Of all the rivals that the Denver Pioneer's hockey program play against the most intense rivalry is that from Colorado College . Since Denver's hockey program started in 1949 the two schools have played at least four times a season. In the 1993–94 season a gold pan trophy was added as a reward for

5852-538: Was divided into 2 parts: $ 1.5 million in cash, and the remainder in firm pledges. As of December 2020, the team had begun fundraising for the needed money. The men's WCHA would fold after the 2020–21 season, but the women's WCHA announced a further expansion effective in 2021–22 with the arrival of St. Thomas , a Twin Cities school that received NCAA approval to directly transition from Division III to Division I. St. Thomas had been expelled from its longtime D-III home of

5929-462: Was equal to the take and kept everything out. The Pioneers scored twice in the third to put the game away and take their seventh national championship. The next season brought Denver its first Hobey Baker winner in Matt Carle but the team floundered in the first round of the WCHA tournament and this time their record was not good enough to get them into the championship. After another first round exit

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