ITHACA, N.Y. — For the fourth consecutive season and 26th time in program history, the eighth-ranked Cornell men's hockey team will participate in the NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship. Third-seeded Cornell (22-10-1) will face second-seeded and fourth-ranked Denver (25-11-3) on Friday, March 27, at 6 p.m. ET at Blue Arena in Loveland, Colo. Game action will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The appearance marks Cornell's fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament — only the second such stretch in program history, joining the Big Red's four-year run from 1967 to 1970. A year ago in Toledo, Ohio, Cornell upset top-seeded and top-ranked Michigan State, 4-3, on a go-ahead power-play goal by
Sullivan Mack '25 with 10 seconds remaining, before falling to eighth-ranked Boston University — the eventual national runner-up — in overtime, 3-2.
Denver enters the tournament having won its last nine games and unbeaten in its last 13 (12-0-1). The Pioneers are coming off a thrilling 4-3 double-overtime win over No. 6 Minnesota Duluth at Magness Arena on Saturday night in the NCHC Championship. Defenseman Eric Pohlkamp (17-20—37) leads the Pioneers' offense, behind his team-high 17 goals and 37 points. Rieger Lorenz (15-18—33), Sam Harris (13-18—31) and James Reeder (10-21—31) have all surpassed the 30-point mark this season. Johnny Hicks has controlled goaltending duties for the Pioneers of late, allowing just 16 goals over 840 minutes of action (1.14 goals-against average) and posting a .958 save percentage. Despite not playing since late January, Quentin Miller has started all 25 of his appearances, posting a 2.39 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.
Friday's contest will be the 15th all-time meeting between Cornell and the Pioneers, a series in which Denver leads 8-6-0. It will be the third time the programs will be meeting in the NCAA Tournament in the last four years and serve as the seventh overall meeting in the NCAA Tournament.
The winner will advance to face the winner of the first semifinal — No. 5 Western Michigan (26-10-1) against Minnesota State (22-10-7) — on Sunday, March 29.
