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Resuming a heated rivalry that dates back more than 60 years, Colorado College hopes to take a big step toward reclaiming possession of the coveted Gold Pan when CC plays host to the No. 2-ranked University of Denver on Friday.

Faceoff at the World Arena is 8:07 p.m. MT to accommodate a live national telecast by CBS College Sports for the second consecutive week.

The teams meet again on Saturday at DU's Magness Arena in the finale of their two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series. That regionally televised (FSN Rocky Mountain) contest starts at 7:07 p.m. MT.

The Tigers, 15-12-1 overall and 9-9 in league play, need a victory and at least a tie in order to win back the Gold Pan they surrendered to their archrival a little less than a year ago. They currently are tied for sixth place in the WCHA standings.

Denver, 16-5-5 overall and 12-3-3 in WCHA play, trails first place University of North Dakota by just a point in the conference standings, with two games in hand. The Pioneers are undefeated (5-0-3) in their last eight outings and have lost only once in their last 16, compiling a 12-1-3 mark since suffering a 9-2 setback to Colorado College at the World Arena back on Nov. 6. 

CC, ranked 20th nationally, has dropped only four of its last 19 encounters (9-4-6) against the Pioneers dating back to the 2005-06 season. The Tigers are 17-8-3 in 28 all-time meetings between the teams at the CSWA since 1998, as well as 14-7-4 in 25 all-time showdowns at Magness Arena.

The Tigers have won the Gold Pan, awarded to whichever team prevails in their four regular-season games each season, in 10 of 17 campaigns since the trophy's inception in 1993-94.