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Able to rest on the laurels of its four-game winning streak for no more than 24 hours, Colorado College went back to work on Monday in preparation for another formidable challenge.

The No. 14-ranked Tigers put their umblemished WCHA record on the line this week when they begin defense of the coveted Gold Pan in a regionally televised two-game series with the University of Denver. 

Faceoff is 7:38 p.m. MT Friday at the Colorado Springs World Arena and 7:07 p.m. for Saturday's rematch up Interstate 25 at DU's Magness Arena.

CC, 7-3 overall and 4-0 in conference play, trails the first-place Pioneers by two points in the WCHA standings but has two games in hand. Denver, 7-1 overall and 5-1 in league play, is ranked No. 2 in the nation.

This campaign marks the 20th anniversary of the Gold Pan, which has been awarded annually since 1994 to whichever team prevails in the four regular-season encounters between the two archrivals. Colorado College claimed the prize last February for the 11th time in its 19 years of existence. 

Friday's series opener marks the 284th official meeting in a rivalry that started more than six decades ago, on Jan. 6, 1950. While Denver owns an overall advantage of 157-111-15 in the previous 283 showdowns, the Tigers have dropped only six of the last 25 (12-6-7) dating back to the '05-06 season. CC also is 19-8-4 in 31 prior dates with the Pioneers at the World Arena, including a 3-0-1 mark in the last four, as well as 15-9-4 in 28 appearances as the visiting team at Magness.

Friday's series opener will be telecast live throughout Colorado and several other western states by Altiude Sports & Entertainment, while Saturday's contest in Denver will air on Root Sports. 

Tiger Bites: Senior center Rylan Schwartz, who scored twice in last Friday's victory over Bemidji State then added three assists on Saturday as CC completed a weekend sweep with a 6-3 triumph over the Beavers, was named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. Schwartz is one of four Colorado College players tied for sixth place among the league's overall scoring leaders as he, junior left wing Alexander Krushelnyski, senior right wing William Rapuzzi and senior forward Scott Winkler all have 10 points through the first 10 outings of the season...First-period power-play goals by Winkler and Boivin in last Saturday's contest gave the Tigers five PPG in their last 10 opportunities during the current four-game winning streak...Including a 17-2-1 record in 20 exhibition games, CC is 226-92-16 (.701) in 334 all-time appearances at the World Arena since opening the venue in January 1998.