LOVELAND — The latest era of a storied NCAA Tournament history between Denver and Cornell has itself a rubber match.

After the Big Red knocked the Pioneers out in a 2023 regional semifinal in Manchester, New Hampshire, David Carle’s DU returned the favor the following year in Springfield, Massachusetts, on the way to his program’s record 10th national championship.

Friday, the two teams meet again at 4 p.m. (ESPN+) in the Loveland Regional semifinal with the winner set to meet either No. 1 seed Western Michigan or No. 4 seed Minnesota State in Sunday’s regional final with a trip to the Frozen Four in Las Vegas on the line.

“They’re a really good team, well coached,” Carle said. “(Cornell coach) Casey Jones has been doing this a long time. A lot of similarities between the teams that we played in ‘24 and ‘23. Big challenge. Every team presents it. It’s certainly kind of an oddity that you play the same team three out of four years, but that’s how the chips fall sometimes. Just a really great opponent that we know we’re gonna have to be at our best against (Friday).”

It will be the seventh time these two programs have met in the NCAA Tournament, with the series tied at 3-3. They also met in the 1969 national championship game at the Broadmoor Ice Arena in Colorado Springs, with DU winning 4-3. 

It may be a different head coach behind the bench in Jones, who took over this season for longtime Big Red coach Mike Schafer after he retired following 30 seasons in the role, but the expectation of getting to the NCAA Tournament hasn’t changed.

“That’s part of the reason why I came back,” Jones said. “We always talk about (how) pressure is actually a privilege. It means you’re at a place that expects to win. Generally, if you’re expected to win, you probably have the resources and ability to get the players that put you in position to win. We know what’s expected of us. We know Denver’s a good team. I think this regional is tough. I think you have four really good teams here, but we’re here with an opportunity to move on and we’re excited about that opportunity.”

There are plenty of veteran players on both sides that are familiar with their opponent located over 1,600 miles away, including a pair of DU seniors in Rieger Lorenz and captain Kent Anderson, who are set to face Cornell for a third time in their careers.

“It’s pretty crazy I’ve played (Cornell) three out of four years I’ve been here, so we’re super excited,” Lorenz said. “They’re a very detailed team. They play extremely hard. Hopefully we can match their detail and their work ethic and hopefully the way that we can play can make the difference.”

Everyone on both sides is expecting fireworks.

“It’s gonna be pretty fun,” said Cornell junior Jonathan Castagna. “We’re all looking forward to it. It’s gonna be a really tight game and a dogfight. It’s always the most fun games to play in. It’s not about one guy or one line contributing; it’s about every single person, up and down the roster, bringing something to the table. That’s what makes these games special.”

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Denver and Cornell: The history

All-time series: DU leads 8-6

NCAA Tournament series: Tied 3-3

Last meeting: DU won 2-1 in the 2024 Springfield Regional to advance to Frozen Four

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Scouting the Big Red

Conference: ECAC

2025-26 record: 22-10-1

Head coach: Casey Jones (first season)

Players to know: F Jonathan Castagna (15 goals, 19 assists, 34 points); F Ryan Walsh (10 goals, 23 assists, 33 points); F Caton Ryan (11 goals, 19 assists, 30 points); D Xavier Veilleux (6 goals, 20 assists, 26 points); D George Fegaras (5 goals, 16 assists, 21 points); G Alexis Cournoyer (18-9-0 record, 1.98 goals-against average, .917 save percentage)

How they got here: Thanks to a 15-3 home record and an 11-1 record in a 12-game stretch from Dec. 6 through Feb. 6, the Big Red are in the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight season and currently hold the No. 9 ranking in the USCHO poll. Cornell is in its first season under coach Casey Jones, who played for the Big Red from 1986-90 and previously took Clarkson to two NCAA Tournaments in 13 seasons in charge. Jones replaced longtime coach Mike Schafer, who retired last year after 30 seasons in charge of his alma mater. The Big Red are coming off a loss to Princeton last weekend in the semifinals of the ECAC tournament.