Senior goaltender Gerry Powers tied the all-time NCAA career record of 76 wins in the championship match against the record-holder Ken Dryden.

In Houghton Denver lost its third road game to Michigan Tech before finally managing a win the following night to pull their record back to even.

Denver went 12–2 down the stretch, playing only 1 road game at Colorado College but its loss to Michigan Tech on February 1 cost the Pioneers their chance to win the Conference championship.

Denver finished as the top western seed for the WCHA Tournament and after dropping the league's poorest team (UMD) in the first game they were given a gift from Colorado College who had knocked off North Dakota in the regional semifinal.

Despite having finished second in the WCHA, Denver possessed a better record and the defending national champions were given the top western seed, placing them in the semifinal against Harvard.

The two titans clashed in one of the more anticipated national championships in history and early on it was apparent that Denver had come to play when Tom Gilmore deflected the puck past Dryden less than three minutes in.