Get to know Denver, opponents Michigan in Frozen Four

Michigan's hockey team is in Frozen Four for an NCAA-record 26th time, but its rival is no stranger to deep tournament runs.

Denver (29-9-1) featured in 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances last season, but has seen a resurgence in 2021-22. Like the Wolverines (31-9-1), the Pioneers earned the No. 1 seed in their field and beat UMass Lowell 3-2 and Minnesota-Duluth 2-1 to enter Frozen Four for the 18th time.

He allowed first goals in both games and also scored late game-winners in the third period in each. His NCAA Tournament games this season were just two of 10 times he did not score at least four goals in a game.

As Michigan and Denver have been successful over the past two decades, Thursday's Frozen Four matchup at TD Garden in Boston will be their first meeting since 2002.

The Wolverines have won the last six meetings but all-time 36-46-1 against the Pioneers.

Here's some more information about Michigan's Frozen Four rival:

Denver

Location: Denver, Colorado

Enrollment: 11,614

Nickname: Pioneers

Notable alumni to play in NHL: Paul Stastny, Troy Terry, Tyler Bozak, Matt Carle, Kevin Dineen, Scott Mayfield, Peter McNab, Jason Zuker

Last tournament appearance: 2019 (2020 tournament canceled because of COVID-19)

Record: 29-9-1

Bid: At-large

Tournament history: 29 previous appearances, 38-24 record. Won national titles in 1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004, 2005 and 2017.

Coach: David Carle, fourth season (55-34-1)

Rankings: No. 4 in Pairwise, No. 3 in USCHO.com poll, No. 3 in USA Today poll

Record vs. ranked teams: 11-8

Common opponents: Western Michigan (Michigan 1-1 record, Denver 3-1), Minnesota Duluth (Michigan 1-0, Denver 3-3),

Top players: F Bobby Brink (14 goals, 42 assists), Cole Gutman (19g, 26a), Carter Savoie (22g, 22a), Brett Stapley (16g, 25a), Carter Mazur (14g, 22a), d Mike Benning (14g, 20a), f Massimo Rizzo (11, 23a), de Sean Behrens (3g, 26a)

Note: The Pioneers finished first in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which placed the NCAA-best five teams in the tournament. Michigan has 13 NHL draft picks on its roster, including an NCAA-record seven first-round picks, but Denver is also packed full of NHL talent with 12 draft picks. Brink, in the second round of 2019, is a finalist of the Hobby Baker Award and leads the country with 56 points.

Mazur is a Jackson native and is a Detroit Red Wings draft pick.

The Pioneers, who average 4.28 goals per game, have eight players with at least 30 points.