Denver was one of four western teams to receive a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. Due to their campus' proximity to the West Regional in Loveland, Colorado, the Pioneers were the only top seed to play any tournament games close to home. Despite the advantage, the team got a tough fight from Massachusetts Lowell in the opening game. The River Hawks opened the scoring and used strong defensive play to keep the game tied well into the third period. After a penalty-filled sequence in the final frame, Denver was able to score twice and take the match 3–2. The regional final gave Denver an opportunity for revenge when it set them against Minnesota Duluth, who had knocked them out of the NCHC tournament. Similar to their prior meeting, the two teams were a match for one another early in the game and the Bulldogs managed to score first. When Cole Guttman tied the game a few minutes later, however, he ended Fanti's shutout streak that had begun more than three games earlier. The goal gave Denver the momentum entering the second but the Pioneers were unable to get another puck past the UMD netminder in the middle frame. The conference rivals remained knotted at 1-all well into the third period when the puck pin-balled around the Duluth cage before Carter Savoie was able to slip it into the cage for the eventual game-winner.
