For a young team at Denver, expectations still focus on national championship

DENVER, Colorado – There are constant reminders of the expectations at Denver. 

A few feet to the left of the door to the team facilities, there’s a display case with nine national championship trophies. Above the ice, in the rafters of Magness Arena, there are nine banners, including the most recent title won in 2022. 

For the Pioneers, who are seventh in the pairwise rankings, the goal is to add a 10th banner and expand the trophy case this spring. 

“The pressure and expectation outside, we feel that inside,” Pioneers captain McKade Webster said. “But it’s a good thing, it pushes you to be better. You embrace it.”

It’s a message that Webster, a Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick, has helped pass onto a young Pioneers roster.

Denver is the third-youngest average team in the NCAA behind Harvard and