Denver Pioneers already showing serious growth

PROVIDENCE, R.I. and CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — It's always interesting when a big-name college hockey program plays two different out-of-conference giants in the same weekend.

The dynamics of preparing for such a weekend are tough, because from one night to the next, you have to prepare for opponents who may play entirely different styles, and if things get away from you, they can turn bad in a hurry.

When the Denver Pioneers made a trip out east to take on Providence College and Boston College on back-to-back nights in late October two years ago, the gravity of the weekend definitely got to them. They blew a 4-1 third-period lead in Providence to lose 6-5, then laid an egg against the Eagles the next night. A few months later, it became a lot easier to look back and laugh, because the Pioneers