No. 20 Colorado College tried to put together another furious comeback but fell just short against No. 7 Denver, 4-3, Saturday night at Robson Arena in the final regular-season game of the season.
 
The two teams will face each other again next week in the first round of the NCHC playoffs at Magness Arena in Denver. The Pioneers improved to 26-9-1 and 15-8-1 in the NCHC and secured the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, while CC fell to 17-16-1 and 11-12-1 and will be the No. 6 seed.
 
Zaccharya Wisdom collected a season-high three points with a goal and two assists and Kaidan Mbereko finished with 31 saves before the Tigers saluted their six seniors and graduate students, Tyler Coffey, Stanley Cooley, Ty Gallagher, Chase McLane, Tommy Middleton and Henry Wilder in a post-game ceremony.
 
Mbereko made 15 saves in the first period, including six on Denver's three power-play opportunities as the team's were scoreless after 20 minutes.
 
Denver's Jack Devine opened the scoring with a power-play goal at the 3:29 mark of the second period. He took a pass from Aidan Thompson and beat Mbereko from the bottom of the right circle.
 
The Tigers responded with a power-play goal of their when when Noah Laba's shot from the slot went off the back wall and towards the front of the net, where Gleb Veremyev knocked the puck out of the air past Pioneer goaltender Matt Davis (32 saves) at 7:21 of the middle frame.
 
Denver regained the lead when Boston Buckberger's shot from the left point snuck past a screened Mbereko at the 14:05 mark.
 
The Pioneers made it 4-1 with goals from James Reeder at the 2:54 mark and Zeev Buium at 6:12 of the final period, but Wisdom cut the lead back to two with his eighth goal of the season at 7:31. Fisher Scott found Wisdom, who put the puck past Davis from the right circle.
 
Owen Beckner then closed the gap to one at the 9:27 mark of the third with a beautiful wraparound play that beat Davis for his seventh goal of the season.
 
The Tigers could not get the equalizer despite putting 25 shots on Davis, who saved 23 of them, in the final frame and having an extra attacker with Mbereko on the bench for the final 2:30.
 
CC's penalty kill was outstanding again, allowing just one goal on six Denver power plays, while the Tigers were 1-for-4.
 
The first game of the best two-of-three series will be on Friday, March 14, beginning at 7 p.m.