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The Denver Pioneers are no longer the top-ranked college ice hockey team in the land, after a disappointing weekend against the Wisconsin Badgers (via The Denver Post). It marked the first time all season that the Pioneers didn’t win a series against an opponent, and the loss dropped DU from the nation’s top ranking down to third.
Redemption won’t come easy this weekend for Denver, when the team faces the always-tough University of North Dakota (ranked fourth in the nation), another top program with a rowdy home-ice crowd.
“I wouldn’t say we have to make up for it, but they’re big games as far as seeing what we’re made of,” Denver senior center Tyler Ruegsegger tells The Denver Post. “Having a tough weekend [at Wisconsin] and then going to North Dakota, where there will be an even more hostile arena, is a big challenge.”