This story is part of The Sun’s 2026 NCAA Hockey Tournament Supplement. To view the rest of the supplement, click here.
The stage is set, and No. 9 men’s hockey will play No. 4 Denver in a rematch of the 2024 NCAA regional final at 6 p.m. on Friday. Denver will host the regional at Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado, home of the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles.
Here’s how the two teams fare. All statistics are courtesy of College Hockey News unless otherwise stated.
The Numbers:
Records: Cornell (22-10-1, 15-7-1 ECAC) Denver (25-11-3, 17-6-1 NCHC).
Power play percentage: Cornell 24.0% (13th) Denver 19.5% (32nd).
Penalty kill percentage: Cornell 81.4% (25th) Denver 82.1%(19th).
Faceoff win percentage: Cornell 54.8% (3rd) Denver 50.8% (24th).
Goals scored per game on average: Cornell 3.3 (14th) Denver 3.5 (10th).
Goals against per game on average: Cornell 1.9 (1st) Denver 2.2 (6th).
Shots per game: Cornell 29.4 (32nd) Denver 34.1 (6th).
Penalty minutes per game: Cornell 8.9 (42nd) Denver 9.0 (41st).
Series History
Cornell and Denver don’t often meet, but when they do, a tournament run is usually on the line. The Pioneers hold the series advantage, 8-6, since the first meeting in 1965.
The last two games have been played on neutral ice in the NCAA regionals, with Denver taking the most recent matchup, 2-1, in the 2024 Springfield regional final, avenging its 2-0 loss in the Manchester Regional a season earlier. Denver would go on to win the NCAA Tournament in 2024. Four of the last five meetings between the Red and the Pioneers have been decided by two goals or fewer, but despite the recent tight games, no matchup between the Pioneers and the Red has ever gone to overtime.
Cornell’s Last Time Out: No. 8 Men’s Hockey Stunned by Princeton in ECAC Semifinals
Final score: Cornell 2, Princeton 3
Cornell was upset by Princeton in Lake Placid last Friday, outworked and outbattled by a team playing with its season on the line. Cornell went 1-for-4 on the man advantage and was largely stymied by Princeton goaltender Arthur Smith. Despite some room for improvement in other areas, the Red continued its successful penalty killing, going a perfect 3-for-3.
The loss also prevented a rare Whitelaw Cup three-peat, with Ivy League rival Dartmouth eventually winning the title for the first time in program history. The semifinal game provided a lot of film for head coach Casey Jones ’90 and the rest of the coaching staff and served as a wake-up call before the NCAA Tournament.
Denver’s Last Time Out
Denver enters Thursday on a nine-game winning streak, most recently winning the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and hoisting the National Cup on home ice. Denver has also gone to overtime in each of its last two games — the Pioneers defeated No. 4 Western Michigan in the semifinals before downing No. 8 Minnesota Duluth, 4-3, in double overtime to claim the title. Denver played particularly strong defense in the NCHC tournament, allowing only six goals across four games — but the Pioneers blew an early 3-0 lead in the championship game before escaping with the win, showcasing some rare permeability.
Still, Denver has been one of the hottest teams entering the NCAA Tournament, emerging from a rough first half to a strong finish.
Scouting the Pioneers
Denver head coach David Carle has often criticized the regional format of the NCAA Tournament. This year, his group gets a home regional. That proximity should benefit the Pioneers, who are undefeated in their last 10 home games. Carle has been one of the best young coaches in the nation, guiding Denver to two national championships since his arrival in 2018, revitalizing the Pioneers and turning them into a perennial title threat. Despite rumors of an NHL departure, he has chosen to stay at his alma mater.
Junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp is the Pioneers’ star. The San Jose Sharks' draft pick has helped to fill the role Zeev Buium played last season. While Pohlkamp stands at just 5 feet, 11 inches (small for a defenseman), he is one of the best two-way players in the nation. He leads the Pioneers with 17 goals and 37 points and was announced as a top-ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Forwards and NHL draft picks Rieger Lorenz (Minnesota) and Sam Harris (Montreal) have provided additional offense all season long, each contributing over 30 points each. Denver is chock-full of NCAA Tournament experience, with 14 returning players from last year's tournament run, which ended in overtime of the national semifinal. The Denver offense is overwhelming, ranking sixth nationally in both shots and goals per game.
Holding down the fort between the pipes is, similar to the Red, a freshman Canadian Hockey League product. Despite an early battle to determine the starting goaltender, Johnny Hicks has emerged as one of the hottest goaltenders entering the tournament. Hicks has only allowed over two goals in a game once — albeit in the biggest game of the season thus far, the NCHC final. His .958 save percentage and 1.14 goals against average are the best in the country for a goaltender who has played more than 10 games. While Hicks has no NCAA Tournament experience, he has backstopped playoff runs in the British Columbia Hockey League and Western Hockey League, posting over a .920 save percentage in both leagues.
