Year No. 4 of coach Bill Tierney's tenure with the University of Denver men's lacrosse team includes high hopes of advancing to its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament.
The Pioneers, who made it to the Final Four in 2011 and to the Elite Eight last year, begin their home schedule this weekend with the Face-Off Classic at Barton Stadium.
No. 11-ranked DU (1-1) plays No. 12 Lehigh (2-0) on Saturday and Canisius (0-0) on Sunday. Air Force (2-1) also is in the four-team Face-Off Classic and plays the Golden Griffins and Mountain Hawks in opposite order of the back- to-back doubleheaders.
Lehigh is fifth in the NCAA power rankings, ahead of No. 9 Air Force and No. 10 DU. The Falcons and Pioneers won't meet until an ECAC contest March 23 in Denver.
"We're really excited about getting back home this weekend," Tierney said this week. "We've got some great teams coming in, with Lehigh, who's ranked in front of us in one poll, Air Force and Canisius. It should be a great weekend with four Division I games in two days."
DU began its season Feb. 9 at Duke, upsetting the Blue Devils 14-12. The Pioneers lost 15-12 last weekend to Penn State in Jacksonville, Fla.
"We're coming off a tough defeat to Penn State, and we're looking forward to playing another great team," Tierney said. "Hopefully we'll be better this week and redeem ourselves against a great Lehigh team."
DU is 37-15 under Tierney, the former Princeton coach who led the Tigers to six NCAA titles and to 10 Final Fours.
The Pioneers again are led by midfielders Chase Carraro, Jeremy Noble and Cameron Flint, who are in their third consecutive season of starting together.
Sophomore attack Eric Adamson leads DU with six goals and nine points. Fellow attackmen Eric Law and Wes Berg have combined for nine goals. Sophomore goalie Ryan LaPlante of Fort Collins has started both games.
Also at DU this weekend, the formerly named North Dakota Fighting Sioux invade Magness Arena for the last Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season series between the longtime rivals.
The two-game set begins Friday at 8 p.m. before a NBC Sports Network audience. Saturday's 7 p.m. game will be carried regionally by Root.
UND took three of four points from DU in Grand Forks, N.D., in December, with a 2-2 tie and a 6-3 win.
DU and UND began playing each other in 1949. The Pioneers and UND met for the WCHA playoff title a year ago, with UND winning 4-0.
Throw in the DU women's gymnastics four-team Winterfest Invitational on Saturday night at Hamilton Gymnasium, and it's stacking up to be a busy weekend on the DU campus.
Polar Plungers warm up to Special Olympics 
Participants in the 2012 Polar Plunge weren't about to give Chatfield Reservoir a cold shoulder. (Andy Cross, Denver Post file)
fundraisingWith the heavy stuff behind us out of this cold front, Saturday's forecast looks perfect for a swim at the Aurora Reservoir. The annual Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Colorado makes its Denver-area stop this weekend, and at a new location. (It previously was at Chatfield Reservoir.) The plunging begins at 1 p.m., with check-in starting at 11 a.m. And it's not too late to register. Plungers must raise at least $85 to participate ($50 for students and Special Olympics athletes). To get to the plunge site, go about 2 miles east of E-470 and Quincy Avenue then south on Powhaton Road. An after-party event will go until 5 p.m. at Arapahoe Park, with food, music and vendors. Outback Steakhouse will provide soup and sandwiches free of charge. For more information, go to specialolympicsco.org.
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